Madrid, 20 November 2007.- At the start of this month, Spanair launched its new mobile boarding card service in partnership with Vodafone, which provides the mobile connectivity services.
Spanair thus becomes the first airline to offer its passengers this type of service, in the light of the recent publication by IATA of a mobile boarding standard based on two-dimensional codes. The Madrid-Bilbao route will launch this service up to the end of the year, at which point the company will begin rolling out the mobile boarding card on all its domestic routes.
Focusing primarily on business passengers, this innovative system facilitates receiving a Spanair boarding card via a multimedia message (MMS) sent to a mobile telephone. The multimedia message contains an image with a two-dimensional code (dot code) which transmits all the information necessary to execute automated boarding, as well as a text information section with all travel details. Thus, to obtain their boarding cards, passengers will just need to proceed to the special check-in desks and pass the code through a scanner.
To obtain their mobile boarding card, passengers will be required to check-in using the web-based check-in service at www.spanair.com, or by connecting to the internet via their mobiles via the new mobile check-in service at www.spanair.mobi, which will be launched in tandem with the mobile boarding card service. At the end of the process, the passenger is asked for his or her mobile number, to which Spanair will send the corresponding multimedia message (MMS) free of charge.
SAS AB In order to use this system, passengers simply need to pass the code sent to their mobile through the scanners at Madrid and Bilbao airports. On doing so, they will obtain a paper receipt with which they will be able to pass through security and proceed to boarding.
Vodafone’s director of innovation and business development, Pedro Fuertes, commented that « the mobile boarding card and, in general terms, ticketing systems based on mobile handsets, are further evidence that mobile telephones, in addition to facilitating voice-based communication, are making life easier for us by allowing for secure access to endless services, at any time and from anywhere ».
Spanair piloted this system in June during the Vodafone innovation show, which also served as the launch for this new service. Pablo Sánchez, Director of E-Commerce at Spanair stated that « with this advance, Spanair is laying the foundations for implementation of a boarding card system in the near future that will be 100% paper-less; thereby ensuring greater passenger comfort and a substantial saving of time ».
Vodafone Spain is part of the Vodafone group, the world leader in mobiles, operating in 25 countries, with agreements in a further 38 worldwide. Vodafone provides a complete range of mobile telecommunications services, including voice and data communication, ensuring access for 232 million proportional customers. Vodafone Spain’s 15 million clients benefit from the experience and capacity of a world business leader helping individuals, companies and communities to be better connected in a mobile world
Spanair was founded in 1986 and offers more than 600 daily flights operated with a fleet of 63 aircraft and in code share with its partners, to 241 destinations. Since April 2003, Spanair is a member of Star Alliance, the largest and most prestigious airline network in the world.
You may use these links to obtain further information on the service: www.spanair.com /
www.spanair.mobi
Contact: María Navarro / Coro Navarro
Heads of PR & Communications Department
Tel. + 34 91 343 30 32/ 971 745 170
Original article: http://www.europeaninvestor.com/Sit…91&wtLang=Dutch
Source DotMobiz