Mobile check-in set to go global by 2010

Paper boarding cards could soon be a thing of the past: checking in over mobile phones has received the official thumbs-up from the airline industry.

Aviation industry body IATA (International Air Transport Association) has announced a new standard for check-in over mobiles, using 2D barcodes. The codes will use existing formats popular in the Europe and Japan -- Aztec, Datamatrix and QR.

The IATA hopes airlines will soon be able to send the barcodes containing check in details direct to travellers' phones, using MMS, or via a link contained in an SMS. Passengers will then be required to present their phones, with the barcodes read from the screen using handheld scanners.

The IATA intends to replace 100 percent of magnetic strip boarding cards with barcodes by 2010 and believes the changeover will save the airline industry around US$500 million per year.

A spokesperson for IATA member Qantas told ZDNet Australia the airline is investigating the technology but is not currently able to talk about a timeframe for implementation.

A spokesperson for fellow member Air New Zealand added: "I can't give you a specific timetable yet as we are still working through the details."

In the coming months, the IATA plans to begin "develop[ing] standardised processes and guidelines" so members can implement the technology.

Some airlines have already adopted check-in technology similar to that proposed by IATA, including Germany's DBA and Air Canada.