04/02/12, 18:31:13 EST

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Cellphone could speed demise of paper airline tickets

ajc.com

Airlines agree to standard for bar code text message

Major airlines have agreed on a standard that will allow travelers to check in using a bar code sent to their cellphones, the International Air Transport Association said at a meeting in Geneva.

Passengers will register their cellphone number when buying a ticket and receive a bar code by text message, the group representing most commercial carriers said.

Check-in staff will scan the bar code directly from cell phones, doing away with the need for a boarding pass. Alternatively, passengers can also receive the code by e-mail and print it out. IATA said the move will help the industry phase out paper tickets by 2010 and save over $500 million annually.

 Printable Version  | published Oct 16, 2007