Airports gear up for 2010

By Candice Jones, ITWeb online telecoms editor

Johannesburg, 15 Nov 2007

Airports Company of SA (ACSA) has started planning and implementing bar-coded boarding passes (BCBP) in airports across the country.

The mobile phone check-in technology enables airlines to send 2D bar codes to a passenger`s mobile phone, personal digital assistant or smartphone. It becomes the passenger`s boarding pass, which is read directly from the mobile device`s screen.

Implementation of the standard has a deadline of 2010, set by the Air Transport Association (IATA) last month. It will require introduction of BCBP to replace the current magnetic stripe technology.

Tasniem Patel, ACSA spokesperson, says the company will work closely with airlines, airline associations, the SA Civil Aviation Authority and IATA on the implementation plan. "That said, some airlines operating in the country have indicated their willingness to implement 2D already."

She says ACSA will provide infrastructure to support the airlines` business.

Who pays?

Eric Leopold, project manager for BCBP at IATA, says the airlines and airports will share the costs. The airport will carry the back-end infrastructure, and the airline will carry the cost of the actual boarding pass.

ACSA says the total cost will only be available once all procurement and implementation plans have been completed.

According to Leopold, customers may need to financially contribute to the technology. "The passenger may incur a cost, depending on the country and the subscription. For example, they may be responsible for the cost to receive a message (text and image) from an airline."

He says passengers who do not wish to pay for the service may use other check-in systems. "Mobile check-in is just one option for passengers, very convenient, but not mandatory. Travellers without mobile phones may still get a boarding pass at a check-in desk."

Testing 123

In the interim, South African Airways (SAA) has set up a pilot project at Cape Town international airport.

According to SAA CIO Mike Re, as soon as the project is signed off, the plan will be finalised to provide the facility to all domestic stations.

"In line with the IATA initiatives, SAA`s IT department is exploring mobile check-in facilities as the airline foresees a future where customers will be able to check themselves in by using devices such as cellphones," says Re.

He says SAA`s IT department is playing an essential role in the restructuring process the airline is undergoing.

"We are busy with a number of information technology projects that will have a huge impact on our restructuring process."

SAA is set to reach the May 2008 deadline to only use e-ticketing (or paperless airline tickets) on all its routes. It has also launched radio frequency ID tagging on its Hong Kong route, to track baggage, he concludes.