TSA expands paperless boarding pass with barcodes on your PDA or cell phone. The first Paperless Boarding Pass Pilot Program began in Houston in December 2007 with Continental Airlines.
 This Pilot Program was to add new technology to insure that fraudulent boarding passes can not be used to gain access to the sterile side of the airport.
This new technology has the ability to detect fraudulent boarding passes
while speeding up the time spent in TSA security lines, improving customer
service; and can you imagine the amount of paper that will be save?
The TSA document checkers will use hand-held scanners ( cost of about $1,000)
to validate the authenticity of the paperless barcodes sent to the traveling
passenger.
In the past year, we have seen Continental Airlines test this new paperless
boarding pass in Newark, Washington (DC)- Reagan, Boston, Austin, San Antonio
and on Thursday October 23, 2008, began their test program in Cleveland.
More than 300,000 Continental Airlines passengers have used this system in
the past year. Virtually any new cell phones, Black-berry's or other PDA's
(Personal Digital Assistant Device) you purchase today are web enabled.
Now, you still will need to show a valid government issued I.D. such as a
drivers license or passport. This program is available to all U.S. travelers
flying business and leisure.
The current paper boarding pass can be folded in many folds before the
passenger is checked through, including the boarding gates. In not only reduces
paper, but it helps keep these papers from getting lost or, in my case, I like
to scribble on any piece of paper I get.
What also helps is when you're on the road and you don't have a printer,
which means when you get to the airport it's just an extra stop you have to
make. With boarding passes now on any cell phone, it's one less stop.
Northwest Airlines has been testing this program in Indianapolis. Alaska
Airlines has been testing it in Seattle and plans to expand the program next
year in Los Angeles, Anchorage and Portland (OR). Delta Airlines started their
first test in New York City (Laguardia) and plans to expand to Atlanta, Salt
Lake City and Orlando.
The big problem we see today is that it's an isolated program. The confusion
could be at the airport, the airlines, or TSA check in equipt with new scanners.
The good news is that TSA believes after their regional test, the system will be
secure.
TSA is expected to roll out this program nationwide in 2009.
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