Alaska Airlines Testing Electronic Boarding Passes

vagabond · 10-28-2008, 06:03 AM

I'm happy to try it ...... if Alaska will give me a new cell phone. Mine is useless.

Quote:

From KING5:
SEATTLE - One Seattle airline is on the cutting edge, cutting out the paper trail as you head for the gate. All you need is your cell phone.

For the past two weeks, Alaska Airlines has been quietly testing this new technology with its mileage members. Basically, you never have a paper ticket - all you do is wave your Web-enabled cell phone and you're on the plane.

When it comes to taking to their air, paper is on the way out and cell phones are in.

Alaska Airlines has become the first carrier at SeaTac International Airport to test electronic boarding passes. It essentially turns your cell phone or blackberry into your ticket onto the plane.

"So I can sit in my car, a taxicab, I don't have to go to the business center at the hotel. I don't have to have a computer at home," said Jeff Butler, Alaska Airlines customer service.

Alaska Airlines says its business travelers have been clamoring for this kind of convenience because they don't always have a computer available to check in online.

Now, they can check in via a cell phone and there is nothing to print.

"And the TSA has a scanner there and they will scan the barcode and it will tell the TSA whether the customer is good to go or if they have an issue, if they're attempting to travel on the wrong date or something like that," said Jeff Anderson, Alaska Airlines Director of Airport Technology.

In the end, Alaska Airlines hopes it will streamline that long line through security.

Alaska Airlines says there have been a few glitches during their test phase. Some of the scanners weren't reading the barcode correctly at first. They've tackled that problem. Alaska Airlines says the cell check in should be widely available to all customers sometime next year.

Fishfreighter · 10-28-2008, 08:54 AM

Just another way to get rid of employees. Pretty soon the customers will be booking online, checking their own bags and checking themselves in on the plane.

That ought to get rid of about half the CSAs.

Homa · 10-28-2008, 10:25 AM

We're slowly trying to morph into the next SkyBus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishfreighter

Just another way to get rid of employees. Pretty soon the customers will be booking online, checking their own bags and checking themselves in on the plane.

That ought to get rid of about half the CSAs.

Oh, by the way, Alaska Airlines now has a Facebook account. They expect current employees to go on there and post positive things about the airline on there.

Mine would be something like this:

"Alaska Airlines is great at treating its frontline employees like garbage. I think their intimidation and scare tactics are some of the best in the industry. Way to go Bill & Gregg. You guys ROCK!"

Maybe Angle Lake should spend less time on stupid ass PR like this and more time in hedging fuel at < $59 bbl. Or, maybe they can work on running a better operation.

Fishfreighter · 11-02-2008, 09:32 PM

Better not. I think 13 employees got terminated for posting negative stuff on the Virgin Atlantic facebook page.

And a number of Alaska F/As have been terminated for stuff they posted on THEIR OWN pages after having identified themselves as Alaska F/As.

Homa · 11-03-2008, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishfreighter

Better not. I think 13 employees got terminated for posting negative stuff on the Virgin Atlantic facebook page.

And a number of Alaska F/As have been terminated for stuff they posted on THEIR OWN pages after having identified themselves as Alaska F/As.

Don't worry, I'm not that stupid.

I remember the story about the ALK FAs a couple o years ago for posting unflattering pictures of themselves on MySpace.

This is a conspiracy theory, but that ALK Facebook account could be just such a trap. They want some angry employees to pop off and then the company can go after them.

Fishfreighter · 11-03-2008, 12:14 PM

You may just be right about that. Its a good way to get rid of the rabble rousers.

Traineee · 11-03-2008, 12:29 PM

This world is being taken over by robots.

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