Paper-Free Boarding Pass Coming Soon

When I wrote this article about the end of paper airline tickets, numerous commenters complained that they still had to mess around with paper when dealing with the boarding pass that actually lets you get on the plane. Well, naysayers, what would you say to technology that lets you use your cell phone as your boarding pass?

The 240 airlines of the International Air Transport Association recently agreed on a bar code standard that would let you download your boarding pass to a cell phone, then display that bar code to security or gate agents for authentication. The system is part of a trial run on Air Canada now, but experts note it could take another few years for the system to be adopted in the U.S.

Even better than not having a piece of paper to lose is the prospect of mobile check-in for your flight. It's easy to check in when you're at home or at the office, where a printer is handy, but what about the return leg of your trip? I always end up having to wait in line for one of those kiosks to become available. Part of the Air Canada project includes letting travelers check-in directly with their cell phone, without having to use a computer at all. (Since you would no longer need a printer, this finally makes sense.) You can check out the simplified site at mobile.aircanada.com.

Can't wait for this one!

LINK: Technology for paperless boarding passes adopted