Qantas has announced that it is introducing mobile check-in and digital boarding passes for passengers travelling between Australia and New Zealand for the first time.
The airline has been offering these digital services to domestic flight passengers for some time already, but it is now rolling them out to those travelling internationally as well. Eventually, Qantas wants digital check-in to be available to all customers on all flights.
From June 2017, passengers travelling across the Tasman will be able to enjoy a smoother airport check-in process, as they will no longer need to queue for a passport check and printed boarding pass.
Instead, customers will be able to check-in online either via their mobile web connection or through the Qantas app and finalise their passport checks digitally, so all they will need to do upon arrival at the airport is pass through immigration and security, which should help to cut their queuing time significantly.
Passengers can then head straight to the airport lounge or boarding gate to spend more time relaxing before their flight, thanks to their digital boarding pass speeding the process up.
If customers have baggage to check-in, then they will be able to use a dedicated online baggage drop-off point to help make the whole process even smoother.
Gareth Evans, chief executive officer of Qantas International and Freight, commented: "Seamless domestic travel has been a reality since Qantas pioneered smart check-in technology in 2010, but the barriers have always been a lot higher for international flights.
"The goal is ultimately to make this technology for international routes the 'new normal'. Helping our customers access services and information through their mobile is a big priority for Qantas right now."
He added that the introduction of digital check-in and boarding passes for international flights is a great example of the industry and the government working together to bring about change for passengers.
Posted by Craig Francis
