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Coming Soon: Mobile Phones As Boarding Passes

I travel via airplane about five or six times per year, most often for work. I am always amazed at how inefficient the entire check-in and boarding process is. Looking to change that, several airlines are trialling the use of mobile phones as your boarding pass. Will it work, or will we always wait in lines no matter how advanced technology becomes?

This really is a great idea. Continental and others are testing systems that send a two-dimensional barcode to your cellphone. Sort of like a picture message, but digital code rather than an actual image. When it's your turn to board the plane, rather than show your paper ticket, you hold up your phone and let the airline attendant scan your phone. Since I always manage to wrinkle the heck out of my boarding pass from the time I enter the airport to the time I board the plane (don't ask), this could at least save a small measure of embarrassment.

Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester Research VP says mobile check-in is an option many travelers want. "Our research shows that about 47% of frequent travelers are interested in using their phones for flight check-in," he told the New York Times. "And about 42% said they'd be interested in using their mobile phone as a boarding pass."

So people are interested. But will it save any time? And if not, why bother?

The benefits, according to the New York Times, aren't so much to do with boarding, but with other travel issues. Airlines can use mobile messaging to communicate with passengers directly about on-board services, offer rebooking options, provide information about baggage pickup and future ticket purchases. They also can allow passengers to rebook a ticket directly from their phone after a missed connection, or do other, more mundane things such as switch seating assignments, check standby status or seek upgrades.

If passengers are using their phones to perform all these tasks while in the airport, guess what they're not doing? They aren't standing in line, and taking up airlines personnel time to resolve their issues. This frees airline and airport staff to take care of other customers.

We're a long way from this vision, however. Right now, Continental is only trialling the system in flights from and to Houston International Airport. It has been conducting the tests since December 2007. It is hoping to expand the trial to other airports this spring, but no time line for this expansion has been made public. Obviously, the system has to be extended to other airports and airlines if it is to have any real effect on the efficiency of passenger movement through airport terminals.

What do you think? Will you use such a system? Do you think it will help?

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