GENEVA-Siemens Business Services and air transport communications group SITA Information Networking Computing will partner to allow wireless users to check in for flights over their handsets, the organizations announced Tuesday.
With the application, dubbed SITA Mobile Check-In, passengers can check-in for flights and receive a two-dimensional bar code on their mobile screens. A kiosk will read the barcode and print out a boarding pass.
The service, which is expected to be phased in next year, will support a variety of different handsets and will be available to all airlines. Air carriers will pay a “per-passenger” charge when travelers use the service.
“From an airline’s perspective, it’s very appealing from a cost point of view,” said Herve Muller, SITA’s vice president of commercial operations. “They will pay for service as (their customers use it). The upfront costs will be very limited.”