Wednesday, May 7

Paperless Boarding, The Cool Thing To Do

I recently just returned from a trip to Indianapolis and had my airport been a little bigger, say the size of Newark's ginormous airport, I could have probably participated in paperless boarding. Paperless boarding is exactly what it implies; boarding without a pass. I'm all for saving the forest and going paperless, so more power to the airports for tackling such an economically conscious feat.

If you are tech-savvy (like myself) traveling domestically through Houston's Intercontinental Airport, you have likely utilized the paperless boarding option if hopping on a Continental flight. Apparently the initiative is going over so well that the airline and the TSA are expanding it to three more venues.

"...passengers carrying any kind of cell phone or PDA, such as a BlackBerry, that receives e-mails and opens Web pages could choose to get an electronic version of the boarding pass when checking in online. They receive an e-mail with a link to a Web page displaying their encrypted, two-dimensional bar code, which looks like a Dalmatian-spotted postage stamp and reveals their name and flight information when scanned at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint and Continental gate."

As of now, passengers traveling within the US can enjoy the same luxury at Boston's Logan International Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C; later this month, the program should slide into Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Don't expect paperless boarding to be an option if you are traveling with groups however. This is said to slow the flow.

There's no word given on future expansion plans, but at this rate, I wouldn't be shocked to see it hit even more airports in the not-too-distant future. Probably not Greenville/Spartanburg Airport anytime soon, but others I am sure.

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