BA to pilot tickets on mobiles

But lack of global standards may stifle benefits to airlines

BA is testing mobile phones as boarding passes

British Airways (BA) could be the first UK airline to allow passengers to check in and board flights using a barcode transmitted as a text message to a mobile phone.

The carrier is investigating the benefits of the scheme and may begin limited trials by the end of the year, Computing can reveal.

Mobile technology must be good for both the airline and its passengers if it is to go ahead, says BA product lead Mike Cavanagh.

‘We are looking at sending a barcode to a passenger’s mobile phone using SMS, as well as enabling them to log into ba.com via a mobile and then have the barcode sent direct from the web site,’ said Cavanagh.

The final decision on the details of the trial will be made in the next few months, he says.

BA is not the only airline interested in the potential of mobile ticketing – carriers in Japan, China and Sweden are already running trials of the technology, but a clear business case has yet to be established.

The opportunities are huge, but global infrastructure is needed if such schemes are to really take off, according to Paul Curtis, head of IT at EasyJet.

‘These initiatives can provide huge cost savings and reduce congestion at check-in desks,’ he said.

‘But until airports across Europe are able to support the technology, rollout will be limited to localised trials.’

Global aviation organisation the International Air Transport Association (Iata) is backing calls for a common platform.

‘The technology is not quite there yet,’ said an Iata spokesman. ‘We need a global standard for barcodes on mobile phones to be developed, as well as standardised scanners and infrastructure at all airports,’ he said.

But not all airlines see the potential. Ryanair IT director Eric Neville says mobile tickets are of no benefit to the airline.

E-tickets simply replace the paper ticket that passengers print for themselves anyway, he says.

Nor is benefit to customers guaranteed, says Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt.

‘There are questions about how much time passengers will really save,’ he said.

‘And there are still concerns because phones can be lost, stolen or the batteries can die.’