Continental Airlines Testing Check In with Cell Phones

Continental Airlines is currently testing a 3 month pilot program for passengers to board flights using their cell phone to check in. Passengers leaving Houston, TX, will be the first in the country to board flights without the showing a paper boarding pass.
The new check-in procedure using cell phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants) is being unveiled by Continental Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration at George Bush Intercontinental Airport today.

The 3 month pilot program involves technology using encrypted bar codes on mobile device screens, something not being used anywhere else in the world. The program allows passengers to receive boarding passes electronically, and then present bar codes on the screen to be scanned by TSA security officers at the checkpoint.

Ultimately, it could eliminate the need for a paper document besides photo identification. Continental is the first U.S. carrier to test paperless boarding passes. Initially, the pilot program will be used solely on Continental flights at Intercontinental. If successful, plans call for it to be rolled out to other airlines in about three months.

Previous Related News:

Last October we reported that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a global standard that paves the way for global mobile phone check-in using two-dimensional (2D) bar codes.

Continental Airlines Testing Check In with Cell Phones

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