New QuickCheck machine - are trad boarding passes endangered?

[openseat]

Yesterday, (after voting at the airport - a first for me) I checked in using a QuickCheck machine at Sydney and noticed that it was a little different in that you could place a barcode under a reader to bring up your booking, or alternatively swipe the machine readable part of your passport, in addition to the usual credit card/ FF card reader.

What was a surprise was the boarding pass, which was just like a Virgin Blue boarding pass from their check-in machines. That is flimsy paper.

Now that a legacy carrier like QF has begun down this road, is this the beginning of the end of the cardboard stock boarding pass??

 

[oz_mark]

When Qantas introduced OLCI and the bar code readers that went with it, they did flag that over time they were going to move away from the traditional boarding pass. While they put no time line on it, perhaps this is another move in that direction.

 

[Mal]

Yep, traditional boarding passes are going to disappear within Australia, but will still be retained for overseas routes for a little while...

IATA is mandating the move towards barcodes rather than Magstrips on boarding passes: Bar coded boarding passes

Qantas has already implemented barcode scanners on most (all?) of their gates in the Domestic network in Australia, so really there is no need for Qantas to issue a magnetic stripe boarding pass any more unless flying overseas. Even that need will continue to reduce (but I can't see them replacing them yet).

Paper boarding passes just work out cheaper for the airlines...

There was a bit more about the plans posted over at Flyertalk:

Posted by eoinnz:
From the 4th of October Quick Check kiosks will start printing smaller thermal paper boarding passes. The boarding pass will no longer have a magnetic strip but two bar codes and can be used with the scanners already installed at gates that scan self printed boarding passes.

From 4th - 28th October, 4 kiosks in Sydney will print the new boarding passes then from the 29th October the rest of the network will be progressively updated. The kiosk itself will still look the same.

In addition to the new boarding passes you will be also able to enter Frequent Flyer details and check in travel companions who are travelling on separate bookings.

 

[NM]

As far as I am concerned, a boarding pass is just a piece of paper used to identity the flight details and my entitlement to board the aircraft. I don't care what type of paper its printed on or how it is read by the scanner. If paper and barcodes is more efficient for the airline, then it makes sense to use them.

 

[wallacej]

Those that are upset by this probably want to go back to printed carbon tickets!

 

[NYCguy]

Those that are upset by this probably want to go back to printed carbon tickets!

The machine-written ones, or hand-written?

 

[wallacej]

The machine-written ones, or hand-written?

lol... I forgot about those ones..

 

[JohnK]

Unfortunately the end of the cardboard type boarding pass is very near. I will be disappointed. For me part of the trip was the cardboard boarding pass and I would proudly bring them home with me. So were the older type train tickets, bus tickets, tram tickets, movie tickets etc. I have many in my collection accumulated through the years. Most are still in good condition and bring back some good memories when I go through the collection. Now they issue most of these receipts on recycled plasticky type paper and the ink fades after about 3 months.

Thermal paper or A4 printer paper is not quite the same. Paper folds and creases much easier and the quality of paper and ink used ensures that it fades much quicker than a traditional boarding pass.

To those who welcome this change did you also welcome the change when franking machines or preprinted envelopes with 'postage paid' on them made a huge impact instead of stamps? Would you be just as satisfied when currency, notes and coins, is replaced with plastic cards or computer chips under the skin in the near future?

 

[Tooner]

My favourite was the trial of mobile phone boarding passes. Check-in from the back seat of the taxi, flash the phone at the gate and on boarding, and on your way.

 

[openseat]

I have no problems with the change, and I think the mobile phone idea could be a real bonus in a rush.

I was actually surprised by the passport option. Do any other airlines allow this as an option?
It would seem to indicate that QuickCheck will be rolled out to international at some stage.

 

[Evan]

Cardboard ones make good bookmarks

BA have been using a more paper version with mag strip for a while, i would have presumed this is similar to what QF would have gone with even with a bar cide but i guess they have gone even further.

To me i think it make no difference, especialy for domestic, i liked the mobile phone bar code.

No if only we could get passports on a plastic card and have all countries doing a common biometric ID !!! although i do see osme people liking the stamps in there passport... and i guess i do to

E

 

[Keith009]

Will the QP check in still issue cardboard stock?

I collect BPs and a thermal paper BP is just not the same thing.

 

[NM]

I got over the need to collect boarding passes several years ago. I used to religiously keep them and store them in a box. Then one day I asked myself why I had this habit?? I never went back and looked at them. I have all my flight details in a spreadsheet anyway.

Now I only keep the BP until the flight has correctly posted to the correct FF account. Then I could not care less how long it lasts or where it is located.

 

[Tooner]

Now I only keep the BP until the flight has correctly posted to the correct FF account. Then I could not care less how long it lasts or where it is located.

I'm with you NM -keep it til its posted, then I don't care. Most of mine are OLCI, so if they make it home, they end up artwork for a 5 and 2 yr-old

 

[oz_mark]

While I could understand that it may affect someone that like to collect them, the march of progress will bring them to an end. Really, it matters little to me, as I only keep them long enough to confirm any FF credit.

 

[Keith009]

I guess I shall have to invest in a laminating machine. I ran my AK and DJ BPs through a laminator and it worked a treat.

 

[straitman]

I agree with NM. There is no real purpose in keeping and collecting the BP's once the flights have posted though I do have a bunch lying around if anyone needs a few.

 

[wallacej]

To those who welcome this change did you also welcome the change when franking machines or preprinted envelopes with 'postage paid' on them made a huge impact instead of stamps? Would you be just as satisfied when currency, notes and coins, is replaced with plastic cards or computer chips under the skin in the near future?

Can't wait for that day to come....imagine, use a finger print to buy your ticket online, then use your same finger print as the boarding pass!!!

 

[dajop]

Cardboard ones make good bookmarks

My thoughts exactly ! The NZ domestic barcoded much smaller cardboard BPs are the ideal compromise.

Given that most of my domestic BP's are printed in the office or at home these days, this change makes no difference.

 

[beardoc]

I was actually surprised by the passport option. Do any other airlines allow this as an option?

Yes - UA have it available on all of their Easy Check-in terminals now in the US. It was by far the easiest way to check in - put the passport photo page on the scanning surface, and it correctly recognised me every time in a second or so.