Cell Phones, PDAs Under Evaluation For Check-In Pilot Program | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.29.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.23.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.24.24 Airborne-FltTraining-04.25.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.26.24

Tue, Dec 11, 2007

Cell Phones, PDAs Under Evaluation For Check-In Pilot Program

Electronic Boarding Passes "Print" To Wireless Devices

Passengers may soon no longer have to dig for a paper ticket, or worry about where they put their boarding passes before checking in for a flight. Continental Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration launched a program recently to test the use of electronic boarding passes on PDAs or cell phones.

The program -- the first-of-its-kind offered by a US airline -- is called, appropriately enough, the 'Paperless Boarding Pass.' The pilot program kicked off in Houston, TX, according to InformationWeek.

The program works like this. Passengers receive virtual "boarding passes" on their cell phone or PDA, which contain a two-dimensional bar code that identifies the passenger with their flight information. The code is then scanned by TSA security officers and check-in agents, similar to how paper tickets are now scanned.

In addition to eliminating the need for a paper boarding pass, officials say the technology will also cut down on passenger fraud, improve customer service and speed up the boarding process.

"The deployment of the paperless technology signifies the TSA's ongoing commitment to develop and execute new technologies within aviation while enhancing security," said Mel Carraway, TSA's general manager for field operations.

The airline and TSA worked together to develop the strategy to use the paperless process. TSA created the paperless scan process; Continental Airlines came up with a plan for encrypting the boarding passes on mobile devices.

It's not certain the program will be used elsewhere, but TSA has expressed interest to expand the use of encrypted bar codes.

In October, the International Air Transport Association introduced a global standard which lays the groundwork for a check-in procedure using cell phones, smartphones, or PDAs and two-dimensional bar codes.

The standard for a two-dimensional paper bar-coded pass was developed in 2005, and is currently used for web check-in. By 2010, all airlines must use bar coded boarding passes, removing the need for the magnetic strip technology saving the airlines $500 million a year.

FMI: www.tsa.gov, www.continental.com

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.28.24): Airport Marking Aids

Airport Marking Aids Markings used on runway and taxiway surfaces to identify a specific runway, a runway threshold, a centerline, a hold line, etc. A runway should be marked in ac>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.28.24)

"It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for manned aircraft to see a drone while conducting crop-enhancing and other aerial applications at low altitudes and high speeds. We>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.28.24)

Aero Linx: The Skyhawk Association The Skyhawk Association is a non-profit organization founded by former Skyhawk Pilots which is open to anyone with an affinity for the A-4 Skyhaw>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.29.24)

“The T-54A benefits from an active Beechcraft King Air assembly line in Wichita, Kansas, where all required METS avionics and interior modifications are installed on the line>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.29.24)

Aero Linx: Aerostar Owners Association The Association offers the Aerostar Owner a unique opportunity to tap an invaluable source of information concerning the care and feeding of >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC