 If you’re an old hand at air travel, you may remember the days when airports weren’t very busy, when flights had empty seats, and when checking in didn’t require arriving at the airport hours in advance or submitting yourself to complex security screening. Assuming your legs and heart can take it, you could run through the airport at the last minute and still catch your flight.
If you carry a BlackBerry or other mobile device when you travel, you may still be able to do a last-minute end run through the airport, or at least shave a little time off the check-in process.
 The Full Monty
Fully automated check-in systems are being tested at many airports and airline services. These systems let you check in with a BlackBerry or other mobile device and use the device as your boarding pass. No paper ticket, no standing in long lines. Unfortunately, these advanced systems are currently only being tested at overseas locations, most notably domestic flights in Australia and Germany.
Qantas and DBA are at the forefront of testing, with Qantas flights between Sydney and Melbourne and DBA flights between Munich and Hanover. Both airlines use the text-messaging capabilities of a mobile and a unique barcode that serves as your check-in confirmation and boarding pass. |
Many airlines, including Continental, let you use a mobile device to keep abreast of travel conditions and delays. |
With the Qantas system, you register your mobile device by sending an SMS message to the Qantas SMS check-in number. The message must include your Qantas frequent flier number and the phone number of your device. Qantas will respond with an SMS message that confirms your registration. The message includes a test barcode to ensure that your device is capable of displaying it.
When you’re ready to check in, you send an SMS message containing the text ci to the number you used to register. The Qantas system will look up your flight information based on your frequent flier number. It will then send an SMS message that confirms you are booked on flight [QFXXX SYD MEL]. You reply with an SMS message that contains a “Y” if the flight information is correct. Qantas will then send your boarding pass via SMS. The boarding pass includes your name, the boarding pass barcode, your seat assignment, and additional flight details, if any. If you have luggage to check, you can go to the ticket counter where an agent will scan the barcode and check your luggage through. If you don’t have luggage to check, you can go directly to the gate lounge where an agent will scan the barcode and direct you to your seat. At your destination, you will use the Qantas SMS boarding pass again to retrieve your luggage.
The State Of U.S. Travel
Domestic flights in the United States offer various degrees of mobile access. Basic systems let you check flight status and flight schedules and set up automatic paging for flight arrivals or departures. More advanced systems let you purchase tickets, check in, and print boarding passes. Unfortunately, no domestic airline currently offers all of these capabilities under a single, unified system. Available services depend on the airline, as well as the airport.
To give you an example of what you will typically find when you travel in the United States, we checked out two domestic carriers who provide mobile services.
United Airlines. United lets travelers use a BlackBerry to check flight schedules, flight status, and a host of other information, but not to purchase tickets, cancel flights, or check in. Two methods of obtaining this information are available.
United’s Easy Schedule application (www.uatimetable.com/UnitedAirlines.jad) allows you to request flight status and flight availability, check your travel itinerary, look up flight schedules, subscribe to flight paging services, and more. Easy Schedule uses your BlackBerry’s email application to exchange queries and responses. The downside is that responses may take a while.
The second method (www.ua2go.com) uses your BlackBerry’s Internet-enabled WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) browser for fast and interactive access to information that is optimized for the small form factor browser. |
Using a mobile device to check in at Southwest is as easy as providing your confirmation number and name. |
Southwest Airlines. Southwest provides a check-in service for mobile users. It also lets you cancel flights or boarding passes from a BlackBerry. What it doesn’t do is provide an easy way to check flight status, purchase tickets, or look up flight schedules.
You can access Southwest’s mobile services (mobile.southwest.com) using your BlackBerry’s browser. To check in, select the Flight Checkin link. Enter your flight’s itinerary confirmation number and your name and select Retrieve Reservation. Confirm the reservation, and you’re checked in; it’s as easy as that. Your boarding group assignment will display to assist you in boarding the plane.
Although you're now checked in, you still need a paper boarding pass. You can print a boarding pass by asking a skycap, by using an E-Ticket Check-in kiosk, or, if you have access to a computer and printer, via online check-in (www.southwest.com). One peculiarity to note: Because there’s a delay (even if only a small one) between the time you check in and the time you print your boarding pass, you must request a reprint of your boarding pass. The E-Ticket system assumes that you printed a boarding pass when you checked in.
Seat Assignments |
Whether you prefer the aisle or a window, Mobile SeatGuru (mobile.seatguru.com) can help you secure the seat assignment you want. |
In many cases, when you use a mobile device to check in, your seat is automatically assigned. Even if you’re given a choice, you may not know for sure whether seat D15 is a window, aisle, or other seat. To scope out your position, use Mobile SeatGuru (mobile.seatguru.com). Find your airline on the list and select the appropriate plane to see a seating map.
Slow But Steady Wins The Race
When you consider all the ramifications of flight security, it's not surprising that we can't just stroll into an airport, pass a mobile device over a scanner, and proceed directly to the boarding area. Nevertheless, a mobile device can make many routine processes easier and keep you out of many of the longest lines. 
by Tom Nelson & Mary O’Connor
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