The next time you fly, you could be carrying your boarding pass in your mobile phone. A software from Mumbai-based Hexaware Technologies can generate 2D bar-coded boarding passes (BCBP) for passengers. BCBP is expected to save airlines a combined total of $1.5 billion annually.
What does it do: Generates 2D bar-coded boarding passes for airline passengers. IATA wants member airlines to be BCBP-compliant by 2010.
How does it work: As a plug-in to an airline’s existing departure control system, which feeds passenger check-in data to the software for generation of 2D boarding passes.
Protocol: The pass can be received as an SMS, WAP or MMS. It can also be e-mailed to passengers. Quite a few global firms have launched similar software.
Who’s using it: 20 international airlines, including Lufthansa, Finnair, and Austrian Airlines, already use mobile BCBP services to reduce passenger carbon footprints by printing less paper.
