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Siemens develops technology facilitating use of mobile phones to check-in at airports

Siemens Information Systems Ltd. recently developed a mobile technology facilitating the use of mobile phones to check-in at airports, replacing the physical boarding pass. A traveller will have to select his flight and seat using a mobile phone and send a confirmation. Once the confirmation is sent, the traveller will receive a 2D bar code, which will get loaded on the mobile phone, either as a text message or an image. This bar code will allow the traveller to print boarding passes, baggage tags and access the terminal. The airport will have to provide scanners for scanning the image and printing boarding passes. “The check-in procedure is still not clear, for two reasons- firstly, because there are no standard rules and regulations on baggage control and secondly because people are hesitant towards complete online clearance for baggage check-in,” informed A S Viswanathan, Executive Vice President and Global Head – Transportation and Airports, Siemens Information Systems Ltd.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has already expressed its intent to introduce paperless boarding by 2010. It has also standardised the mobile check-in procedure. The technology is already in place and is at the trial stage. There is a need for stakeholders such as airlines, travel agents, security agencies, mobile service providers and others to start taking the technology seriously. Siemens is already in talks with few airlines to introduce this system and Air Canada has introduced this technology on a trail basis. The company has been demonstrating the technology and its benefits at the Siemens Airport Centre in Germany and plans to start demonstrations at the Siemens Airport Systems Laboratory in Bangalore. “Carriers in the West already print the 2D bar codes on boarding pass. The 2D bar code readers are very important for the success of this technology. It will however take time and can be introduced only in phases. We expect airlines and airports to adopt this technology in the next couple of years,” added Viswanathan.

Commenting on the challenges faced on implementing such a system, he said, “People are sceptical about the genuineness of mobile phone technology, also there is a problem of acceptance at the check-in and departure stages owing to security issues. Further, its introduction to separate groups of members such as frequent flyers is a concern.” The company hopes that once these concerns are dealt with, the adoption of the technology will pick up pace.

Source from indiaenews

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