Mobile makes flying easier – kinda, sorta
Over the past month I’ve had the opportunity to travel both in
Being a bit of a geek, I’m usually an early adopter of any new technology that claims or promises to automate or simplify things or have the potential to enrich a product, service, or experience.
I find observing the intersections of when new technologies cross over from geek town to main street facsinating. It’s also neat to see how people adopt, use, and evolve technologies in ways that they were never intended for.
It’s also interesting to see how old rules get applied to new technologies.
Some progressive airlines like Westjet now offer mobile check-in through their mobile website. Simply go to mobile.westjet.com and verify your seat, your baggage (physical not personal) and check yourself in up to 24 hours before your flight.
This is the BEST way of getting that exit door aisle seat with the extra leg room for those who aren’t lucky enough to be sitting in the front of the bus.
Once you are checked in, you will get an email with a super secret verification string that gets validated at your gate, through security, and before you board your plane.
This is where it can get tricky.
While checking into my flight to Vancouver a few weeks back, I was asked if I wanted a printed copy of my mobile e-ticket. Isn’t the point of having an electronic ticket on your phone so that you can do away with paper?
A few minutes later I understood why.
After validating my mobile ticket through the gate, my girlfriend was stopped and denied access. Because her mobile e-ticket was in French, the gate checker person (or whatever you call them) was confused and indicated it was invalid. 10 minutes and one discussion with a supervisor later, she was finally let through the gate.
The same thing happened again through security. It was a bit of a hassle and negates the convenience of leveraging your mobile to be…well…truly mobile and paper free.
Print is dead after all.
We made it through the third check-point to get on the plane with no delay.
In speaking to one lady at the security check, she predicted that all boarding passes would be paper-less within 2 years. She also said that approximately 1 billion tickets are issues a year – so that’s a lot of paper we could (and will) be saving!
I think we still have a ways to go… but I’m all for progress.
