In another step closer to completely paperless travel, Jetstar makes the next leap from e-mail to SMS and introduces Internet SMS boarding passes sent directly to passenger’s mobile phones. The Melbourne-developed technology, which is described by Jetstar as first-in-its-class, allows passengers with pre-registered mobile phones to skip the standard check-in queue and head straight to their departure gate.
Unlike other systems which require Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP mobile phone technology, Jetstar’s unique system implements standard SMS gateway messaging which nearly all mobile phones are equipped to handle, even older phones. Passengers receive an SMS code on their mobile device, including their gate and seat number. As the passenger shows their phone to a scanner at the departure gate, they are cleared for boarding by the on-duty staff.
As airlines work harder to implement smoother passenger processing and eliminate the high costs of customer service agents in favour of automated systems, technologies such as e-mail to text message have been used for some time. This next move eliminates the e-mail step and takes the airline communique directly to the more cost-effective SMS. Sending boarding passes by text message also mean one less step for the customer as they can skip printing or otherwise recording the e-mail as well.
Jetstar’s initial research indicated that nearly all passengers travelled with a mobile phone and the airline predicts that as high as 80 percent of passengers will opt to use this form of self-service check-in very soon. Jetstar’s new system will be trialled extensively at Avalon Airport (AVV) before it is implemented more widely.
Now, if they can just ease the lines through security, eh?
