News

Continental completes U.S. install of check-in kiosks

January 8, 2004

HOUSTON -- Continental Airlines has completed the installation of eService Center self-check-in kiosks in all of the airline's airport terminal check-in areas in the continental United States.

The last airport to receive Continental's eService Center kiosks was Reno, Nev., where one unit was placed on line on Dec. 31. The airline now operates 779 eService Centers in 130 U.S. airports.

"Continental's domestic customers now have the option of checking themselves in at an eService Center kiosk or at continental.com, no matter where in the United States their trips begin or where in the United States they're going," said Christopher Frawley, Continental's managing director of eCommerce, in a news release.

In 1995, Continental deployed electronic self-check-in kiosks at Newark Liberty International Airport. In the past year, more than 18 million customers have used this service on Continental alone.

Customers can perform a variety of functions at Continental's eService Centers, including checking in an individual or group for a flight on the day of departure, selecting or changing a seat assignment, buying a ticket or "Continental Currency" which can be redeemed for in-flight beverages and headsets, adding a OnePass frequent flyer number to an existing reservation, and printing baggage tags for checked bags.

Continental Airlines ticket agents actively encourage customers to use eService Centers to expedite customer check-in and so that agents can spend more time with customers who require additional assistance.

Each of Continental's 779 eService Centers, manufactured by Lake Mary, Fla.-based Kinetics, has a whimsical name with a connection to the city of its location. For example, Seattle's seven eService Centers include "Space Needle" and "Sleepless," and the six in New Orleans include "Mardi Gras" and "Zydeco." "Laverne" and "Shirley" are among the four eService Centers in Milwaukee, and "Dorothy" and "Toto" are among four in Kansas City.