The world`s first common use self-service kiosks —based on the new industry standard—enabling airline passengers to check-in and print out boarding passes and baggage tags, went live in Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport on June 8…
The world`s first common use self-service kiosks —based on the new industry standard—enabling airline passengers to check-in and print out boarding passes and baggage tags, went live in Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport on June 8. Within twenty-four hours of the pilot system becoming operational, more than a hundred passengers had embraced the new kiosks as a welcome alternative to standing in line at the check-in counter.
This is a real breakthrough,” remarked Sophie Hennion, Vice President Marketing & Airline Development, Aeroports de Montreal (ADM), who originally initiated the project, “and it comes at a time when we`re experiencing a major increase in the number of passengers traveling to and from our airports. Aeroports de Montreal recently reported an 18% increase in passenger traffic for the first semester of 2004. We’ve called our new kiosks ‘Aerocheck’ and the public response to them has been hugely positive.
Airline passengers will continually seek out `hassle-free` alternatives to long check-in queues both in and off the airport, commented Catherine Mayer, SITA`s Vice President of Airport Services, but what is fundamentally different here in Montreal is that the kiosks allow passengers to take control of the entire check-in process.
This project is not about testing new technology; it`s about demonstrating how well new processes can work when the industry comes together to collaborate on an issue of common concern. The issue here was `how to provide a secure self-service check-in environment for passengers and their baggage. And working in partnership with Aeroports de Montreal, partner airlines, Transport Canada and the US Transportation Security Administration, we`ve built a solution that is providing many benefits to all aviation stakeholders.
In fact, the first passenger to use the new system works for one of the world`s leading software companies”, Sophie Hennion commented. “She told us she was a huge fan of kiosks and was thrilled when she realized she could also check her bags – even for trans-border flights between Canada and the US.”
The kiosks used in the Montreal project are compliant with the new IATA Common Use Self Service (CUSS) standard. On March 29 this year, SITA was awarded the industry`s first compliance certificate for its CUSS platform. Until now kiosks have been based, for the large part, on proprietary technologies and operated in `dedicated` modes for a specific airline. With the recent introduction of the IATA CUSS standard, this is changing rapidly.
Airport operators are now able to provide standardized self-service check-in environments with the potential to support every airline operating flights from their airports. Some airlines are already reporting that nearly 50% of their passengers regularly use self-service check-in and SITA forecasts that some 14% of passengers worldwide will use a self-service kiosk this year.
Everyone understands that transportation security is a fundamental concern, Mayer added, but security and facilitation can coexist. The Montreal project proves the point. Working so closely with Aeroports de Montreal, has allowed our team to build a solution and design new processes that meet the security requirements of Transport Canada and the TSA. And by offering airlines and their passengers self-service kiosks, airports can now hope to address two of their toughest challenges simultaneously: maximize resources and deliver a secure, passenger-friendly airport experience.
The Montreal project has been extended and will run until 31 October 2004.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
