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DevilAlumna
12-05-2007, 09:21 PM
Ooh, now I want to fly Continental!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22100817/


Some Continental Airlines passengers flying out of Houston can receive their boarding passes on their cell phones or PDAs as part of a test program announced Tuesday.

Each paperless boarding pass will display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information to identify the traveler. Transportation Security Administration officials will use hand-held scanners to validate the passes.


Though I do see this as not being a faster/smoother option when dealing with the majority of leisure travelers -- I would expect to hear things like:

"What do you mean, I have to turn my cell phone on to show you my boarding pass? On the last flight, I was told to turn it off!"

terrih
12-05-2007, 09:47 PM
That is funny. Turn it on, turn it off....

I too think it is a great idea and hope it spreads to other airlines soon. I just hope my phone doesn't konk out sometime when I am trying to board or whatever. Painful, probably have to go find a kiosk, etc.

Still a good idea!

allenmurray
12-05-2007, 10:04 PM
They can find a 1.5 inch pocket knife in my shaving kit, but in order for them to tell that my laptop computer is really a computer I have to take it out of its nylon carrying case so it can travel through the tunnel of myster all by itself. (I still haven't figured out how the x-ray machine can see through my leather canvas and my leather shaing kit but can't see thropugh my nylon computer case). Yet I am supposed to trust that they won't screw up my boarding pass that will be downloaded onto my cel phone, which won't get a singal in Lowes or Home Depot, and often not a very good signal in some airports.

I'll take ideas that sound good but really are quite stupid for $500, Alex.

Indoor66
12-06-2007, 08:10 AM
Ooh, now I want to fly Continental!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22100817/




Though I do see this as not being a faster/smoother option when dealing with the majority of leisure travelers -- I would expect to hear things like:

"What do you mean, I have to turn my cell phone on to show you my boarding pass? On the last flight, I was told to turn it off!"

True, the great unwashed masses can be a pain in the neck.

hurleyfor3
12-06-2007, 09:19 AM
I'd prefer paper right now for several reasons:

* sometimes my miles don't post (or my return portion gets canceled somehow) and I need to show proof I took the flight

* if someone else is in my seat once I board, brandishing a piece of paper is more convincing than brandishing a cellphone

* sometimes I want to keep some information on the boarding pass as some sort of record in general (what day I took a flight, etc).

* paper doesn't have have batteries that need to be kept charged

hurleyfor3
12-06-2007, 09:22 AM
They can find a 1.5 inch pocket knife in my shaving kit, but in order for them to tell that my laptop computer is really a computer I have to take it out of its nylon carrying case so it can travel through the tunnel of myster all by itself. (I still haven't figured out how the x-ray machine can see through my leather canvas and my leather shaing kit but can't see thropugh my nylon computer case). Yet I am supposed to trust that they won't screw up my boarding pass that will be downloaded onto my cel phone, which won't get a singal in Lowes or Home Depot, and often not a very good signal in some airports.

I'll take ideas that sound good but really are quite stupid for $500, Alex.

The reason laptops have to go through separately is that they are opaque to the x-ray -- they block the "view" of anything underneath them.

If you leave the laptop in your bag, they'll see a big rectangular block on the screen and know it's a laptop, and require you to run the bag through again with the laptop out.