Sabre launches mobile check-in

August 21, 2008 | Online Travel

Checking in for your flight from a taxi, in a caf�, even while dropping the kids off at school is now a reality with the launch of Sabre Airline Solutions� new Mobile Check-In solution.

Launched in conjunction with Italian carrier, AirOne, Sabre�s latest innovative breakthrough allows passengers to check-in for a flight and even select their seats, using a web-enabled mobile phone. Mobile Check-In is part of the SabreSonic suite, Sabre�s flagship customer sales and service solution, and integrates with other SabreSonic self-service check-in options including web and kiosk check-in, providing airlines with the broadest range of check-in options across all customer touch points.

�Self-service check-in is now a priority for many airlines as they look for ways to cut costs,� said Gordon Locke, vice president of Airline Marketing for Sabre Holdings. �Sabre�s Mobile Check-In solution not only provides the cost benefits, more importantly it improves the customer experience, making check-in more accessible, easier and faster � a real bonus for time-constrained corporate travelers.�

AirOne selected Sabre�s Mobile Check-In solution because of its recognized industry leadership in providing solutions to the airline market.

�We needed a product that complemented our existing portfolio of fast passenger check-in services including self-service kiosks at airport terminals, Telecheck and web check-in,� said Alfonso Razzi, CIO of AirOne. �After reviewing several options, we selected Sabre because they offered an integrated solution with strong expertise in this area.

�By using Sabre Mobile Check-In we anticipate further savings on our passenger check-in costs, while also reducing congestion at airports and offering our passengers a very user-friendly service that meets the requirements of today�s travelers who are increasingly relying on their mobile devices for communication and business activity,� he said.

How does it work?

Checking In

Travelers using Sabre Mobile Check-In are sent their flight check-in information via their web-enabled mobile phone 24 hours prior to a flight. Once they select their seat a boarding pass is generated and transmitted to their mobile device. The check-in confirmation and boarding card, in the shape of an IATA-approved bar code, then appears on the screen of the mobile phone or handheld organizer. Passengers will also soon be able to check in using the SMS Check-In function. This functionality allows travelers to send a short text message to the airline�s self-service check-in application and in return receive the check-in confirmation and boarding pass.

At the Airport

At airports that allow mobile phone boarding, passengers go through airport security using the boarding pass data on their mobile device, which acts as official document to proceed through security to the gate. At airports that do not allow mobile phone boarding, passengers proceed to the airline kiosk and request a print-out of the already confirmed boarding card, which they will use to go through security and board the plane.

Recent studies from Forrester Research predict that 125 million Europeans will access the Internet regularly through mobile devices by 2013, while Internet analysts, eMarketer estimate that there are currently 500 million mobile Internet users worldwide.

�The mobile trend is clear and today�s announcement reinforces our continued investment and industry leadership in providing innovative mobile solutions for airlines, travelers and the agencies that serve them,� Locke said. �We�ve already been awarded the coveted Gold Award for our �Virtually There� mobile solution at this year�s Business Travel Show Innovation Awards, and we will continue building on this for future developments.�