British Airways recently announced the launch of their new app for iPad. The app is more comprehensive than their current iPhone app and it allows customers to download their boarding passes with scanable barcodes allowing customers to check in at the gate without having to print them out.
As technology becomes a larger part of our lives, more airlines are doing the same thing. With Ryanair’s app, you can download a copy of your boarding pass and they will scan it as well. With Iceland Air’s recent announcement of allowing gate to gate Wi-Fi, it will simply be a matter of time before other airlines follow suit.
As far as customers are concerned any method that allows for easier travel is well worth it. The app from BA has extra features like a 3D globe for flight searches and users can create a viewing plan for the inflight entertainment by dragging and dropping for the menu of available TV shows, movies, and music.
With the reduction of paper usage, and the proliferation of cell phones and tablets, it really makes the most sense to transition to apps and technology as it is better for the environment as well. It is almost impossible to lose your electronic boarding pass because it is usually on your phone, your tablet or laptop, and most of us are generally never far from any of those. For the people that work in the travel industry, electronic copies are often very useful because they are clear and easy to read.
As time goes on, we will see how quickly the other airlines follow suit, especially with apps and gate to gate Wi-Fi.
