It has been a mooted problem in the airline industry for a very long time – the airline passenger is the most stressed out of all passengers. They check their tickets more than anybody else and are more stressed about getting to the airport in time than those who use other means of transport. Travellers by coach tend to sit on the coach, close their eyes and wake up at their destination. On the other hand, air travellers check their tickets numerous times, stressfully arrange transport to the airport, constantly check flight information and often stress about what they are allowed to bring or take with them. Thus, airlines have been trying to reduce the level of stress in recent years.
We have seen the introduction of the reduction of time the passengers need to be at the airport before departure. Similarly, the introduction of electronic tickets and bar codes for check-in eradicates the horrendous thought of losing tickets. Now, Sabre and the Italian carrier AirOne have teamed up to produce a new opportunity for passengers: checking-in using a mobile phone. This could totally eradicate the necessity to stand in queues with luggage and thus reduce the amount of time passengers need to spend at the airport.
The self-service check-in is similarly a very effective way for people to cut costs and improves the customer experience. Passengers with an internet enabled phone are sent information about the flight 24 hours in advance. The IATA-approved bar code is also sent along with the remaining information. Soon, the checking-in process could be made even simpler with the introduction of the possibility of checking-in via SMS. It has been envisaged that air travellers could soon begin to enjoy the same level of relaxation as coach users and still get to their destinations in a fraction of the time it takes by coach.
