The world is getting more independent these days. There are self-service gas stations, self- service checkout lines and self-service buffet restaurants, but self-service airports may become the new big thing for those who travel.
Certain airlines are testing out technology that allows travelers to check their own bags and even scan their own boarding passes. This technology allows travelers to go through an airport without having to interact with a person, aside from security, until they're greeted by a flight attendant on a plane. People already have the option of checking in online or at kiosks. The airport experience is becoming very D.I.Y for those who enjoy the option.
The Wall Street Journal reports that several airlines are incorporating new technology that makes the airport experience less interactive. Alaska Airlines introduced self-tagging of baggage at airports in Seattle and San Diego and there are plans to add this service to eight more airports in 2012.
American Airlines is also trying out self-tagging as they've introduced kiosks that allow passengers to tag their own bags in Austin, Texas. They'll now bring these kiosks to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and several other large airports within the next two years.
JetBlue Airways is the first U.S. airline to introduce self-boarding gates, allowing passengers to scan their own tickets before boarding the plane.
These new technologies and self-service airports can make the airport experience an express one as lines will be shorter and the process of boarding a plane will be quicker.
Airlines are bringing in these new technologies as a way to save money by cutting down on staff. Airline crew members and unions are not happy with these changes.
"Clearly it's not something passengers are clamoring for," Frank Larkin, spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers told the Wall Street Journal. "More technology, fewer people? I don't think so."
However a new survey shows that passengers prefer this new technology. The WSJ reports that a SITA survey found that 70 percent of passengers like the idea of self-boarding and almost the same amount like being able to tag their own bags. So far these technologies have been used in 115 instances around the world.
The International Air Transport Association is hoping that 80 percent of travelers in the world will be able to have a complete self-service airport experience by 2020. This would save the airline industry $2.1 billion a year, WSJ reports.
The Transportation Security Administration has investigated and approved these self-service technologies.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
