Airport check-in will soon be enhanced and will eliminate paper requirements through the International Air Transport Association’s 2D barcode which will be sent to passengers’ mobile phones. This barcode will serve as boarding passes which passengers just need to present during check-in time.

Being the most used gadget worldwide, it is but natural that the mobile phones be utilized for such important purpose as checking-in in airport terminals. This only goes to show how important the functions of the mobile phones have already become.

So now, here’s how the mobile check-in will work:

• passengers registers their mobile phone with their airlines upon flight booking,
• the airline send a 2D barcode directly to the passengers’ mobile phone, PDA or smart phone
• passengers present the barcode in their mobile phones as a boarding pass, scanners located in airports reads the barcode

This definitely simplifies and speeds up the check-in process in airports. Aside from that the process also eliminates the need for paper documents.

IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said that with the use of the 2D barcode, passengers will surely have the convenience of self-service options in a paperless environment. “This standard is an important step in getting rid of paper that bogs down processes and drives up costs,” says Bisignani.

The bar coded boarding passes (BCBP) is set to be implemented by the end of 2010. This will potentially save the airline industry around $500 million annually if full implemented. And in the coming months, IATA will develop standardized processes and guidelines that facilitate global implementation.

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