Qantas deploys SMS boarding pass
Airline Qantas has launched an SMS-based mobile check-in service for passengers.
The new offering follows airline Virgin Blue's launch last week of its mobile check-in service.
Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce said the Qantas mobile check-in service would offer customers the ability to check-in remotely and removed "another airport process" for travellers.
The service uses a 2D barcode, which is sent to a passenger's phone and then scanned by a reader at the gate. A boarding receipt is then printed for the customer with their name, frequent flyer details, flight number and seat allocation, according to Qantas.
The service will be available to passengers between 24 hours and 45 minutes before departure using Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry or other web-enabled mobile devices, Qantas said.
Airports that have launched the check-in service include Sydney Terminal 3, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Gladstone, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Kalgoorlie, Broome, Karratha, Newman, Paraburdoo and Port Lincoln.
There are also plans, according to Qantas, to roll out the check-in service to Adelaide, Cairns, Sydney Terminal 2, Newcastle and Port Hedland in the "coming months".
Qantas subsidiary Jetstar said in January (PDF) that it would launch its mobile check-in service during the first quarter of 2010, but the service is yet to launch.
(Front page image credit: Qantas 747-300 image by planegeezer, CC2.0)