Airlines see passenger self-service take off

Airlines are embracing self-service check-in technology as passengers seek to avoid congested airport terminals.

More than half of the airlines surveyed by air transport IT services company Sita now offer online check-in facilities while 89 per cent expect to offer the service within the next two years.

Among the low-cost airlines surveyed and the top 25 airlines (in terms of passenger numbers), the implementation of web check-in is 100 per cent.

The survey found on average 21 per cent of passengers use online check-in and this is expected to increase to 35 per cent by the end of 2008.

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Passengers are also turning to self-service kiosks to avoid queues with 37 per cent of plane travellers expected to use these kiosks during 2007, rising to 49 per cent next year.

E-ticketing is also becoming the norm with 86 per cent of all tickets issued expected to be in this form by the end of 2008.

Paul Coby, CIO of British Airways and chairman of Sita, said airlines are turning to the self-service to make travel easier but also because the tech is easy to deploy and leads to cost savings.

Airlines also look likely to become one of the first fully IP-enabled global industries with 60 per cent of those surveyed having already completed IP migration.

New apps that could make the life of passengers easier include automatic notification services, which are currently offered by 48 per cent of airlines with 91 per cent expecting to within the next two years.

During this same period 76 per cent are planning mobile phone check-in.

Tech investment in the industry is expected to increase with 54 per cent of respondents saying they are planning to spend more in 2007 than the previous year.

The Sita and Airline Business IT Survey quizzed 100 airlines which between them carry around a billion passengers per year.

Paul Coby was voted the UK's top CIO in silicon.com's CIO 50 poll earlier this year.