Earlier this month, we brought you the story about Qantas’ plan to remove domestic airport check-in kiosks and replace them with new self-service machines that can only print luggage tags and charge for excess baggage. This new technology is now a reality, with Qantas commencing a trial of the new airport kiosks that cannot check in passengers or print boarding passes.

The new self-service kiosks have now been installed and are being trialled in Terminal 3 at Sydney Airport, which is used for Qantas domestic flights. Once the trial is completed in early June, Qantas plans to replace all remaining check-in kiosks at Sydney’s Terminal 3 with the new machines.

By September 2022, the airline expects to replace all of the existing check-in kiosks at domestic airports across Australia with around 140 of these new machines.

As Australian Frequent Flyer previously reported, customers who haven’t checked in prior to arriving at the airport will be able to scan a QR code and check-in on their smartphone. If they don’t have a smartphone, it’s out of battery, or they are unable to check-in online, Qantas says customers will still be able to queue to speak to a customer service representative.

“We know that some customers would prefer to speak to a person when they check in, so we’ll continue to have the same number of Qantas team members available in the terminal to help customers with enquiries as well as have check-in desks open,” Qantas Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said.

Qantas has released a video demonstrating the new check-in process:

Time savings?

Qantas says that “the new technology is up to four times quicker than the existing kiosks, with the process to print a bag tag now taking just 20 seconds on average”. But this doesn’t account for the time customers need to spend checking in on their own devices.

Last week, news.com.au claimed that the new kiosks would halve the time spent at the airport. This is an outrageous claim as the time saving for most people will be a minute or two at most. Customers still have to arrive at the airport well in advance of their flight’s departure time and queue for security – where most of the recent delays at Australian airports have occurred.

For the 75% of Qantas passengers who already check-in online, this change will likely result in either a marginal time saving or no difference at all. But for some people, such as elderly people or young children without their own smartphone, this could result in a longer check-in process.

The good news is that Qantas is now making it possible to check-in online and receive a boarding pass when connecting to an international flight. Previously, customers with international flights or connections would need to queue at the airport so staff could manually check their required documents for international travel. But this will soon be done online or via the Qantas App, and the new airport kiosks will reportedly be able to check that a passenger is eligible to travel to their final destination.

Some AFF members are skeptical that this change will result in an improved customer experience because recent past decisions by Qantas, such as the removal of airport service and sales counters, have been a disaster for customers. Let’s hope this one is a genuine improvement!

Environmental benefits

Qantas also says that encouraging more people to use digital boarding passes will be beneficial to the environment.

Before COVID-19, the airline printed almost 25 million boarding passes per year. The airline said that these can’t be readily recycled because they contain a magnetic strip and customer information, although this doesn’t seem quite right as Qantas boarding passes have not contained a magnetic strip for years.

Ms Tully said the new check-in experience is designed to make travelling easier and align with changing customer preferences.

“We have seen consumer preferences dramatically shift towards digital and being able to manage their own journey, so we’re investing more in our app and airport technology to make travelling easier.

“The existing kiosks were instrumental in reducing queuing for check-in at airport counters when they were introduced more than 10 years ago, and these new kiosks will match the latest technology with customer preferences.

“Understandably, our customers want to move through the airport and get to the lounge or boarding gate as seamlessly as possible, and the new kiosks will help speed things up.”

An upgraded App

Qantas said that it has also recently upgraded its App to allow customers to change their flights after checking in, add their frequent flyer number to bookings and request upgrades. These are functionalities which are currently available at the existing airport check-in kiosks, but won’t be available using the new “upgraded” kiosks.

Interestingly, new low-cost startup airline Bonza said recently that customers would only be able to book flights, check in and purchase ancillaries through its Fly Bonza smartphone App. So, Qantas is not the only airline trying to shift to a more digital customer experience.

Qantas taking frequent flyer feedback

Qantas’ Chief Customer Officer said it will take on board feedback from frequent flyers about the new technology.

“We will incorporate feedback from Frequent flyers as the new kiosks are rolled out across the network,” Ms Tully said.

So, feel free to write to Qantas and share your own experience of the new check-in process – good or bad. You can also discuss this topic on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas to Remove Boarding Pass Printing from Kiosks

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.