Have you ever checked in online from your hotel room but had no access to a printer?  Happens to me all the time as well. Wouldn’t “Send to iPhone” be a lovely option? Well, that’s exactly what the TSA has been testing with their Paperless Boarding Pass Pilot.

The electronic boarding pass pilot enables passengers to download their boarding pass on their cell phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs). This innovative approach streamlines the customer experience while heightening the ability to detect fraudulent boarding passes.

Each paperless boarding pass will display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information that will identify the traveler. TSA travel document checkers will use scanners to validate the authenticity of the paperless boarding pass sent to Continental passengers. The new technology heightens the ability to detect fraudulent boarding passes while improving customer service and reducing paper use.

TSA created the concept of how to scan the paperless boarding passes and Continental Airlines developed an implementation plan that involved encrypting the paperless boarding pass to ensure authenticity. Continental is the first U.S. carrier to test paperless boarding passes.

There are several benefits to enabling electronic boarding passes, the TSA said. First, it eliminates the need for a paper boarding pass, which can easily be misplaced. Second, the technology will help detect fraudulent documents. Third, it will help improve customer service and speed up the boarding process.

“The deployment of the paperless technology signifies TSA’s ongoing commitment to develop and implement new technologies while enhancing security,” said Mike Aguilar, TSA Federal Security Director for San Diego. “We are pleased to be able to partner with Continental Airlines to expand this program that will help our officers validate authentic boarding documents.”

There are now 30 airports and 5 airlines piloting this technology.

Airports:

• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
• Newark International (EWR)
• Boston Logan International (BOS)
• Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS)
• San Antonio International (SAT)
• Cleveland Hopkins (CLE)
• New York LaGuardia (LGA)
• Indianapolis International (IND)
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP)
• Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
• Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
• John Wayne, Orange County, CA (SNA)
• Los Angeles International (LAX)
• Las Vegas McCarren (LAS)
• Memphis (MEM)
• Atlanta Hartsfield International (ATL)
• Salt Lake City International (SLC)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
• San Francisco International (SFO)
• San Diego International (SAN)
• Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL)
• Tampa International (TPA)
• Portland International (PDX)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
• Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
• New Orleans International (MSY)
• Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
• Orlando International (MCO)

Airlines:

• Continental: IAH, DCA, EWR, BOS, AUS, SAT, CLE, LGA, LAS, SFO, ORD, LAX, SAN, FLL, TPA, PDX, PHX, CLT, MSY, RDU, MCO
• Delta/Northwest: ATL, LAS, MEM, MSP, DET, SLC, CVG
• Delta only: LGA
• Northwest only: IND
• Alaska: SEA
• American: ORD, SNA, LAX

For more information regarding TSA Paperless Boarding Pass, see the Web site at http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2009/0813.shtm.

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