News

Millions and millions self-served

April 1, 2002

SEATTLE - Last month Alaska Airlines checked in its 10 millionth customer via a self-service kiosk known as an Instant Travel Machine, or ITM.

The kiosk milestone indicates the popularity, and increased growth, of self-service kiosks in the airline industry. American Airlines recently announced the installation of 30 self-service kiosks, known as OneStop. It plans to install more than 300 of the machines, developed by Sabre.

Continental Airlines, which has 332 self check-in stations in 63 U.S. airports, plans to add 250 machines during the next year. Thus far, the company has spent more than $10 million on its eService Center program. Its machines are made by Kinetics, a Lake Mary, Fla.-based kiosk maker.

In March United Airlines announced plans to install 800 self-service kiosks at 25 airports in the United States by the end of 2001. Another airline, Northwest, plans to have 250 self-service check-in kiosks installed in airports across the United States by the end of this year.

Since March 1996, when Alaska Airlines installed its first ITM, the Alaska Air Group has added 372 ITMs to airports, hotels, parking facilities, and rental car agencies. According to the airline, one-third of its customers now check in using the ITM.

Alaska Air's Instant Travel Machines were originally designed and manufactured by Kinetics, and are now provided by Northrop Grumman, said Alaskan Airlines spokesman Jack Walsh.

As for the record setting customer? The lucky traveler received two free tickets.

Read more at KIOSKmarketplace

For more information about the growth of self-service kiosks in the airline industry, read the KIOSKmarketplace article, "Economies of Air."