SQ vs CX: Which one is more e-ready?

As we've written before in this section, journalists are quite fortunate to be given the chance to cover events outside of their home country. Two of the most common places we go to, like in my case, are Singapore and Hong Kong. These two cities are very similar yet rivals in almost every aspect, including in the airline business.

More often than not, when one goes to the Lion City, he or she will take Singapore Airlines, known for its airline code SQ. On the other hand, if a traveler is going to the former Crown Colony, he or she normally flies with Cathay Pacific or CX.

These airlines, no doubt, are the best in the business. I remember reading a story about a year ago that said CX was voted by travelers as the best airline in the world. But in my own biased opinion, I still consider SQ the best airline out there in terms of service, efficiency and, ahem, flight attendants.

But since this is a tech blog, allow me to compare the electronic capability of these two high-flying airlines. This may also be timely given the fact that the airline association IATA had recently mandated all airlines to stop issuing paper tickets ,and shift totally to e-ticketing.

I've tried the online check-in service of both airlines since its introduction a few years back. I don't know if this is also true for other customers, but I find it particularly frustrating to use this feature in the SQ Web site because you have to put your middle name beside your first name--although there's no specific instruction regarding this. In the slot provided, it just says "First/Given Name" and not "First and Middle Names".

So even if you've keyed in the right details but left out your middle name, you're doomed. My position on this is that as long as you have any of the following--booking number, ticket number, and passport number--you should be allowed to retrieve your flight info.

I haven't experienced the same problem with CX, and so I'll give them a score for this.

Up next is the self-service check-in machines that are installed at the airports. I tried the service the last time I was in Singapore's Changi Airport last June, but with undesirable result.

Seeing that the lines at SQ's counters were unusually long, I proceeded to the self-service check-in machine that was located at the middle of the lanes. With no check-in baggage, I initially thought it would be a breeze for me. But, I was wrong.

After entering the required information, I was on the last stage of the validation process when the machine told me to swipe my passport before it is able to print my boarding pass. Alas, my passport is not yet machine-readable, and that essentially spelt the end of it. There was no recourse but for me to go back to the counter.

Last July, I was at the Hong Kong International Airport and tried the same thing--this time with a different outcome. Just like what I did in Singapore a month earlier, I checked in online first and went straight to Cathay Pacific's self-service check-in machine. The machine just asked me to insert my frequent flyer card and voila, I had my boarding pass. No passport swiping required.

It's now 2-0 in favor of CX.

Let me clarify, however, that this observation is purely based on my own personal experience. However, I still think SQ has the goods and capability to fix these kinks, and deliver its promise to be best airline in the globe.