Via Picturephoning comes word that some airlines are considering using mobiles as boarding passes in the nearish future, with the possibility of having the technology in play by 2010. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are exploring the idea, according to Computing. Airline body IATA says the magnetic strip-bearing paper boarding pass may be on its way out, replace by both paper barcodes and barcodes on mobile screens.
The report says already some passengers in Tokyo's Narita airport and Beijing's airport can register fingerprints and get a barcode issued as a boarding pass.
However, a suitably dour Ryanair IT manager poured cold water on the idea, saying paper works just fine. And that's why you don't have mixer taps, sir.
(Image: saaby on Flickr)
September 18th, 2006 at 1:11 am
Hi Scott and readers of the Mobile Weblog
Good news, but old news… The first commercial launch of mobile phone based check-in and boarding pass was launched by Finnair in the autumn of 2001 (initially to its frequent fliers only). It was a finalist as the best new mobile service in Finland (losing out to the just-in-time dentist application)
Since then similar systems are already in use by Lufthansa, Ryanair, Norwegian, JAL and Air Asia on at least some of their routes or to some of their customers.
Norwegian’s is most complete, allowing full purchase of ticket, check-in and boarding pass via mobile phone. Finnair’s – being the oldest – is predictably most used, with Finnair reporting already over 20% of its frequent fliers using the service on routes where it is available (obviously depends then on national airport authorities and regulations on when it can be implemented.)
But yes, good news, needs to spread…
Tomi Ahonen
4-time bestselling author on mobile
lecturing at Oxford University
blogsite http://www.communities-dominate.blogs.com
website http://www.tomiahonen.com
September 20th, 2006 at 5:38 am
Indeed Tomi, these aren’t the first, but maybe perhaps the largest to try it. My point, not well made due to a rush in writing, is that as mass-market attempts, they will bump up against the old issue of convenience and ease of use – for a mass audience, will a mobile-based service be simpler than waving a piece of paper at the gate attendant? At this point, no, but one can hope…