News

More US airports turning to self-service

August 28, 2012

The airport of the future could be right around the corner, according to an article on WSJ.com. Airports and airlines across the country are increasingly transferring pre-flight tasks from the employees to the passengers.

Kiosk usage in airports in nothing new, but the next generation of self-service airport technology enables the passenger to check-in and tag their own bags, print their own boarding passes or use their smartphones — and, in theory, not need to speak to a single airline employee until they board the plane.

American Airlines tested the technology in Austin, Texas, and plans to deploy the self-service kiosks in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago over the next two years. In July, JetBlue Airlines installed self-boarding gates at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, the first in the U.S.

According to airlines, the new system would cut down a passenger's check-in process, while also freeing employees to address more pressing issues.

"It's more about throughput with the resources you have than getting rid of humans," said Andrew O'Connor, director of airport solutions at Geneva-based airline IT provider SITA, in the article.

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