Relax - Skip the check-in, go straight to immigration

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SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) travellers who have self-printed boarding passes and only carry-on bags will soon be able to skip the check-in queues and head straight to the immigration counter.

Screening machines operated by security officers at the glass doors outside immigration will verify that such boarding passes are valid and genuine.

When the new service is rolled out in the coming months, SIA will become the second carrier, after Cathay Pacific, to offer the facility at Changi Airport. Industry observers noted the sheer scale of SIA's operations at the airport and the financial crisis last year could explain why the carrier did not introduce the facility sooner.

The self-printing of boarding passes either at home or at work, or via self-service kiosks at the airport, has been available for some years now, but travellers still had to stand in line at the counters to verify their documents.

The new initiative will benefit mainly those with just hand luggage, but other travellers can also benefit from the system. Instead of waiting to have their documents checked by counter staff, those with check-in luggage can drop them off at the designated areas - Row 9 at Terminal 2 and Row 4 at Terminal 3 - then get their boarding passes scanned as they enter the immigration area.

Once in the restricted area, travellers will still undergo the usual security checks at the gatehold rooms before boarding the aircraft.

About $500,000 is being invested in the system, which was developed by transport communications provider ARINC with Singapore as its launch customer. The airport is working with other airlines to make the service available to even more travellers, a spokesman said, without naming the carriers.

SIA's spokesman Nicholas Ionides said the new service is part of the airline's ongoing effort to streamline the check-in process: 'We are working closely with Changi Airport Group to ensure our systems and procedures are not only compatible, but also provide enough safeguards against security or immigration breaches.'

Currently, one in four SIA travellers departing Singapore uses the online check-in facility. Of these, one-third print their own boarding passes, Mr Ionides added.

Business development manager Chris Loo, 52, is keen to use the new facility: 'I always check in online because it is more convenient and I do not have to get to the airport so early. Allowing travellers to by-pass the check-in counters altogether adds to the convenience, and I think it will also encourage even more people to do self check-in.'

Changi's initiative is part of a global drive led by the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents about 230 carriers. By encouraging more airlines to invest in automation and make more self-service options available, Iata hopes to make flying hassle-free for travellers and reduce costs for airlines.

From checking in to document scanning and baggage tagging, it is estimated that more do-it-yourself options could save the industry between US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) and US$2 billion a year.

It is a significant amount for an industry that lost an estimated US$11 billion last year, and is expected to bleed to the tune of another US$5.6 billion this year, according to Iata's forecast.

karam@sph.com.sg

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Skip the check-in, go straight to immigration

By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent , The Straits Times | Sat, Mar 13 2010

Scannable self-printed boarding passes to cut hassle for SIA passengers.

Skip the check-in, go straight to immigration

Keywords

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) travellers who have self-printed boarding passes and only carry-on bags will soon be able to skip the check-in queues and head straight to the immigration counter.

Screening machines operated by security officers at the glass doors outside immigration will verify that such boarding passes are valid and genuine.

Once in the restricted area, travellers will still undergo the usual security checks at the gatehold rooms before boarding the aircraft.

Currently, one in four SIA travellers departing Singapore uses the online check-in facility. Of these, one-third print their own boarding passes, Mr Ionides added.