AIRLINE BUSINESS & SITA have published their airline IT trends survey 2004 which forecasts the end of printed tickets, as we know it, by 2007. Now in its sixth year and established as the benchmark survey, some 220 top airlines were asked to take part, of which 109 gave detailed responses to a comprehensive list of questions covering all aspects of IT and the way it is transforming airlines. Self-service check-in is another technological revolution that is catching on fast and rather like cash points we will all have to learn to use them. ”It puts customers in control, gives them what they want and takes cost out of the process,” said Paul Coby, chairman of SITA. However there are problems. For a typical British Airways long haul destination such as Seattle, with one service a day, it is too expensive to put in say six machines to cover the peak check-in period. Common machines do seem the way forward. However at T5 BA would clearly like the machines to be identified as their own.
http://www.sita.aero/airlineittrends