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Business English: Board your flight by mobile phone

Check-in via computer or mobile phone is becoming increasingly popular. von Andrew Baxter

Ubiquitous as mobile phones may be, some potential uses have yet to catch on in a big way. Such is the case with mobile check-in at airports. A passenger survey at the end of last year by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) found only 2 per cent of respondents had checked in via an SMS (text message) on their mobile phones. But that number looks certain to rise as more airlines introduce mobile check-in - those that already have are as enthusiastic about the service as are their passengers. "To have your boarding pass on your mobile should be something that really excites the customer," says Patrice Ouellette, Air Canada's director of customer service platform, e-commerce. Last June the airline launched mobile check-in for customers on domestic flights without baggage. In the next few weeks, it plans to start pilot testing an "E-Boarding passes" service, in which 2D barcodes would be sent directly to mobile devices of customers checking in at Montreal for domestic flights. The customer would then scan their device at an airport kiosk and proceed to security. Elsewhere, mobile check-in has established a foothold in countries where mobile users have been keen to try innovative or experimental services. Finland and Japan are two good examples. In October 2004 Finnair claimed a first in international air travel when it launched SMS check-in for frequent fliers. Customer feedback has been extremely positive, it says, reflecting the fact that the airline takes a proactive approach - it sends a text message and the customer needs only to reply. In Japan, mobile phones can be used as part of Japan Airlines' "Touch and Go" system, which was developed in-house for use on domestic routes, and introduced in February 2005. The system allows IC (integrated circuit) cardholders to board domestic flights without a physical ticket or boarding pass. The number of Touch and Go users has been steadily increasing since the system was introduced, says Ko Yoshida, JAL's vice-president for domestic marketing planning, and has already run into millions. Users tend to be individual business travellers. At rival airline ANA, check-in via computer or mobile phone has been possible for two years for domestic flights, and if the phone has an RF (radio frequency) chip it can used to pick up a boarding pass from a self-service kiosk at the airport. Last August, the airline introduced an enhancement known as Skip, allowing passengers who have paid for their tickets and reserved their seats - using their computer, mobile phone or at a travel agent - to skip check-in. Skip is used by 10,000-15,000 customers a day.

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