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News Archive |
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Saturday, 24 April 2010
ANNAPOLIS, Md. · British-owned airports operator Manchester Airports Group has ordered an additional 22 SelfServ common use self-service (CUSS) kiosks from ARINC Inc. The airport group operates 70 SelfServ passenger kiosks, which were installed last year.
According to a news release, ARINC is expected to install the new units by June 2007.
Thirteen airlines share the SelfServ kiosks, which are located at the group's flagship Manchester Airport and two other U.K. airports. Sharing CUSS kiosks saves costs for airlines and gives reduced check-in times for passengers. The kiosks scan passports and print boarding passes for any participating airline.
The Manchester Airports Group, comprised of Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside airports, is the second-largest airport operator in the United Kingdom. Manchester Airport is the country's third-largest airport, handling 22 million passengers a year.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
The (Malaysia) Star Online: Malaysia Airlines is deploying self-service check-in kiosks in an effort to comply with the International Air Transport Association's mandate for all air travel to be ticketless by the end of 2007.
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Sunday, 17 January 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — Visa and Creative Mobile Technologies announced the launch of a program to equip thousands of New York taxicabs with contactless payment readers, located in the back of the taxi.
New York taxis equipped with the new readers are able to accept both Visa payWave transactions as well as traditional swipe transactions. Passengers are able to include a tip to the price of the fare, and no signature is required for transactions under $25. Visa research shows more and more consumers want to use a payment card for purchases under $25 for convenience (73 percent), efficiency (44 percent) and speed (39 percent).
"Our goal is to bring cutting-edge technology to the New York taxi industry to increase efficiency and quality of service," said Jesse H. Davis, President and COO at Creative Mobile Technologies. "By partnering with Visa, we're able to help taxi owners and operators easily integrate a new technology and streamline their business operations."
Thursday, 10 December 2009
L-1 Identity Solutions, a provider of identity solutions and services, today announced the release of automated kiosks for processing driver's license renewals and replacements. L-1 says the kiosks will first be deployed today at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) headquarters in Jackson, Miss., and six additional kiosks will be rolled out at other DPS offices across the state by the end of December.
Stephen Simpson, commissioner of the Mississippi DPS, says that automating license renewals and replacements, which account for more than half of all license transactions, will benefit the DPS and its customers:
For us, this is more than just a technological innovation; the kiosks add a new dynamic to the way in which we interact with our customers. Automating the simple, yet time- and labor-consuming tasks of renewal and replacement will boost operational efficiencies while paving the way for reduced wait times, shorter lines and more quality interactions between our staff and the public. We have promoted the kiosks to the public over the last few months and the reaction so far has been very positive.
L-1 says the touchscreen kiosks feature a camera and biometric facial-recognition technology that matches the customer to existing photos in the DMV's database to confirm her identity. The kiosks also are equipped with credit/debit card readers and feature state-of-the-art security technology, the company says.
Monday, 23 November 2009
According to a report from Business Travel News, the United States Department of Homeland Security has proposed to make its test Global Entry kiosk program permanent in 2010. The program was launched in June 2008 and has expanded to 20 U.S. airports, including international hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.
Travelers can pay a $100 enrollment fee to participate in the Global Entry program, which uses touchscreen kiosks and biometric identification technology to expedite the customs and security process for international travelers.
The DHS' proposal to make the program permanent is now under a public comment period until Jan. 19, the report says.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Acire Inc., a provider of community-based information systems, has announced the completion of a public communications kiosk network designed and integrated for Long Beach Transit in Long Beach, Calif.
According to a news release from Acire, the information system includes a centralized, Web-based content delivery system that delivers transit schedules, real-time bus arrival details, dynamic trip planning with personal travel itineraries, rider alerts and other transit system information.
Carrie Sabel, manager of information systems for Long Beach Transit, says customers have reacted well to the new kiosk system thus far:
"We wanted to provide our customers with reliable system information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so we implemented the system at a touchscreen kiosk. Our customers now have an information resource at their fingertips. So far, we've received very positive feedback from system users."
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
As the line between self-service and digital signage continues to blur, interactive technology provider DT Research has announced the deployment of its WebDT signage system at Taiwan's Taipei Bus Station, the country's largest transportation terminal.
According to a news release from DT Research, the WebDT solution combines a high-definition digital display with touch interactivity, allowing users to explore the station and surrounding area on the 47-inch screen.
DT Research also will provide its WebDT Content Manger software, allowing for real-time information updates.
The Taipei Bus Station opened in August as part of the city's Main Station Zone project to promote urban renewal. In addition to the multiline transportation terminal, the station offers a luxury hotel, residential condominiums with 24-hour concierge service, office buildings, a shopping center and a movie theater.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
 SITA is the world`s leading specialist in air transport communication and information technology (IT) solutions. Working closely with the air transport community, we innovate and develop IT applications and communication services across every aspect of the business.
Friday, 18 September 2009
VeriFone Holdings Inc. has announced the first Washington, D.C.-area deployment of its VeriFone Transportation Systems passenger information modules, which are self-service payment and digital display stations for use in taxis.
According to a news release from VeriFone, the deployment is with Barwood Taxi of Kensington, which handles approximately 1.2 million rides each year.
Lee Barnes, president and chief executive of Barwood Taxi, says riders have come to expect the time-saving technology:
Offering a self-service payment option is a mark of good customer service today. VeriFone's technology will enhance passengers' experience with Barwood and save time for both customers and drivers.
Barwood will deploy 200 of the terminals and plans to have them in its entire fleet of 435 taxis by the end of the year, the news release says.
Friday, 18 September 2009
The San Francisco International Airport has announced the debut of its "Climate Passport" kiosks, which offer travelers a way to calculate the carbon footprint of the flights and purchase carbon offsets to benefit environmental efforts in San Francisco and California.
According to a news release from the airport, it is working with 3Degrees, a San Francisco-based carbon and renewable energy marketing firm that will manage the sourcing of the purchased carbon offsets and ensure the corresponding reduction of greenhouse gases.
San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom says the initiative, which is the first of its kind in the United States, also will have an economic impact on the city:
We created a program that enables travelers to voluntarily offset the emissions from their trip through supporting local projects that reduce greenhouse gases. The Climate Passport kiosks are good for the climate and good for San Francisco's economy.
In addition to the on-site kiosks, which are located in the airport's international terminal and terminal three, travelers can access the Climate Passport program through the facility's Web site, flysfo.com.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
According to an announcement from NCR Corp., US Airways will be the first airline to deploy NCR's TouchPort 80 outdoor passenger check-in kiosk. NCR says the airline will deploy 54 of the kiosks in 15 U.S. cities and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
The TouchPort 80 features a rugged design for curbside deployment, with a water-resistant enclosure and an integrated thermoelectric device to regulate the kiosk's temperature.
Theresa Heinz, vice president and general manager of NCR Travel and Gaming, says the curbside kiosks will give US Airways an edge among consumers who have come to expect self-service wherever they go:
By extending the self-service convenience to travelers outside of the airport, US Airways is further differentiating itself among increasingly discerning consumers who expect to serve themselves how, where and when they choose.
NCR says its self-service check-in kiosks are installed at more than 300 airports globally.
Friday, 11 September 2009
IER, a developer of self-service solutions for the transportation vertical, has announced it will install 46 self-check-in kiosks at the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, in addition to the 15 it initially deployed at the location. According to a news release from IER, the order for the deployment comes from AirIT, an integrator of information technology to the air-transportation industry.
IER says the kiosks, which will be both desk-mounted and standalone, will be equipped with its common-use self-service, or CUSS, platform, enabling their shared use by passengers, regardless of which airline they're using.
Bob Swensen, operations manager in charge of the airport's $1.3 billion terminal-area modernization program, says the deployment will help advance the CUSS initiative that the International Air Transport Association has spearheaded:
IER has demonstrated close support to our airport and our airlines to enable CUSS to become a reality in San Jose. SJC (the San Jose airport) is truly a common-use airport from counter to gate, and the expansion of the use of CUSS kiosks is a key part of our vision to create a very efficient airport benefiting passengers and partners alike.
According to the release, IER is collaborating with the IATA to bring CUSS to more and more airports:
As CUSS check-in undergoes an accelerated phase, IER has been involved with IATA in creating the CUSS standard and has gained an extensive experience in this field resulting in a comprehensive range of solutions including hardware, middleware and customized self-service applications.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
SeePoint Technology has announced the New Mexico Department of Motor Vehicles has deployed more than 170 of SeePoint's touchscreen self-service terminals throughout the state. The kiosks administer driving tests and accept payments for vehicle registration and driver's license renewals.
In a news release, SeePoint says the New Mexico DMV chose its solution because it could be quickly deployed and would integrate easily with the department's own application software:
SeePoint was able to rapidly prototype a computer system with all the special devices, including magnetic stripe and check readers, necessary for the self-service testing and payment terminals. Additionally, the quality, reliability and durability of the SeePoin terminals will provide long-term, uninterrupted service to the millions of drivers in New Mexico who will access the systems. Moreover, the Intel-based architecture of the system made it easy to develop the testing and payment software, which was designed by the state. By simply loading the software on the SeePoint systems, the state's automated DMV systems were ready to go.
Monday, 24 August 2009
DED Ltd., an England-based equipment distributor, has announced it will now offer Axiohm's CMDG2014 printer, specifically designed for ticketing applications for travel, event, transit, cinema and theater, as well as visitor badges and passes. The printer can accommodate paper up to 190 micrometers thick and 60mm wide.
According to a news release, the CMDG2014 prints at 90mm per second offers customizable paper cutting options. It is available with or without a cutter and can be fitted with an optional tear bar. At 74.5mm wide, 61mm deep and 32mm high, the device is compact in size.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Parabit Systems has announced it won a $2 million contract to manufacture, install and maintain 13 digital display kiosks at all AirTain stations throughout John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. According to a news release from Parabit, the kiosks will provide information for travelers about all New York Metro mass-transit systems.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
According to Minneapolis “Examiner" Mark Friedman, Southwest Airlines has added advanced features to its airport check-in kiosks. Friedman says Southwest travelers now can modify flight itineraries, change flights and add themselves to stand-by lists at the kiosks on the days of their flights.
Friedman reports the airline also has made premium services and upgrades available on the kiosks:
"Additionally, full-fare passengers who have unrestricted reservations can now upgrade to Business Select, Southwest’s premium booking category, which includes priority boarding, bonus Rapid Rewards frequent traveler credits, access to the “Fly By” priority security screening lane, where available, and a complimentary in-flight beverage of their choice."
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Hypercom Corp. has announced that its Artema Modular unattended payment terminals are being deployed by three of Germany's major regional rail transit operators. According to a news release, the solution is PCI-approved and accepts debit and credit cards.
Christian Jurs, vice president of sales for Hypercom Germany, says the deal will help build awareness of the company's solutions in the transportation and self-service industries:
"This deployment strengthens our leadership position in self-service technology (and) our leadership in mobile rail ticketing systems and brings new levels of speed and convenience to hundreds of thousands of travelers."
Hypercom says installation of the payment solution in self-service devices was recently completed at key transit hubs served by Abellio, Rheingahn and Westfalen Bahn-operated trains. The technology will help speed ticketing in more than 370 trains serving more than 200 million commuters and travelers per year.
Tuesday, 07 July 2009
The New York Times: Thousands of United Airlines travelers were delayed unexpectedly Thursday as the result of a computer problem that hit the airline’s self-check-in kiosks at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Flights were canceled throughout the morning, and those that took off were delayed an average of 45 minutes. Although not a peak travel time like Christmas or Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July is one of the busiest periods for airlines. Because O’Hare is a major hub, the problems spread to other airports across the country.
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Tuesday, 07 July 2009
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Upstart airline and airport specialist media firm InterAir Media has announced a year-long contract with Hotels.com for its airport media placement in Las Vegas' McCarron Airport, which is now on display. The approximately $750,000 media buy includes branded ticketing kiosks, advertising on the back of the boarding passes delivered by the kiosks, and wall wraps. The campaign will last 12 months.
InterAir estimates the number of consumer impressions will include 7.6 million tickets, two million views of branded kiosks, and 47 million will view the four wall wraps for a total of 56.6 million views in a single airport.
"We are very pleased to be able to show a major advertiser like Hotels.com that their exposure to the right audience is virtually guaranteed by advertising in this manner at an airport," said Drew Stoddard, founder and president of InterAir Media. "This firmly places Hotels.com's brand in the hands — and minds — of flyers."
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
AVweb: Verified Identity Pass, the company that operates the Clear security-screening kiosks at about 20 major U.S. airports, announced it is shutting down Monday, forcing its customers to shuffle shoeless with the masses through the regular security lines. In a statement, the company said it couldn't reach a deal with its senior creditor to keep going. About 250,000 customers had paid up to $199 a year to zip through using the lines for the segregated kiosks, which used retinal scans and fingerprints to verify the identity of travelers whose security background information was on a database. The company says the private information will be deleted securely but, unfortunately, so will the fees that have been paid.
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Monday, 08 June 2009
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — SITA, a specialist in air transport communication and I.T. solutions, today launched a small footprint, full-function check-in kiosk, as well as a self-service bag-tracing kiosk, at the International Air Transport Association’s Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Both kiosks are made to be environmentally friendly.
The S3 kiosk
According to a news release, SITA’s AirportConnect S3 kiosk is a 140-pound, full-function check-in kiosk that has the smallest carbon footprint in the industry and a printer that can issue up to 5,300 boarding passes from a single roll. It also can print bag tags for self-tagging to speed up the bag-drop process. The company says two S3 kiosks take up the same space as one conventional model.
The AirportConnect S3 also is fitted with passport and document scanners to speed up collection of advanced passenger information and Electronic Travel Authorization Service data for visa validation.
The WorldTracer kiosk
SITA also is enabling a new kiosk with a Web link to its WorldTracer software, already used by more than 440 airlines and ground handlers. Last year, the WorldTracer database showed a mishandling rate of 14.28 bags per thousand passengers worldwide, compared to 18.86 per thousand in 2007.
The WorldTracer kiosk will allow passengers to check on the status of their delayed bags over the Web and to file “missing bag” reports without having to queue and talk to an agent. The kiosk will be launched commercially later this year.
“Passengers rank check-in baggage arriving on-time as second in importance for a pleasant journey after the flight arriving on time,” said Catherine Mayer, vice president of airport solutions for SITA. “Unfortunately, millions of checked bags are delayed each year, but this new WorldTracer kiosk will provide affected passengers with more convenience and peace of mind.
To use the kiosk, a passenger scans her bag tag and enters contact details. The machine then generates a claim, and the passenger can continue her journey without having to stand in line at a service desk. The unique claim ID number allows the passenger to stay informed of the status of her baggage, either through a dedicated Web site or a call center.
“Our WorldTracer application will be able to provide them with instant feedback on the status of their bags, 99.9 percent of which are successfully traced and reunited with their owners within 48 hours or less,” Mayer said.
Kiosks for check-in and issuing bag tags are fast becoming the most popular channel for passengers in North America and Europe, while worldwide, kiosk use is running at 30 percent for all passengers, including those in the Asia-Pacific region.
Thursday, 04 June 2009
Taiwan News: Thanks to a loophole in a self-service check-in system, a passenger at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was able to breach security and enter off-limits areas of the terminal for more than 40 hours earlier this week, the Aviation Police Office said Thursday.
From the passenger’s account of her actions, aviation police authorities learned of a loophole in the air carrier's self-service check-in system. According to an officer, the automated system mistakenly issued the passenger a boarding pass in the name of another traveler with the same surname and a reservation for the same flight.
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Wednesday, 03 June 2009
SURESNES CEDEX, France — IER, a France-based designer and manufacturer of self-service ticketing and boarding-control solutions for major transportation networks, has been selected by Swedish airport operator LFV Group to deploy IER’s new-generation self-check-in kiosks at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.
According to a news release, the complete self-check-in solution, including 45 IER 918 kiosks, will be deployed at the airport over the next three years.
The IER 918 is the latest generation of common-use self-service kiosks and is designed to meet the new challenges of passenger travel and to take advantage of emerging trends, such as e-ticketing, 2D bar-coded boarding passes and the ability to read e-passports and to check-in airline passengers with or without bags.
The solution also will include the IER CUSS platform and monitoring system and an Internet check-in platform. The IER monitoring system will allow LFV to supervise its kiosk operations by providing a real-time overview of the entire installation.
A first rollout of 10 kiosks is planned by mid-August. They will be equipped with a full-page passport reader, 2D barcode and card readers, a boarding pass printer and a fingerprint scanner and will offer self-check-in to passengers traveling with Delta, Finnair, HögaKustenFlyg, Norwegian and several charter companies.
Friday, 29 May 2009
FLORENCE, Italy — MIT architects and engineers have unveiled EyeStop, an interactive bus stop designed for the city of Florence. The project was presented officially on Saturday, May 16, at the Genio Fiorentino by the president of the Province of Florence, Matteo Renzi.
PHOTO GALLERY: MIT EyeStop digital street furniture
EyeStop, developed by MIT’s SENSEable City Lab, is an exploration into the next generation of smart urban furniture; it aims to enrich the city with state of the art sensing technologies, interactive services, community information and entertainment. The project is partially covered with touch-sensitive e-INK and screens, so that it can deliver information to people seamlessly. Users can plan a bus trip on an interactive map, exchange community-relevant information on a digital message board, surf the Web, monitor their real time exposure to pollutants and use their mobile devices as an interface with the bus shelter.
“Interacting with EyeStop could change the access to urban information in a similar way to how the iPhone has changed our mobile life,” said Carlo Ratti, head of the SENSEable City Lab at MIT.
At the touch of a finger users can indicate their desired destination; the system will then display the shortest bus route from where they are and the position of all relevant buses real-time. The EyeStop will glow at different levels of intensity to signal the distance of an approaching bus. Riders and passers-by can also post ads and community announcements to an electronic bulletin board placed on the bus stop, enhancing its functionality as a public space — a place to gather and exchange community-relevant information.
In addition to displaying information, the bus stop also acts as an active environmental sensing node, powering itself through sunlight and collecting real-time information about air quality and the urban environment.
“EyeStop is an experiment into urban computing: it may be considered an 'info-tape' that snakes through the city, rising up like a pole or cropping out of the sidewalk like a shelter. It senses information about the environment and distributes it in a form accessible to all citizens,” said project leader Giovanni de Niederhousern.
A generative parametric model produces a unique design for each bus stop, providing both optimal sheltering for users and maximum sunlight exposure for direct photovoltaic powering. Unlike the typical mass-produced bus stop, EyeStop is designed to fit the physical characteristics of its surroundings, with each unit being slightly different from the others. Furthermore, simple materials like shiny steel, extra clear glass and gray local stone (pietra serena), together with its minimalist design, serve to optimize how it blends into the historic urban fabric of Florence.
“Since the Renaissance, there has been an interplay between the physical form of the city (urb) and its citizenship (civitas),” added Ratti. “Today’s technologies are adding new possibilities to that age-long relationship, thanks to the addition of digital information to physical space.”
EyeStop was developed at the SENSEable City Laboratory by Giovanni de Niederhousern, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti, in collaboration with the Province of Florence and the local public transportation authority ATAF.
Monday, 18 May 2009
TEDDINGTON, ENGLAND — Alamo Rent A Car, the largest rental car provider to international travelers visiting North America, has announced an exclusive agreement with Virgin Holidays to become its preferred car rental supplier. The agreement will go into effect Jan. 1, 2010.
"We are proud to be part of such an innovative partnership, especially in today's tough economic climate," said Greg Stubblefield, president of Alamo Rent A Car. "Virgin Holidays and Alamo are both leaders in their respective industries and together can offer leisure travelers even more value, service and convenience than ever before."
Alamo's online check-in option, friendly self-service kiosks and leading-edge environmental stewardship were all factors in Virgin Holidays' selection criteria.
“We pride ourselves on exceeding expectations, so Alamo feels like a perfect match for us and enables us to offer our customers a unique, state-of-the-art fly/drive product into North America. We are delighted to appoint Alamo as our exclusive vehicle rental provider,” said Amanda Wills, managing director for Virgin Holidays.
Beginning Jan. 1, all Virgin Holidays customers will be able to bypass the car rental counter and go straight to Alamo's self-service kiosks to retrieve their rental agreements. The kiosk can also be used for any last minute changes or additions to the car rental booking, including vehicle upgrades, child seats and additional drivers. Virgin Holidays customers also will have access to the Alamo Choice product, whereby they can choose any vehicle at the facility within the category booked.
"I believe that Alamo and Virgin Holidays will jointly offer a terrific and memorable customer experience from beginning to end," Stubblefield said. "From Florida to California and from Texas to Canada, we will be working together to set a new standard in the travel industry."
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
SURESNES CEDEX, France — IER, supplier of passenger and baggage processing solutions for the air transportation industry, announced it has been selected by Siemens, IT integrator, to equip Malaga Airport's new terminal with check-in and boarding equipment.
Siemens has selected IER for the supply of both types of passenger check-in processes: operator assisted check-in at counters and automated check-in with self-service kiosks, as well as boarding gate control readers.
Nearly 250 IER 506 boarding pass and bag tag printers will equip the new check-in counters and 17 IER 918 CUSS kiosks will be deployed for the self-service automated check-in operations.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
SURESNES CEDEX, France — IER, supplier of passenger and baggage processing solutions for the air transportation industry, announced it has been selected by Siemens, IT integrator, to equip Malaga Airport's new terminal with check-in and boarding equipment.
Siemens has selected IER for the supply of both types of passenger check-in processes: operator assisted check-in at counters and automated check-in with self-service kiosks, as well as boarding gate control readers.
Nearly 250 IER 506 boarding pass and bag tag printers will equip the new check-in counters and 17 IER 918 CUSS kiosks will be deployed for the self-service automated check-in operations.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Travel Agent: Amadeus has announced a test of a new device, Pass and Fly, as part of a pilot project that simplifies passenger recognition, the crediting of airport passenger points and airplane boarding, through the use of a mobile phone that is near-field-communication-enabled. Amadeus says it is the first time in air travel that NFC, a short-range, wireless connectivity technology, has been used to enable mobile boarding passes. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, Air France, Amadeus and IER, a technology company, have partnered to test the new mobile boarding pass until Oct. 30.
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Tuesday, 14 April 2009
European Investor: As of tomorrow, Scandinavian Airlines customers will be able to travel using only their mobile phones. "Currently, approximately 10 percent of SAS passengers check in via SMS, but our goal for 2011 is that 80 percent of our customers check in off-airport, which means online or via their mobile," said Lars Sandahl Sørensen, a senior vice president for SAS. "It is very important for us that our customers have the smoothest and simplest travel experience possible with us. We are therefore looking forward to rolling out the service later this year, once we have evaluated the trial."
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Tuesday, 31 March 2009
TRUMBULL, Conn. — KioskCom Self Service Expo & The Digital Signage Show announced that Joshua Weiss, managing director of self-service for Delta Air Lines, will share details of Delta’s self-service upgrades during a keynote presentation titled "Full -Service Self-Service" on May 6, 2009, at 9 a.m. at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
"Recent research (Buzzback Market Research for NCR Corp.) shows that 82 percent of people are more likely to use travel companies that offer the ability to conduct transactions online, via mobile device and at a self-service kiosk," said Lawrence Dvorchik, general manager of KioskCom Self Service Expo. "Self-service at Delta Air Lines has evolved into a far-reaching, multichannel, multilingual strategy that aims to put the customer in control of their travel experience. We look forward to the opportunity all of our attendees will have to learn from Joshua and his team’s experiences."
With a focus on improving the customer experience, Weiss will discuss how Delta Air Lines has advanced the adoption of self-service technology through new product development, application redesigns, and facility changes. He will also discuss how Delta Air Lines uses technology to diversify globally in a cost-effective manner, increase customer adoption through design and usability, adapt new technologies to streamline customer processes, create consistent user experiences across channels and devices, and modify existing processes and customer flows to facilitate self-service adoption.
According to the same study, 33 percent of consumers said they would like to receive boarding passes on their mobile devices. Delta, like past KioskCom keynote speaker and current board of advisors member Continental Airlines, has deployed check-in via mobile phone.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
The Chicago Tribune: Fifty new tourism kiosks will be installed throughout O'Hare International Airport, Mayor Richard Daley announced Monday. Travelers at the airport will be able to use the touchscreen kiosks to access the city's 2-month-old tourism site, explorechicago.org. The kiosks, which provide information in several languages, will provide many functions once performed by the red-jacketed greeters the Daley administration recently laid off to help address the city's budget deficit.
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Wednesday, 25 March 2009
DAYTON, Ohio — A survey by Buzzback Market Research for NCR Corporation has found that travelers want the ability to do more at airport kiosks than check in for flights and print boarding passes.
Though consumers have become accustomed to checking in at a self-service kiosk upon arrival at the airport, nearly one in three respondents indicate they'd like the flexibility to do more at the device, such as upgrade, make seat changes and purchase in-flight meals (28 percent). An even greater number (35 percent) would like to be able to check into their hotel or secure their car rental.
"Consumers have embraced the time-saving convenience of serving themselves," said Tania Ladic, NCR vice president, Travel Industry Marketing. "Our customers see up to 90 percent of check-in processed through self-service. There is an opportunity for airlines to improve customer satisfaction and drive ancillary revenue by further accommodating passenger needs."
The research reveals a clear connection between self-service and passenger preference, with 82 percent of respondents indicating they are more likely to choose a travel company that allows them to interact easily via kiosk, online and mobile self-service channels.
Greater use of mobility, such as the use of mobile boarding passes, is welcomed by consumers. Thirty-three percent said they would like to receive boarding passes on their mobile devices. Many airlines are currently piloting this technology.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the use of barcoded boarding passes is likely to impact airline operations as much as customer loyalty. "We expect barcoded boarding passes will deliver annual savings of $1.5 billion to the airline industry," said IATA Bar Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP) Project Manager Eric Leopold. IATA has set an industry objective of 100 percent BCBP compliance by 2010.
The research was conducted between December 2008 and January 2009. Results reflect input from 8,447 respondents in 16 countries and 6 regions. All respondents were at least 18 years of age.
Friday, 20 March 2009
ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines today announced a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to launch paperless check-in for domestic travel on nonstop Delta, Northwest and Delta Connection flights departing from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Customers will have the option of using their mobile device to check-in and receive an electronic boarding pass via their Web-enabled devices.
"Delta is taking another step to eliminate lines from airports by putting more time-saving technology in the hands of our customers," said Josh Weiss, Delta’s managing director, delta.com and self-service. "With the introduction of paperless check-in at our largest hub, Atlanta-departing customers can now quickly check in and receive a boarding pass 24 hours in advance of their flight literally from anywhere with no paper required."
Customers traveling in the United States and checking in for a nonstop flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport may simply download their boarding pass to their mobile devices via delta.com or nwa.com and proceed directly to the airport security screening area. Customers checking bags should drop their bags at the baggage drop counter location prior to proceeding to the security checkpoint.
At the security checkpoint, TSA will scan the electronic boarding pass, check the customer’s ID and process the customer through security. Customers can then proceed to their departure gate, present their electronic boarding pass to the gate agent at boarding time and board with their designated zone.
Other airports currently offering mobile check-in to Delta and Northwest customers include Las Vegas, Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul; Detroit and Indianapolis (Northwest only); and New York-LaGuardia (Delta only).
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Dayton B2B: Dayton International Airport expects to receive about $13 million in economic stimulus money and the air hub plans on spending some of it on upgrading and expanding its self-service offerings. Among the planned additions: movable self-service kiosks that generate boarding passes about 20 feet from the service counters, so that people using the kiosks will be out of the way of the lines at the counters.
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Wednesday, 18 February 2009
TradingMarkets.com: In the wake of the merger between Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines, Delta has begun to rebrand Northwest's check-in kiosks, as well as its counters, gates and signage. This process is expected to take place at more than 200 airports worldwide. The airline expects re-branding in all airports in the U.S. and Canada to be complete by the end of 2009, and in international airports the following year.
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Friday, 13 February 2009
The Times of India: By 2010, all train passengers would have instant access to unreserved tickets from even the most remote corners of the country. What is more, they would be able to buy a ticket, not just from the stations, but several public kiosks as well. At present, the Unreserved Ticketing System developed by the Centre for Railway Information System provides access to 60 percent of the 16 million passengers who travel on such tickets every day. Only one million passengers travel daily in reserved compartments.
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Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Global Atlanta: According to a survey recently conducted by SITA, an information technology company that services the air travel industry, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport leads airports around the world in the percentage of passengers who use online or kiosk check-in self-services. Dominique El Bez, director of portfolio marketing for SITA, said baggage is the leading deterrent to self-service check-in adoption. "The baggage problem will only be solved through a combination of education, improved processes at points where bags are dropped off and increased confidence among travelers that their baggage is safe," he said.
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Wednesday, 14 January 2009
ContactlessNews: More than 100 million electronic passports have been issued since governments initiated production of the new travel credentials two years ago. The challenge for some countries will installing the equipment to read e-passports without adversely affecting wait times. Even the United States, the initiator of the move to e-passports after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, hasn't deployed many inspection systems.
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Monday, 12 January 2009
The (Queensland, Australia) Courier-Mail HeadSt@rt: Passengers flying with Jetstar, an Australian airline, could soon be checking in their own luggage, and at least one airline industry union is not happy about it. The move comes as a cost-cutting measure initiated by the airline, and would mean passengers who checked themselves in at a computer kiosk would get a luggage tag in addition to their boarding pass. But Ingrid Stitt, secretary for Victorian branch of Australian Services Union said the technology would result in job cuts.
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Monday, 22 December 2008
Chelsea Now: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York unveiled a new “talking kiosk” to help visually impaired customers navigate Penn Station’s concourses, passageways and platforms. The kiosk features a touch-activated map of the station, visual displays for the partially sighted and a voice designed for phonetic clarity. Customers touch different parts of the map, and the kiosk describes the corresponding location and gives directions. The kiosk costs $23,000, or less than half the cost of a previous model, which was removed earlier this year.
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Monday, 15 December 2008
Beaver County (Beaver, Pa.) Times: As the recession continues, many cash-strapped airline companies are looking for new sources of revenue. That means travelers could face some kind of convenience fee the next time they try to check in with a self-service check-in kiosk. Jay Sorenson of IdeaWorks, a Wisconsin-based consulting firm for the airline industry, says some airlines are giving the fee careful consideration, just as FlyBe, a British airline, did earlier this year.
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Wednesday, 03 December 2008
The Daily Gleaner: Air Canada has installed two self-service kiosks at the Fredericton International Airport. The kiosks also can be used to change seat selections, request earlier departures or get upgrades.
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Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Travel Daily News: SITA, the aviation IT specialist, and Malaysia Airlines have announced plans to replace in-house reservations system as part of a $130 million IT-driven turnaround program that has helped bring the Asian carrier back to profitability, with annual expenses cut by more than $140 million. Over the last 10 years, SITA has launched an e-ticketing and self-service check-in option for passengers of Malaysia Airlines. “SITA delivered a new passenger-services system for the airline in record time, including one of the fastest e-ticketing implementations ever seen by IATA," said managing director and chief executive of the airlines, Idris Jala. "It was done in 11 months, resulting in $6 savings for each ticket sold."
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Monday, 24 November 2008
MUNICH, Germany -- The government of Botswana has awarded a contract to Giesecke & Devrient for the manufacture and delivery of 150,000 electronic passports, according to a news release. G&D also will supply the data acquisition and personalization systems for travel documents.
In addition, the Munich-based technology company will be delivering Botswana's border control system with card readers. The contract was signed in Gaborone, the country's capital. It will take two years to implement the system, with passports scheduled for issue to the citizens of Botswana from 2010. The contract is worth roughly 15 million euros (U.S. $19.3 million).
Botswana is the first South African country to introduce the electronic passport.
"We are proud that the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs has entrusted us with this demanding project," said Hans Wolfgang Kunz, head of G&D's government solutions business. "The new electronic passport will fulfill the extensive ICAO and EU specifications and achieve international recognition and validity. In conjunction with an efficient border-control system, it will ensure Botswana is well prepared to meet the increasing security requirements of international travel."
As prime contractor, G&D will handle all system integration activities. The new passport system will be among the fastest of its kind anywhere in the world. At selected public offices equipped to personalize the documents, passports can even be issued immediately in particularly urgent cases. The entire process, from data registration to complete optical and digital personalization, will take no more than 20 minutes.
Besides personal information, the data page of the ID document also features a color photograph for simple visual checking. To achieve maximum security against forgery and prevent misuse of identity, the new e-passport also contains the holder's details and photograph in digital form, stored on a chip. The electronic reading systems at border-control points then compare the data to verify whether the person presenting the document and wishing to enter or leave the country is indeed the passport's rightful owner.
The data will be acquired and processed at 20 local registration points and other mobile stations all over the country. This allows citizens to apply for a new passport quickly and conveniently, without travel long distances.
Friday, 21 November 2008
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Air New Zealand has integrated 111 IER 918 self-check-in kiosks as well as 84 IER 600 2D barcode and RF scanners in its innovative travel process now in operation on domestic flights to streamline check-in and boarding operations.
On November 3, Air New Zealand unveiled its new state-of-the-art check-in and boarding experience, introducing a new layout with new kiosks that enable Auckland Domestic Airport customers to print their own bag tags. The layout also includes a direct-to-conveyor-belt bag drop zone to eliminate queues, new gate scanners for straight-to-gate check-in, boarding for customers without bags as well as several new technological enablers for frequent flyers.
In this project, IER — a supplier of passenger and baggage processing solutions in the air transportation industry — has been selected to provide Air New Zealand with a total of 111 IER 918 self-service check-in kiosks, part of which have been deployed first at the country's three main airports: Auckland first, then Christchurch and Wellington. The secondary airports will be equipped at a later date.
The IER 918 kiosks chosen by Air New Zealand are equipped with a 2D barcode scanner for reading passengers' boarding passes that have previously been printed or received on their mobile phones. The kiosks are also equipped with an RF scanner for reading the ePass RF sticker provided to selected members of the Airpoints program by the airline, which is applied either to the back of their mobile phone or on their Frequent Flyer card. Travellers will check in their bags at the kiosks. The IER 918 kiosks are equipped with a bag-tag printer for delivery of their baggage tags to the passengers for self-tagging before drop-off.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines has simplified the ticket purchase process at delta.com and introduced an improved kiosk experience at airports throughout the country, as well as curbside check-in for customers traveling internationally, according to a news release.
"Delta is committed to providing faster, more convenient self-service options for our customers," said Josh Weiss, managing director of delta.com. "Whether they are visiting delta.com or checking in at a kiosk or curbside, these enhancements save time for our customers whenever they travel with us."
Delta's improved kiosk technology, now available at more than 1,300 Delta kiosks in 195 U.S. cities, reduces the number of screens a passenger clicks through when checking in. The new system also provides easier access to flight itineraries and real-time weather conditions at their destination. In addition, customers can elect to bypass baggage-check screens if they are not checking bags, trimming the transaction to as little as one click from start to finish.
Delta anticipates more than 26 million customers will check in using kiosks in 2008 and expects the new kiosk technology will reduce already quick transaction times by as much as a minute for many customers.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
ITWeb: British Airways customers will now be able to check in using their mobile phones with the introduction of its remote check-in service. This initiative follows the introduction of the iPhone mobile check-in application, which saw more than 16,000 downloads in the U.K. within the first month. Using any mobile phone, customers will now be able to access BA's timetable in real time, select airplane seats and check in individuals, groups and families for departing and return flights.
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008
China Hospitality News: As part of the International Air Transport Association's "Simplifying the Business" project, IATA will promote its "Fast Travel" program in China. Fast Travel will offer full service to passengers through common use self-service kiosks, barcoded boarding passes and 100 percent e-ticketing to meet increasing passenger demands for self-service. IATA is focusing on six key areas including: check-in using the Internet and mobile phones; bags ready-to-go; document scanning; flight re-booking; self-boarding; and luggage recovery. IATA's aim is to establish two pilots per project by the end of 2008.
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Chicago Tribune: For $100 and a copy of their fingerprints, U.S. citizens flying from abroad into O'Hare International Airport can skip passport-checking lines and proceed almost directly to baggage claim with the help of automated kiosks. The Global Entry program, unveiled at O'Hare last month by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is designed to let travelers get through the airport faster but also affords a key benefit for the Department of Homeland Security: It makes tracking who is coming into the country much easier.
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Monday, 10 November 2008
CXOtoday.com: Improving customer service and satisfaction emerges as the high priority investment driver for 80 percent of the world's airport operators in the 5th annual "Airport IT Trends" survey carried out by SITA, a specialist provider of airport IT and communications, in conjunction with Airline Business and the Airports Council International. Airports want to meet the demands of travelers by expanding self-service to include the introduction of passenger self-boarding (35 percent), off-airport passenger/baggage processing (32 percent) and common bag drop locations (33 percent).
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Monday, 03 November 2008
The Financial Express: Indian Bank's chairman and managing director M. S. Sundara Rajan has inaugurated an e-ticketing kiosk at the railway station in Vijayawada. Indian Railways has allowed the Indian Bank to install 34 ATM/e-ticketing kiosks and 17 standard ATMs at railway stations across the country. The bank has already installed 27 ATM/e-ticketing kiosks and 9 standard ATMs at various railway stations.
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Monday, 03 November 2008
DUBLIN, Ireland — Research and Markets, an international market research and market data firm, has released "Mobile Ticketing: Transport, Sport Entertainment & Events 2008-2013/"
According to Research and Markets, a mobile ticketing user is "someone who stores a ticket on their mobile phone for later redemption" at the point of travel, the music venue, the cinema etc. The purchase of the ticket does not need to have been initiated on the mobile phone and, more than likely, the main point of purchase for mobile tickets is currently either online at an eCommerce Web site, via a telephone call center or alternatively at a physical ticket outlet or kiosk. This definition therefore includes mobile boarding passes for air travel, even if the ticket has been purchased through a non-mobile channel. This is not to say that there will be occasions when the full end-to-end transaction — the purchase, storage and redemption — will all occur on the mobile device.
This full end-to-end transaction is the ultimate mobile ticketing solution. In terms of definition of "mobile device," the report makes the distinction that the primary function must be mobile telephony. This excludes other mobile devices that have a different primary function such as entertainment, e.g. digital music player or portable games console, or travel, e.g. a GPS enabled mapping device.
Organizations that control the issuance and redemption of tickets are seeing the advantages that mobile phones have over other ticketing options, namely paper-based and electronic tickets stored on a smart card. Those organizations, including Ticketmaster and Tickets.com, Major League Baseball and the International Air Travel Association, are promoting and developing mobile-ticketing applications, trials and services.
Monday, 03 November 2008
(Miami) NewsRadio WIOD, AM-610: Customs and Border Protection Global Entry kiosks are popping up at Miami International Airport. The kiosks are expected to make passport check-ins automatic for U.S. citizens and other lawful residents. The kiosks also will help frequent fliers avoid long lines at Customs. Newsradio 610 WIOD reporter Wayne Roustan's full interview with Jose Castelano of Customs and Border Protection can be accessed by clicking the link below.
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Friday, 31 October 2008
(Los Angeles) KABC-TV, Channel 7: Los Angeles International Airport has a new program to get U.S. travelers through customs quickly and efficiently. LAX and three other international airports are now participating in the Global Entry program. Global Entry gives frequent travelers the ability to speed up their arrival into the U.S. by using a kiosk to assist in their clearance. Program members first swipe their passports or resident cards at the kiosk. They will then be instructed to scan their fingerprints and answer some declaration questions to compare with data on file.
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Thursday, 30 October 2008
Irish Examiner: Ryanair is refusing to install self-service check-in kiosks at Dublin Airport in Ireland after Ryanair lost a High Court bid to stop the Dublin Airport Authority from requiring the airline to sign a licensing and fee agreement. The airline says it is now going to bring forward plans to have all of its Dublin passengers use Web check-in, but will push ahead with plans to install the kiosks in Shannon.
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008
(New Zealand) One News: Queues at airport check-in gates could be a thing of the past, now that Air New Zealand has announced a $30 million revamp of its domestic terminals. Beginning next week, Air New Zealand will do away with the old check-in counters and introduce do-it-yourself kiosks, where passengers can print off their own bag tags and take their luggage to the bag drop themselves. Travellers' boarding passes can be sent to them via mobile in order to get people through the airport faster.
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Los Angeles Times: There's nothing more discouraging for the weary air traveler than to arrive at the airport only to remember that his iPod contains nothing but 1950s polka music. How will he survive that overseas flight? Previously, the only solution to this quandary was for him to download new songs using Wi-Fi on his computer and then transfer them to his iPod (unless he has a phone that lets him purchase songs from it). But now, travelers can go to InMotion kiosks at 20 airports across the country (including LAX) and buy digital music, then plug their iPods or other devices into the kiosk and download the tunes.
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Monday, 27 October 2008
(United Arab Emirates) Business 24/7: After paperless tickets, the future of air travel could involve bar-coded boarding passes on mobile phones as the airline industry continues its quest to tap cost-effective technological innovations. Dominique El Bez, portfolio marketing director of Sita, an IT business solutions provider to the air transport industry, says the introduction of the mobile phone barcoded boarding pass (m-BCBP) could not only help airlines save millions of dollars on flight delay costs, but could ensure passengers a hassle-free journey.
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Monday, 20 October 2008
nst online: Passengers of Hong Kong International Airport can now complete their airline check-in process in as little as one minute by using one of the 42 self check-in kiosks available at Terminal 1, the Airport Authority Hong Kong announced. The self check-in system is part of the authority's ongoing efforts to enhance passenger flow and to accommodate the worldwide trend of increasing passenger demand for self-help service, China's XINHUA news agency quoted the authority as saying in a statement.
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Travelers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are increasingly booking tickets online and using kiosks to check in, at a rate higher than some other large airports around the world. A survey of passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson, Mumbai International, Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Moscow Domodedovo, Sao Paulo Guarulhos and Johannesburg released by SITA, an air-transport IT company, found that in Atlanta, 18 percent of travelers check in online and 38 percent use kiosks for checking in. That’s compared with 19 percent and 20 percent a year earlier. Across the six airports, an average of 36 percent of passengers checked in online or with kiosks, compared with the combined 56 percent in Atlanta. Mumbai had a 19 percent rate of online check in, the only airport in the survey with a higher rate than Atlanta. North America in general is “one of the early adopter markets” for self-service technologies, says SITA director of portfolio marketing Dominique El Bez.
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Friday, 10 October 2008
TMCnet.com: Good news for travelers going through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: They can now stop by and enjoy valuable services at the Boingo Kiosk. The kiosk enables travelers to recharge computers, cell phones and iPods, and print color documents and get free Wi-Fi access passes.
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Thursday, 09 October 2008
Luxury Travel Magazine: From Oct. 13, 2008, Lufthansa passengers flying from London Heathrow will be able to use mobile boarding passes on all Lufthansa non-stop flights to Germany, as well as to most onward destinations in Europe. The service will be gradually introduced from additional U.K. and European departure points over the coming months. The U.K. launch follows the successful introduction of mobile boarding passes on all domestic German routes in the summer and last month on about 1,000 daily flights out of Germany to almost 400 European destinations.
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Thursday, 09 October 2008
OAKLAND, Calif. — Earlier this year, a select group of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District riders took part in a first-in-the-nation trial to pay for their fares and food, receive discounts and check account balances using just their new mobile phone containing a contactless chip that enables transactions without a traditional plastic card.
BART, First Data and ViVOtech have since released the results of the trial conducted in the San Francisco area from Jan. 28 to May 30, 2008, which demonstrates high use when both transit fare and retail payments are combined in the same phone.
The results show that BART riders who took part in the trial extensively used their contactless, Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled phones to pay for their BART fares and meals at participating Jack in the Box restaurants.
The results also show that participants at BART stations frequently tapped smart advertisements in BART stations with their NFC phones. These posters contained directions to nearby Jack in the Box restaurants.
The data shows that trial participants took close to 9,000 trips on BART during the trial. To pay at BART stations, they simply tapped their NFC-equipped mobile phones, provided by Sprint, on top of the BART fare gates. This represents an average of 50 trips per participant during the four-month trial. Participants also topped-up their BART card balances more than 800 times using the over-the-air (OTA) feature of their NFC-equipped phones averaging five BART top-ups per mobile phone during the trial. More than 80 percent of trial participants indicated that the mobile wallet application was easy to use.
"We're very excited that our trial was so successful," BART's longest serving board member, James Fang, said. "NFC devices are all the rage in Asia, and if all goes well, millions of Americans will have access to these NFC-enabled phones starting in two years. With so many people turning to transit to avoid the ever-skyrocketing price of gas, we must do everything we can to break down the barriers that stand in the way of them using BART. The NFC-enabled phone simplifies their lives because they never need to dig for a BART ticket again, and they can bypass those fumbling for change at the ticket machine, and instead, go directly through the faregates — knowing they always have the correct fare on their phones."
Another value of this trial was to test the combination of transit and Jack in the Box meal purchases using the mobile phones as well as to drive traffic to merchants using NFC-enabled smart posters. During the trial, participants tapped their phones several hundred times on smart posters located throughout the BART terminal to obtain directions to the nearest Jack in the Box restaurant from the BART station.
ViVOtech developed the wallet software for the NFC mobile phones and the OTA card provisioning servers that Sprint used for the trial. This enabled participants to remotely download their BART fare and Jack Ca$h gift cards onto their mobile phones, check their card balances, review previous transactions, automatically top up their cards and use their phones to pay for BART fares and Jack in the Box food. ViVOtech also provided the contactless payment devices that read the NFC-enabled chips at Jack in the Box restaurants.
Tuesday, 07 October 2008
AME Info: SITA, the specialist provider of IT solutions to airlines and airports, today said there is overwhelming evidence from passengers surveyed at six of the world's busiest airports across five continents, that self-service is fast becoming the norm for passengers from Atlanta to Moscow and that the main challenge to even broader adoption of DIY travel management is baggage.
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Friday, 03 October 2008
The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald: A generation of children is growing up that will not remember paper airline tickets — and it's possible the next generation will not remember boarding passes, either. It is now possible to book a flight, check in, get a boarding pass and board a plane without a single piece of paper other than your photo identification. Airlines, including KLM, Air France, Lufthansa and Air Canada, have introduced mobile-phone boarding passes.
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008
nstonline (Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia): Malaysia Airlines customers in Malaysia will be able to check-in via the Web and self-service kiosks for all international travel by year-end. In a statement, senior general manager of transition management, Dr Amin Khan, said international customers would be able to do Web check-in by next year. "They can also select their preferred seats online 24 hours before flight departure and print their boarding passes," he said.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
The Canadian Press: Montreal on Sunday unveiled its new self-service bicycle system. The program, named Bixi, allows residents to borrow bicycles from one station and drop them off at another. "You grab it, you ride it, you bring it back," said Montreal's mayor Gerald Tremblay. "It will become an emblem for Montreal."
An expected 2,400 bikes will be available at 300 stations in six Montreal boroughs.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Delaware North Companies has partnered with uWink to bring uWink's unique self-service and entertainment technology to the Chili's Too Margarita Bar at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.
According to a news release, the global hospitality, food-service and retail provider this week completed the installation of four of its uWink's touchscreen terminals at the restaurant and bar. It is the first location to use the unique technology in the airport-hospitality sector.
The Fort Lauderdale Airport was an ideal location for Delaware North to provide travelers with the uWink technology because of its selection in April to be one of 18 "Model Ports of Entry" airports. The initiative seeks to improve the experience of international visitors.
The uWink terminals will help the initiative by offering menus and games in Spanish and English. In the near future, the technology will be available in German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and French.
"We're pushing very hard to bring cutting-edge brands to travelers across the country, so our partnership with uWink represents an incredible opportunity," said Matt King, president of Delaware North Travel Hospitality Services. "I think people are going to be blown away by how much fun they have at the uWink terminals and how convenient they are for international visitors."
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
NEWS.scotsman.com: Thousands of passengers at Edinburgh Airport are set to speed up their journey through check-in with the delivery of new self-service kiosks. Airport bosses have installed 10 of the terminals in a bid to tackle the queues. British Airways and BMI already have check-in machines for their own customers, but the £300,000 terminals installed by airport operator BAA will be open to all airlines.
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Friday, 12 September 2008
The (Singapore) Straits Times: From check-in to document scanning, baggage tagging and even boarding, more do-it-yourself options will be available to air travellers in three to five years. The airline industry, which expects to lose $5.2 billion this year, is pushing for more automation and self-service options to reduce costs, said Philippe Bruyere, a director at the International Air Transport Association. In addition to helping the airlines save money, self-service will also offer passengers more choices and flexibility he told The Straits Times yesterday.
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Friday, 29 August 2008
Philly.com: The bicycles were red, shiny and inviting, lined up along a rack near a bustling farmers market. Max Menna, 37, noted the chain cover to protect clothing. He used his hands to measure the front rack — good for securing briefcases or backpacks. He stepped back to inspect the vehicle's construction. "I was just in Paris, and I was thrilled to see their program and all the bikes on the street," Menna said. "If we can approximate that, we'll achieve something."
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Thursday, 28 August 2008
Business of Cinema.com: The seven-screen multiplex Fame Malad in Mumbai, India, has introduced a specially designed ticket ATM kiosk, which provides tickets on the spot. This machine is the first of its kind in the western region. The ticket ATM kiosk has been in use for a week now, however the official launch is likely to take place Aug. 28.
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Monday, 25 August 2008
The Times of India: By 2010, all train passengers would have instant access to unreserved tickets from even the remotest corner in the country. What is more, they would be able to buy a ticket not just from the stations but several public kiosks as well, according to India's Centre for Railway Information System.
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Thursday, 21 August 2008
SOUTHLAKE, Texas — Checking in for your flight from a taxi, in a café, even while dropping the kids off at school is now a reality with the launch of Sabre Airline Solutions' new Mobile Check-In.
Launched in conjunction with Italian carrier, AirOne, Sabre's latest innovative breakthrough allows passengers to check-in for a flight, and even select their seats, using a Web-enabled mobile phone. Mobile Check-In is part of the SabreSonic suite, Sabre's flagship customer sales and service solution, and integrates with other SabreSonic self-service check-in options including Web and kiosk check-in, providing airlines with the broadest range of check-in options across all customer touch points.
"Self-service check-in is now a priority for many airlines as they look for ways to cut costs," said Gordon Locke, vice president of Airline Marketing for Sabre Holdings. "Sabre's Mobile Check-In solution not only provides the cost benefits, more importantly it improves the customer experience, making check-in more accessible, easier and faster — a real bonus for time-constrained corporate travelers."
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Examiner.com (Denver, Colo.): Washington D.C. is set to officially roll out its SmartBike D.C. bicycle-sharing program after months of delays. Starting today, 120 bikes will be available to registered subscribers at 10 docking stations throughout the city. About 150 people have subscribed, said Jim Sebastian, manager for bicycle, pedestrian and transportation demand-management programs for the District Department of Transportation.
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Wednesday, 13 August 2008
BBC: Dundee is set to join Barcelona, Paris and Stockholm by introducing self-service bike rental kiosks. People would be able to pick up a bike at places like the train or bus station, and then drop it off at certain points across the city. Riders could use the bike for free for half an hour, then rent it for longer.
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Monday, 11 August 2008
I4U News: Best Buy has announced the official launch of its Best Buy Express automated kiosks in airports around the U.S. The launch of the kiosks is part of a pilot program to offer familiar products at the same prices found in stores. Products that will be available in the kiosks will include computer accessories, digital cameras, flash drives, MP3 players, headphones, speakers, unlocked phones, portable game devices, gift cards, travel adapters and chargers. The kiosks will be found in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and San Francisco. The kiosk rollout will continue through the beginning of September.
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Monday, 11 August 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A spokeswoman for Transport Canada, Canada's ministry of transportation, has told SelfService.org that an investigation into alleged card fraud originating at check-in kiosks in Toronto's Pearson Airport has turned up no evidence of a data breach.
Late in July, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority announced that VISA had flagged what were believed to be suspicious patterns of credit card kiosks at the airport. Shortly thereafter, an investigation was launched to determine whether the patterns indicated criminal activity.
The Canwest News Service is reporting that VISA's investigation will continue, despite the finding.
Monday, 04 August 2008
The Dallas Morning News: Retail giant Best Buy has teamed up with Zoom Systems, a supplier of kiosk vending, to deploy its first-ever vending kiosk in an airport environment at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. But don't look for sodas and candybars here. This kiosk dispenses iPods, headphones and other high-end electronic goods.
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Friday, 01 August 2008
Foster's Daily Democrat (Dover, N.H.): The city of Dover is on track to become the second Seacoast city to test the waters of a "pay-and-display" metered parking system. Transportation Planner Bruce Woodruff said the city is looking to participate in a pilot program that would add the pay-and-display meters to street parking spots along Henry Law Avenue. The meters work by allowing motorists to insert nickels, dimes, quarters, dollar coins or a credit card into one central meter, which serves several parking spaces.
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Friday, 01 August 2008
(Las Vegas) KTNV-TV, Channel 13: Obtaining driving records soon will be easier for Nevada residents, thanks to some new kiosks at local DMV offices. For $7 the kiosk can give you a 3-, 9- or 10-year driving history.
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008
The (Toronto) Globe and Mail: Thirteen airlines and a number of technology companies are signing non-disclosure agreements with investigators this week as a full-scale forensic investigation of the self-service kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport gets under way. Visa has been investigating credit-card systems at Canada's busiest airport because its high-tech monitoring systems, called "neural networks," flagged a pattern of fraud on credit cards of some people who had flown out of Toronto.
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Read also: Airline issues statement on alleged data breach.
Read also: Canadian airline disables card use on airport kiosks.
Read also: Investigation into airport kiosks not surprising, say experts.
Monday, 28 July 2008
Canwest News Service: Fallout continues from last week's discovery of alleged card fraud at check-in kiosks located at Toronto's Pearson airport. On July 27, 2008, the government of Ottowa directed the Greater Toronto Airport Authority to reevaluate the security measures in place at the various self-service check-in kiosks deployed at its airports.
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Read also: Investigation into Toronto airport kiosks not surprising, say experts
Friday, 25 July 2008
CanadaEast.com: The possibility that self-serve kiosks at Toronto's Pearson airport were targeted by credit card fraudsters left passengers wary Thursday while at least one expert said it's not surprising an airport would be targeted given the dramatic rise in credit fraud. "When people think of airports, they think of highly secure, security-focused environments," said Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor specializing in Internet and privacy issues. "So the notion that in that very environment you could have a significant security breach, many would find troubling."
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Read also: WestJet issues statement on alleged data breach.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Globe and Mail (Toronto): WestJet plans to disable the credit-card readers in kiosks that customers use to check-in for its flights at 28 Canadian airports, as a precaution in the wake of an investigation into the kiosks' security. Credit-card companies are conducting an investigation into the security of data that's inputted at 150 self-serve kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, after financial institutions that issue credit cards spotted isolated patterns of fraud on cards of people who had travelled through the airport.
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SEE ALSO: Canadian airport kiosks investigated for possible card fraud
Thursday, 24 July 2008
ALBERTA, Canada — WestJet, an airline based in Canada, has issued a statement regarding a report of alleged fraudulent activity involving customer credit card information potentially emanating from self-service check-in kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. WestJet announced that it will disable its credit card check-in functionality at all airport kiosks across Canada, according to a news release.
"Despite the fact that there does not appear to be any fraud committed, we're not prepared to take any chances with our guests' credit card information," said Ken McKenzie, WestJet executive vice president of operations. "Until we know what's happened, if in fact anything has, this is the best way to protect our guests. We take our guests' credit card information very seriously. It is part of the trust our guests place in us, and it's an integral part of our values as an organization."
"Once the investigation is complete, we will take whatever action may be necessary," said McKenzie. "In the meantime, disabling the credit card reading function at airport kiosks used by our guests ensure WestJet is doing its part."
Read also: Canadian airport kiosks investigated for possible card fraud.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
The (Ontario, Canada) Mississauga News: The kiosks that provide customer services at Pearson International Airport in Canada are at the center of an investigation into potential credit card fraud after financial institutions raised concerns about potential security problems. Earlier this month, Gary Long, chief information officer for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, sent a letter to technology firms servicing the kiosks that said VISA is investigating use of credit cards at the airport.
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Monday, 21 July 2008
The New Zealand Herald: The self-service, Parisian bike-for-hire — the velib' — was intended mostly for short rides when it was introduced 12 months ago. More than 3,000 of the sturdy grey bicycles have gone missing since then. Some have turned up as far away as Romania and, according to one report, Australia. Another 3,000 have been deliberately destroyed or damaged. But the 16,000 bikes in circulation have proved extremely popular.
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SEE ALSO: 'SmartBike' rental kiosks to be deployed in Alburquerque
Friday, 18 July 2008
The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal: At a time when gas prices are reaching record highs, the city of Albuquerque, N.M., is negotiating a contract that would make a fleet of hundreds of "SmartBike" bicycles available for rent via self-service kiosks provided by Clear Channel Outdoor. The proposal would make the Albuquerque deployment the largest SmartBike program in the country. Mayor Martin Chávez estimates the project will make between 420 and 600 bicycles available throughout the city, starting next year.
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Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Centre Daily Times: Travelers going through O'Hare International Airport in Chicago now can stop by the Boingo Kiosk to get their computers and cell phones charged up, print color documents for the plane and get online — or get a free pass to get online with their own laptops — while in the airport.
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Tuesday, 17 June 2008
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Delta Air Lines is testing a plan to allow passengers to eliminate one more carry-on item: a paper boarding pass. Starting Tuesday, the Atlanta-based carrier is launching an electronic boarding pass option for passengers on domestic flights out of New York's LaGuardia Airport. Delta plans to launch the electronic boarding pass in Atlanta by the end of the year. It will allow passengers to use Web-enabled mobile phones and devices to check in online. Passengers will download an electronic boarding pass with a bar code that can be scanned at the security checkpoint and boarding gate.
Monday, 02 June 2008
ABC7 (San Francisco, Calif.): A first-of-its kind service for BART public transport riders started recently. You can not only enjoy the ride, you can enjoy a book from the BART library, available right at an automated book lending system. There are 400 fiction and non-fiction books inside the kiosk and all you need is your Contra Costa County library card to access it. You can check out up to three books at a time. You can keep the books for three weeks and then you have to return the books to the kiosk.
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Monday, 21 April 2008
Cheapflights.com: Passengers traveling between China and the U.S. will soon be able to take advantage of self-service check-in kiosks at Shanghai Pudong Airport. The newly opened Terminal 2 building, used by international passengers, has been fitted with 80 Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) units. Northwest Airlines will be the first carrier to offer self-service tickets at the airport, with several other carriers expected to follow suit over the next few months.
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Monday, 18 February 2008
USA Today: All gates at Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub are now equipped for self-boarding. A scanner reads the bar code on the pass and lets passengers walk through a turnstile to board the aircraft. An agent is usually present to deal with only non-routine matters, such as torn or damaged passes. Flights to the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom still board passengers the old-fashioned way, with agents checking identification.
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Monday, 18 February 2008
The (San Jose, Calif.) Mercury News: Train riders at a San Francisco area train station will soon have the Contra Costa County library system at their fingertips. The last station on the East County BART line — through which about 5,000 people travel each weekday — will be one of the first places in the country to carry an automated book-borrowing kiosk. It resembles an ATM, except it holds 400 popular paperback titles instead of cash. Others will be added later at a shopping center in Discovery Bay, a transit village near the Pleasant Hill BART station and a site in West County not yet chosen. The machines will be considered part of the county library system, which will operate and maintain them. The approximately $95,000 for each kiosk is being paid for by grants from the California State Library and Bay Area Library and Information System, and the books for the first machine will be stocked by multimedia supplier Baker & Taylor Inc.
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Wednesday, 06 February 2008
TULSA, Okla. — Alamo Rent A Car is nearing a remarkable milestone: its one millionth kiosk rental. Alamo is hundreds of thousands of kiosk rentals ahead of its competitors, who have adopted Alamo’s strategy to save customers time and make travel more convenient.
“Almost one million customers have skipped the rental counter because self-service eliminates one more hassle from the travel experience — and they’re getting to where they’re going quicker,” said Greg Stubblefield, president of Alamo Rent A Car. “Customers already are comfortable using kiosks to check in for flights, so we created the Alamo kiosk for car rental as a natural progression.”
After successful testing in Dallas, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville, Alamo began installing kiosks throughout its network of rental locations in November 2006. Today, Alamo operates 159 kiosks at 65 U.S. locations in 28 states and the District of Columbia, and it continues to refine the technology and expand the number of kiosk locations. Alamo expects to reach its one millionth kiosk rental within the next few weeks.
Last year, the success and popularity of the kiosks earned Alamo the “Extra Mile Award” from Budget Travel magazine.
Alamo’s touchscreen kiosk allows customers with a valid driver’s license and a major credit card to skip lines at the rental counter and check in directly. After a customer agrees to terms and conditions, a receipt-sized rental agreement is printed at the kiosk, and the customer is directed to their rental car on the lot. At the exit booth, the customer shows the booth agent the rental agreement, driver’s license and credit card — and simply drives away.
The kiosk also allows the customer to review rental information, upgrade to a larger class car, add drivers and purchase optional items such as a GPS unit and prepaid gasoline.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Stuff.co.nz: New Zealand's customs has shelved plans to trial a self-service kiosk at Auckland's airport that would have let frequent fliers re-enter the country without having their passports checked at a manned customs booth. Customs issued a tender for the self-service kiosk trial in March last year, envisaging a kiosk would be used by about 1,000 frequent fliers who had pre-enrolled to take part in the trial. The kiosk was to have been equipped with a scanner capable of checking machine-readable passports, a camera and facial recognition software, and might also have been able to check passengers' fingerprints against prints passengers had provided when they enrolled.
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Monday, 17 December 2007
USA Today: London Heathrow's new Terminal 5, which opens in March, will feature a new car-finding technology that should help passengers who can't remember where they parked. Using infrared cameras and sensors, the system captures an image of a car's license plate as it enters the terminal's main garage. The cameras, which are placed throughout each level of the 3,700-space garage, then take more shots of the car's plate, including one at its parking spot. Passengers who return from their trip can find the car by inserting the parking ticket or keying in the plate number at a Car Finder kiosk in the terminal.
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Thursday, 13 December 2007
CNNMoney.com: Aloha Airlines has chosen IBM to expand its customer service offerings. IBM's self-service systems give travelers more options for using the Web as well as kiosks to check-in without waiting, check baggage and choose amenities such as lounge access and in-flight meals. Additionally, with IBM's solutions, Aloha Air customers will be able to select group check-in, purchase upgrades and manage their frequent flyer accounts. The system allows for the retrieval of passenger records by barcode scan from itinerary or passenger loyalty card.
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Monday, 10 December 2007
Easier Travel: The use of the Icelandair self-service kiosks in Keflavik, Iceland, has increased rapidly. A third of passengers use one of the 18 self-service kiosks to check in. These kiosks were introduced just over a year and a half ago and allow Icelandair passengers to check into all Icelandair destinations and to select seats on the plane.
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Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Aviation Week: Hot trends in airport design include an increase in self-service kiosks, more concessions to deal with longer dwell times and better uses of security space, said Thomas Rossbach, associate vice president and aviation market sector director for HNTB Architecture.
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Tuesday, 20 November 2007
CHICAGO · In an effort to help travelers during the holiday season, United Airlines has added 140 self-service kiosks in the gate areas of some of the busiest airports, so when United automatically rebooks customers who are experiencing delays or cancellations, travelers can print their new boarding passes without having to go through security again.
These kiosks also have United's Easy Rebook software that enables customers to make changes to their itineraries, such as placing themselves on the stand-by list for an earlier flight.
United is also adding more than 78 Easy Bag Claim kiosks in the baggage claim areas of our busiest airports. These kiosks enable customers to scan the barcodes on their baggage claim tags to see exactly where their bag is and to which claim belt it will be delivered.
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
The Financial Express: The International Air Transport Association has released a report which shows that not only are passengers accepting high-tech travel options, but they are demanding even more opportunities to take control of their travel experience. The Association, in its annual Corporate Air Travel Survey of more than 10,000 active travelers, showed that 89 percent of responding travelers preferred e-tickets to paper tickets, 56 percent had experienced Internet check-in and 69 percent has used self-service kiosks.
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Friday, 16 November 2007
Information Week: Air passengers at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport can try out the latest technology during a new Traveler TechFest. The technology on display includes six PowerPort laptop rental, charge, and recharge kiosks, 14 automated Zoomsystem kiosks, 50 Neptune Network Internet Kiosks and seven Samsung display kiosks. The event, which continues through December, features demonstrations, displays, prizes, and freebies from Samsung, Apple, Sony, and Motorola. The Dallas airport says it hosted the event to show that it's one of the most technology-friendly airports in the world.
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Monday, 29 October 2007
Orlando Business Journal: AirTran Airways has introduced a new Mobile Web program that allows customers to view their flight status, check in for flights and select seats using their personal mobile devices and cell phones. When checking in through their mobile devices, customers can obtain printed boarding passes at ByePass kiosks or AirTran ticket counters. AirTran plans to add more capabilities in the future.
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Friday, 19 October 2007
Silicon.com: SITA found on average 21 percent of passengers use online check-in and this is expected to increase to 35 percent by the end of 2008. Passengers also are turning to self-service kiosks to avoid queues with 37 percent of plane travelers expected to use these kiosks during 2007, rising to 49 percent next year. E-ticketing also is becoming the norm with 86 percent of all tickets issued expected to be in this form by the end of 2008.
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Wednesday, 17 October 2007
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Automated drive-through toll booths should be operating at all the ferry terminals by the end of the year, speeding up ticketing and quelling complaints. The booths are part of Washington State Ferries' new $12.8 million electronic fare system, Wave2Go, which lets riders buy tickets online and print them at home or at terminal kiosks.
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Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Express Travel World: Bangalore-based travel services portal Via has announced the launch of kiosks that will allow customers to book bus tickets online. Via claims they are the first such travel kiosk in the country and has plans of operating around 500 such kiosks around high traffic areas in the country.
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Tuesday, 16 October 2007
MIAMI · American Airlines has announced that it continues to see unprecedented growth at Miami International Airport. To accommodate the growing traffic at the Miami hub, American has been working with the Miami-Dade Aviation Department to expedite construction of the North Terminal Project. The recent opening of the South Terminal will allow the closing of Concourse A and for American to operate in Concourses C, D and E.
When the North Terminal project is complete, American will operate from a new, state-of-the-art terminal with 50 international gates, an automated people-mover system, 49 ticket counter positions, 90 self-service check-in devices, 20 staffed self-service baggage check-in positions, a new baggage handling system, and a new Customs facility.
American recently added curbside check-in for international passengers at Miami, the only carrier to offer this service. It also has added 23 new self-service check-in stations and a new security checkpoint at Concourse E to accelerate the flow of traffic within the airport.
Sunday, 14 October 2007
The San Francisco Chronicle: In recent years, the airline boarding pass has gone from a bulky packet of paper you received in the mail to an e-mail that you can print out at home. But the incredible shrinking boarding pass may not be done evolving. Soon, it may become a tiny digital barcode that sits on your cell phone screen. The International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 airlines, said it has taken a step toward allowing passengers to check in for flights using a barcode sent to their cell phones via e-mail or text message, making the process truly paperless.
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Sunday, 14 October 2007
The San Francisco Chronicle: In recent years, the airline boarding pass has gone from a bulky packet of paper you received in the mail to an e-mail that you can print out at home. But the incredible shrinking boarding pass may not be done evolving. Soon, it may become a tiny digital barcode that sits on your cell phone screen. The International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 airlines, said it has taken a step toward allowing passengers to check in for flights using a barcode sent to their cell phones via e-mail or text message, making the process truly paperless.
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Thursday, 11 October 2007
USA Today: In a move that could save air travelers time, more U.S. airports are installing common-use kiosks that enable self-check-in for multiple airlines. Nine U.S. airports now have the devices to supplement or replace the airlines' own self-check-in kiosks. That's up from two airports five years ago. Among the places they can be found: Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Washington Dulles. Airports own the CUSS kiosks and often place them in terminal areas not occupied by an airline. This spreads out travelers away from airline counters, improving the flow of people, says Byford Treanor, an executive at Dallas/Fort Worth. That airport has 51 CUSS kiosks. It plans to buy more.
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Tuesday, 02 October 2007
The Australian: Jetstar Airways has signed a $3 million agreement with IBM Corp. to establish and support the carrier's domestic Web check-in and kiosk solutions. Jetstar and IBM Global Business Services will introduce Internet check-in capability and 32 airport check-in kiosk units during the first implementation phase at Jetstar's major domestic gateway airports.
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Friday, 21 September 2007
PHOENIX, Ariz. · SuperShuttle has introduced a kiosk for its shared-ride ground transportation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Passengers using SuperShuttle transportation will be able to book, confirm and pay for their reservations at the SuperShuttle Kiosk located in the ground transportation area, next to the SuperShuttle service counters.
Other airports in the SuperShuttle system including Dulles and Reagan in the Washington, D.C. area, Denver International, Denver; George Bush International, Houston; Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas; Kansas City International Airport, Kansas City, Mo.; Minneapolis-St. Paul International and Sacramento International in California will all be adding kiosk over the next 10-12 months.
Monday, 17 September 2007
Chicago Tribune: The Transportation Security Administration is working with six airports to provide another option for harried travelers with prohibited items. The Mailsafe Express program allows passengers to mail prohibited items or have them held at the airport for their return without ever leaving the security line. A TSA officer escorts the passenger to an ATM-looking kiosk and puts the prohibited item in an envelope and in the kiosk.
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Friday, 14 September 2007
Smarter Travel: As the automatic doors part, you step into your familiar old airport. Except it's not familiar at all. Gone are the ticket clerks, baggage handlers and other airline personnel you've long depended on to get you and your luggage to your destination. You walk up to a kiosk and check in for your flight by waving your cell phone at a laser, then drop your suitcase into a chute and proceed to security. You're ready to fly and it's only been three minutes, but you haven't interacted with a soul. The fictitious scenario above could become reality if the proposals for Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport come to fruition.
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007
PARIS · The United States' third largest city, Chicago, soon may adopt a rent-a-bike scheme similar to the one launched this summer in Paris, mayor Richard M. Daley said during a recent trip to the French capital.
The mayor, himself a cyclist, said he was "greatly impressed" with the Paris network of self-service bicycles, which has clocked up more than 3.7 million rides since its launch in mid-July.
Following talks with his Paris counterpart, Bertrand Delanoe, Daley said Chicago may launch a similar system "very shortly," though he said his city of three million people was less "cycle-compatible" than Paris.
He also pointed out that advertising giant JC Decaux, which covers the cost of the Paris venture in exchange for exclusive rights to 1,600 advertising locations across the city, already operates a network of billboards in Chicago.
The "Velib" scheme in Paris has 10,000 bicycles at 750 hire points dotted around Paris, with plans for 20,000 bikes at 1,400 hire points by year's end.
Riders can pick up a bike at any time of the day or night, after lodging a 150-euro (210 U.S. dollars) safety deposit. The first half hour is free, with prices rising to one euro (1.4 U.S. dollars) for every extra half hour.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Air Transport World: Air France will pilot a program by year end that will use biometric information encrypted on a small card to enable a passenger to obtain a boarding pass from a kiosk in the terminal and will provide access to a boarding portal.
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Associated Press: A group of taxi drivers launched a two-day strike Wednesday, right in the middle of the New York Fashion Week and the U.S. Open tennis tournament, to protest a city plan to require GPS tracking in cabs. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance called the strike in the nation's largest city to protest new rules requiring all cabs to have global positioning systems and touchscreen monitors that will let passengers pay by credit card. Some cabbies fear the GPS systems could be used to track their movements and that they could get stuck paying hefty fees for credit card processing.
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Learn more about the strike and the drivers' concerns
Friday, 31 August 2007
USA Today: Hertz has introduced a new budget car rental program, "Simply Wheelz," with online booking, self-service rental kiosks and rates starting as low as $15 per weekend day (two-day minimum) and $94 a week. Customers pick up their cars using one-stop rental kiosks, which scan a bar code from the printed Web reservation and also scans the renter's driver's license. The customer selects a few additional options, such as additional drivers and insurance/waiver options, and then the machine assigns a vehicle and prints the rental agreement. The key is in the waiting car.
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Thursday, 30 August 2007
NEW YORK CITY · American Airlines formally unveiled its new terminal at New York JFK Airport this week. The terminal is reportedly the largest construction project the airport has undergone in decades. The 88,600-square-foot lobby has 44 self-service kiosks in a separate area, where a few agents will be stationed to help customers use the machines and check bags. The kiosks can handle both domestic and international flights.
Monday, 27 August 2007
USA Today: Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport can now check in and print their boarding passes when they enter the main parking garage. The service is available for fliers not checking luggage if they're traveling on any of five airlines: Alaska, Continental, Horizon, Northwest and United. It may be expanded to other airlines in the future.
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Tuesday, 21 August 2007
The Hindu (India): For the first time in India, residents can book bus tickets online at kiosks. Conceived and executed by the Bangalore-based travel service company Via, the kiosks offer a host of other services, too, including air ticket booking, car rentals and hotel booking.
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Friday, 17 August 2007
WBKO Bowling Green (Ky.): The San Francisco, Calif., airport is launching a registered traveler program, intended to shorten long lines at security. With the new "clear" service, registered travelers can bypass standard security lines. Members swipe a biometric I.D. card for verification at a kiosk and the card stores their data on a smart chip.
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Tuesday, 07 August 2007
The Charlotte Observer: The screens will be a little bigger, and the color will be a little lighter. Those are among the small changes that travelers who use US Airways' kiosks at Charlotte, N.C.'s airport may notice the next time they check in for a flight. The 30 kiosks · 26 are being replaced, and four are new · have 17-inch screens, compared with the 15-inch screens used now. The kiosks also will come in a lighter blue to match recently painted jets and new uniforms planned for next year, said US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr.
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Friday, 03 August 2007
Travel Daily News: The first common-use self-service airline passenger kiosks deployed in Russia have been delivered by ARINC Inc. The nine check-in kiosks are installed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Passengers on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are already using the new kiosks, and other carriers are expected to join the common-use system in time for the summer travel season.
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Thursday, 02 August 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. · Hertz Corp. says it plans to roll out a new company that puts travelers in the driver's seat.
Simply Wheelz, which will operate under the Hertz brand, offers Web site reservations and a kiosk for car rentals and returns.
According to a news release, Simply Wheelz expected to start accepting online reservations for rentals by Aug. 1 in Orlando, Fla. On Sept. 1, Hertz customers will be able to use kiosks at airports fot book car rentals.
The rental kiosk scans a barcode from the printed Web reservation and scans the renter's driver's license.
Monday, 30 July 2007
Associated Press: A group representing thousands of taxi drivers said Wednesday it will idle cabs in September if the city goes ahead with a plan to require installation of GPS tracking systems. Starting Oct. 1, as the city's 13,000 taxis come up for inspections they must have the GPS equipment along with touchscreen monitors that will let passengers pay by credit card, check on news stories and look up restaurant and entertainment information.
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Thursday, 26 July 2007
WLS-TV (Chicago): Chicago's airports are offering disabled travelers a high-tech option for communicating their needs. A new kiosk now allows travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing to place video phone calls to request services. They also can use it to communicate with friends or family by sign language. Eleven of the kiosks are expected to be installed at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports by next year.
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Friday, 13 July 2007
Fin24 (Africa): South African Airways this week encouraged travelers to book and pay for flights on its website rather than at its ticket kiosks at airports and in big shopping centers. Effective August 1, a service charge of R200 (approximately $28) would be levied on all domestic tickets bought at the airline's ticket outlets.
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Wednesday, 11 July 2007
LONDON · The United Kingdom's Bristol International airport is switching to SITA's AirportConnect common use terminal equipment open IT platform.
According to a news release, the platform includes self-service check-in kiosks designed to handle anywhere from 6 million to 9 million passengers. SITA has reportedly already started work on its five-year, $2 million project, which will bring CUTE to the airport.
The project involves the deployment of 58 CUTE work stations and eight common use self-service check-in kiosks. The kiosks also support Web check-in and are equipped with passport and visa readers.
Monday, 25 June 2007
Canadian Business Online: Fresh out of bankruptcy, Northwest Airlines Corp. says it expects to make $102 million in non-ticket revenue this year from fliers who purchase seat upgrades, one-day airport club passes and more online or through check-in kiosks.
Forecasted revenue is nearly eight times the $13 million Northwest earned from non-ticket items in 2004. "We're just scratching the surface," said Al Lenza, Northwest's vice president of distribution and e-commerce.
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Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Silicon.com: Air travelers have backed biometric security checks after a four-month trial of the passenger screening technology at London's Heathrow airport. Overall, passenger feedback on the trial has been positive with 81 percent rating the service "good" or "excellent" and 87 percent saying the enrolment process was easy. The main benefit cited by those who took part in the trial was faster journey times.
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Friday, 15 June 2007
NEW YORK CITY · Ultimedia USA announced it has received a $300,000 contract from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop a passenger information system.
According to a news release, the system is being developed for the Mineola Intermodal Transportation Center and will include an interactive-kiosk system that assists patrons with information about bus and train schedules. The signage system will be used in a way that resembles flight-information system at airports.
Patrons exiting the trains will be provided bus connection information with large-formatted LCDs.
Ultimedia will manufacture the kiosks.
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
DALLAS · Dallas/Fort Worth International is testing a retail concept that is new to the United States but commonplace in Europe and Asia: a high-end vending machine with something for every kind of traveler. Shop24, a New Zealand company, will install its first airport unit on July 11 at DFW's Terminal A near Gate 29. The 13-foot-wide self-service convenience store will offer more than 200 items, including meals, phone cards, diapers, curling irons, coloring books and umbrellas.
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Mediaweek: ABC's New York flagship WABC-TV, along with partner VeriFone Transportation Systems, is the first vendor to get the green light by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to sell backseat touchscreen monitors to cab owners. Tested by WABC-TV and VeriFone for more than a year, TAXI-TV features advertiser-supported content from WABC's Eyewitness News, the WABC Web site, AccuWeather, ESPN; and restaurant, nightlife, shopping and hotel information from the Zagat Survey.
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Monday, 11 June 2007
Palm Beach (Fla.) Post: Mailing kiosks in TSA security checkpoint lanes allow passengers to mail banned items such as pocket knives, lighters and perfumes to their destination or home, rather than throw these items away or turn them over to TSA officials.
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Friday, 01 June 2007
Internet Travel News: Thai Airways International has launched a new range of passenger self-service functionality using SITA's Integration Platform. The new functionality has reportedly helped the airline cut costs by 30 percent.
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Thursday, 31 May 2007
ATLANTA · US Airways has signed agreements with NCR Corp. to deploy self-service check-in solutions from Kinetics, an NCR subsidiary, at all 107 US Airways locations in the United States and Caribbean.
According to a news release, the deal includes software, 600 replacement kiosks, installation services and a three-year maintenance agreement.
"This is all about continuously improving the travel experience for our customers by providing a self-service check-in that offers ease of use and that will now be on a common platform, system-wide," said US Airways' Joe Beery.
America West, which merged with US Airways in 2005, had installed Kinetics self-check-in systems in 2002. The replacement of the 600 kiosks will begin in mid-June and continue through September.
"US Airways recognizes that self-service technology is an essential component of effective customer service and efficient airline check-in operations," said NCR's vice president for self-service solutions, Mike Webster.
Sunday, 27 May 2007
NEW DELHI (India) · Jet Airways has launched SMS check in for its frequent-flyer passengers following the launch of its mobile-ticketing program.
According to a news release, Jet Airways is the first airline in India to launch this type of self-service check-in solution.
A Jet Privilege member carrying a valid e-ticket can check in with an SMS to have seat numbers instantly assigned and delivered to his mobile phone.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
ZDNet: Korea's Incheon International Airport, voted world's best airport for the last two years, is adding common-use self-service kiosks for passenger check-in. Several airlines will participate as part of a three-year, multi-million dollar investment plan.
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Wednesday, 16 May 2007
San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News: Fliers interested in enrolling in the Clear registered-traveler program no longer have to go to Mineta San Jose International Airport. Mobile enrollment kiosks are now open at Hyatt Regency hotels in Santa Clara, Calif., and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center.
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Monday, 07 May 2007
Timesunion.com: Albany County, N.Y.'s airport authority is considering a program designed to speed frequent fliers through security. Albany International Airport was one of 20 nationwide chosen for a pilot project to register travelers who would get faster processing at security checkpoints in return for undergoing a background check and submitting to fingerprinting and iris scans.
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Wednesday, 02 May 2007
Aviationweek.com: San Francisco International Airport is rolling out the first of 35 Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks in its international terminal. SFO selected the IER 918 kiosks after a year-long competitive trial, during which several vendors supplied machines to be operated in the terminal, said Gerry Alley, manager of common use systems at SFO.
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Wednesday, 02 May 2007
SINGAPORE · ARINC Inc. has won the contract to install common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks for international passengers at Japan's Narita International Airport, Terminal 1.
Under the contract, awarded by airlines of the Narita Terminal 1 North CLUB, ARINC will install 126 CUSS kiosks in Terminal 1 North Wing. The project closely matches the 126 CUSS kiosks ARINC is currently installing for airlines at Terminal 1 South Wing, under a separate contract.
"Our member airlines require a CUSS solution that is flexible to meet all their different system performance requirements, yet remains open and scalable to accommodate future technology and new applications," said Tony Mulholland, chairman of the Narita Terminal 1 North CLUB. "After a thorough evaluation, we selected ARINC's SelfServ CUSS solution. We fully expect it to meet all our performance objectives and to facilitate the efficient sharing of operational costs among our members."
Airlines at Narita Terminal 1 that will share the kiosks include Aeromexico, Air Calin, Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Northwest Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Monday, 30 April 2007
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: US Airways said Thursday it will hire more than 1,000 people, upgrade about 600 check-in kiosks and make other customer-service improvements to ensure passengers' winter of discontent doesn't spill into summer doldrums. The moves, announced along with respectable quarterly earnings, follow winter storms and a reservation-system meltdown that stranded thousands of passengers along the East Coast, especially in Philadelphia and Charlotte.
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Monday, 30 April 2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. · Canada's busiest airport is providing a new level of convenience by installing advanced self-service check-in kiosks for United States-bound travelers departing from Terminal 1. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, says it expects to install 92 new common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks to streamline trans-border passenger operations.
According to a news release, 60 of the new kiosks have been placed in Pier F. The installation was overseen by ARINC Canada and its partner, IBM Canada. Another 32 kiosks are destined for Terminal 3 operations later this year.
The Pier F kiosks are located in a common check-in area and may be shared by as many as 15 airlines.
"The use of kiosks is a major part of Air Canada's multichannel self-service operating strategy, not only at Pearson, but wherever we have access to them. We are very satisfied with the reliability of the new kiosks, and the system is helping significantly with transborder passenger flow," said John Segaert, Air Canada's general manager.
The new units offer 2D barcode printing and scanning to reduce operating costs and handle new applications.
The GTAA has completed a 10-year modernization program and operates an airport-wide Internet-protocol network supporting a range of advanced network and wireless applications for airlines, vendors, airport management and passengers. By 2010 the airport expects to handle more than 35 million passengers a year.
Monday, 30 April 2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. · Canada's busiest airport is providing a new level of convenience by installing advanced self-service check-in kiosks for United States-bound travelers departing from Terminal 1. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, says it expects to install 92 new common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks to streamline trans-border passenger operations.
According to a news release, 60 of the new kiosks have been placed in Pier F. The installation was overseen by ARINC Canada and its partner, IBM Canada. Another 32 kiosks are destined for Terminal 3 operations later this year.
The Pier F kiosks are located in a common check-in area and may be shared by as many as 15 airlines.
"The use of kiosks is a major part of Air Canada's multichannel self-service operating strategy, not only at Pearson, but wherever we have access to them. We are very satisfied with the reliability of the new kiosks, and the system is helping significantly with transborder passenger flow," said John Segaert, Air Canada's general manager.
The new units offer 2D barcode printing and scanning to reduce operating costs and handle new applications.
The GTAA has completed a 10-year modernization program and operates an airport-wide Internet-protocol network supporting a range of advanced network and wireless applications for airlines, vendors, airport management and passengers. By 2010 the airport expects to handle more than 35 million passengers a year.
Monday, 30 April 2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. · Canada's busiest airport is providing a new level of convenience by installing advanced self-service check-in kiosks for United States-bound travelers departing from Terminal 1. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, says it expects to install 92 new common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks to streamline trans-border passenger operations.
According to a news release, 60 of the new kiosks have been placed in Pier F. The installation was overseen by ARINC Canada and its partner, IBM Canada. Another 32 kiosks are destined for Terminal 3 operations later this year.
The Pier F kiosks are located in a common check-in area and may be shared by as many as 15 airlines.
"The use of kiosks is a major part of Air Canada's multichannel self-service operating strategy, not only at Pearson, but wherever we have access to them. We are very satisfied with the reliability of the new kiosks, and the system is helping significantly with transborder passenger flow,"� said John Segaert, Air Canada's general manager.
The new units offer 2D barcode printing and scanning to reduce operating costs and handle new applications.
The GTAA has completed a 10-year modernization program and operates an airport-wide Internet-protocol network supporting a range of advanced network and wireless applications for airlines, vendors, airport management and passengers. By 2010 the airport expects to handle more than 35 million passengers a year.
Monday, 30 April 2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. · Canada's busiest airport is providing a new level of convenience by installing advanced self-service check-in kiosks for United States-bound travelers departing from Terminal 1. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, says it expects to install 92 new common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks to streamline trans-border passenger operations.
According to a news release, 60 of the new kiosks have been placed in Pier F. The installation was overseen by ARINC Canada and its partner, IBM Canada. Another 32 kiosks are destined for Terminal 3 operations later this year.
The Pier F kiosks are located in a common check-in area and may be shared by as many as 15 airlines.
"The use of kiosks is a major part of Air Canada's multichannel self-service operating strategy, not only at Pearson, but wherever we have access to them. We are very satisfied with the reliability of the new kiosks, and the system is helping significantly with transborder passenger flow," said John Segaert, Air Canada's general manager.
The new units offer 2D barcode printing and scanning to reduce operating costs and handle new applications.
The GTAA has completed a 10-year modernization program and operates an airport-wide Internet-protocol network supporting a range of advanced network and wireless applications for airlines, vendors, airport management and passengers. By 2010 the airport expects to handle more than 35 million passengers a year.
Monday, 30 April 2007
ZDnet.co.uk: Barclays has been working on a contactless system for taxis, and now the U.K. bank and Computer Cab have teamed to develop a near-field-communications-payments system for taxis. Passengers can pay for fares by pressing their NFC-equipped credit or debit cards against the readers.
Read more
Friday, 13 April 2007
RFIDupdate.com: British newspaper The Telegraph reports that Manchester Airport, one of the United Kingdom's largest, has just wrapped a six-month passenger tracking trial. The airport used RFID tags to track 50,000 passenger volunteers as they moved throughout the facility with the goal of measuring and improving the efficiency of airport operations.
Read more
Friday, 06 April 2007
Gonomad.com: A company called Verified Identity Pass Inc. pre-screens frequent travelers, issuing a Clear Member's card, which they then scan in the Clear Lane at the airport. Within seconds their fingerprints and iris images are matched to those embedded in their card.
Read more
Wednesday, 04 April 2007
Computerworlduk.com: US Airways has said legacy systems were partly to blame for a glitch in its self-service kiosk system that led to long queues and delayed flights last month.
Read more
Monday, 02 April 2007
KOTAtv.com: Bilingual self-check-in kiosks introduced this month by Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air will allow customers to check in for flights, confirm seating assignments and receive boarding passes in English or Spanish. The 475 check-in kiosks are available at 82 of the 90 airports the airlines serve in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Read more
Thursday, 08 March 2007
The Associated Press: US Airways on March 6 said its operations were returning to normal after computer glitches started shutting down hundreds of check-in kiosks over the weekend. US Airways spokesman Phil Gee said technicians are continuing to fix computer systems in several cities where travelers experienced delays. Meanwhile, the carrier asked its customers to use Web-based check-ins.
Read more
Tuesday, 06 March 2007
Witntv.com: US Airways Group Inc. says it will continue to pull additional ticket agents and ask passengers to use Web-based check-in kiosks. The Arizona-based airline is still fixing malfunctioning check-in kiosks that created long lines and delayed travelers throughout the first weekend of March.
Monday, 05 March 2007
WBT News: A problem with a computerized reservation system caused delays for US Airways passengers March 4, airline officials said. Airline passengers at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport found delays of up to an hour and a half after automated kiosks did not work.
Read more
Friday, 02 March 2007
Mercury News: One month after fast-pass security kiosks opened at San Jose's airport, only about one-third of the Bay Area travelers who have applied to join the program have been cleared to speed through checkpoints. Although the kiosks are averaging about 20 to 25 users a day at Mineta San Jose International, some fliers who applied for the cards when enrollment kiosks opened in October still haven't received them.
Read more
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
MONTREAL · The customs-enrollment center at Montreal's Pierre Trudeau International Airport is open for travelers interested in applying for the NEXUS program.
According to a news release, the passage kiosks are expected to be operational in the coming weeks.
An enrollment center in Toronto opened earlier this month, and expansion to the Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Halifax airports is expected by the end of the year.
NEXUS is a joint initiative of the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that facilitates quick and secure entry into Canada and the United States for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. A NEXUS card can serve as an alternative to a passport when traveling between the United States and Canada by air at designated airports.
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Netindia123.com: Within the next two years train passengers may purchase their journey tickets at vending machines, post offices and petrol pumps, to name a few. The Indian Railway says it soon plans to install 6000 automatic-ticket vending machines in major cities across the country.
Read more
Monday, 26 February 2007
Detroit News: Northwest and other carriers say they plan by year's end to eliminate paper tickets in favor of computer-generated e-tickets. The move is expected to cut ticket-issuance costs from $10 to $1, potentially saving the industry about $3 billion a year. Already, Northwest charges $50 for a hard-copy ticket, to discourage those who cling to the old practice.
Read more
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Saipantribune.com: Continental Micronesia unveiled its enhanced, self-check-in kiosk in a presentation to travel partners at the Continental ticket counter in the Guam International Airport. The enhancements include three new language capabilities: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. The kiosks also allow customers to utilize five other languages: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.
Read more
Monday, 19 February 2007
Cbs4Denver.com: Frontier Airlines has plans to make it possible for passengers to rebook tickets from canceled flights or make future reservations at kiosks in the Denver International Airport. The expectation is to cut down on the number of frustrated passengers who call the airline after canceled or delayed flights because of weather. Frontier plans to add more kiosks as well at the check-in counters.
Read more
Wednesday, 14 February 2007
The Calgary Sun: With an eye to speeding up travel between Canada and the United States, iris-recognition technology will soon take off at Calgary International Airport. The technology will allow travelers to bypass long waits in customs inspection lines by using automated self-serve kiosks that scan their eyes for security clearance.
Read more
Friday, 02 February 2007
TORONTO · Porter Airlines, Canada's newest passenger airline, is offering its customers the convenience of self-service check-in via kiosks from Kinetics, a subsidiary of NCR Corporation.
Porter Airlines has deployed Kinetics TouchPort IIC self-check-in kiosks, featuring a passport reader and barcode imager, in its ticketing area at Toronto City Centre Airport and at the airline's shuttle service departure site. The Kinetics self-service software application allows passengers to access their itinerary, check baggage, swipe their credit card for personal or group check-in and print their boarding pass.
"By deploying a superior self-check-in solution from Kinetics, we are providing our customers with a check-in experience that exemplifies our mission to deliver speed, convenience and exceptional service throughout all aspects of our airline's operations," said Robert Deluce, president and chief executive officer of Porter Airlines.
Kinetics is a provider of self-service technologies for the travel industry, offering hardware, industrial design, engineering, software solutions and maintenance support. The company has deployed thousands of TouchPort units in over 285 airports worldwide.
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
The (Malaysia) Star Online: Malaysia Airlines is deploying self-service check-in kiosks in an effort to comply with the International Air Transport Association's mandate for all air travel to be ticketless by the end of 2007.
Read more
Friday, 15 December 2006
InfoWorld: Commuters in Tokyo are getting a chance to experience some cutting-edge display technology. On three commuter trains some traditional paper advertisements have been replaced with color e-paper displays. The 13.1-inch displays are made by Hitachi Ltd. and are based on Bridgestone Corp.'s "electronic liquid powder" technology. Two such displays are mounted on the carriage walls at either end of each of the three trains. Each display is connected to a smaller unit that contains companion electronics and an 8MB memory module that can hold 37 advertisements. Each advertisement is shown for two minutes in a continuous cycle.
Read more
Thursday, 16 November 2006
Times of Oman: Qatar Airways has launched an instant frequent-flyer enrollment kiosk for new privilege club members at Doha International Airport.
Located in the Qatar Airways Business class lounge at the airport, the kiosk dispenses membership cards within seconds of passengers completing their registration.
Monday, 16 October 2006
ZDNet UK: A new RFID tag has been designed and its inventors claim it could improve airport security by tracking passengers as they mingle in the departure lounge. The plan is to issue every passenger with an RFID tag at check-in so human traffic can be monitored around the airport.
Read more
Friday, 06 October 2006
DUBAI, U.A.E. · Emirates customers will be able to enjoy time savings, convenience and 500 bonus Skywards Miles when they use online or self-service check-in facilities between Oct. 4, 2006, and Nov. 30, 2006.
The promotion also gives large groups the flexibility of being able to check-in up to nine passengers two to 12 hours in advance.
Skywards, the frequent flyer program of Emirates and SriLankan airlines, offers three tiers of membership · Blue, Silver and Gold · with each membership tier providing exclusive privileges.
Gold and Silver members are entitled to wait-list priority for all classes of travel, priority check-in and airport lounge access.
Members earn Skywards miles for each mile they fly on Emirates, Sri Lankan or partner airlines, or when they use the program's designated hotels, car rentals, financial, leisure and lifestyle partners.
Skywards miles can be redeemed for a wide range of rewards, including free tickets on Emirates or SriLankan and other Skywards partner airlines, flights upgrades, hotel accommodation, excursions, and exclusive shopping.
Wednesday, 13 September 2006
Rocky Mountain News: United Airlines says a new service it is testing at Denver International Airport has reduced congestion at check-in areas and trimmed 20 seconds off the time it takes some customers to check bags. The carrier is testing eight kiosks at DIA reserved for travelers who print boarding passes online and need to check luggage once they arrive at the airport.
In the past, those customers had to stand in the same lines as everyone else, diminishing the benefits of checking in ahead of time. But the new kiosks, installed several months ago at DIA and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, have separate baggage lines specifically for passengers who already have their boarding passes.
Read more
Monday, 11 September 2006
Czech Business Weekly: With passenger traffic continuously growing at Prague Ruzyna Airport, modern technologies are set to ensure smooth and speedy check-in.
Letiata Praha, the company that operates the airport, has installed eight self-service check-in kiosks, including one testing kiosk, at its new terminal. By the end of the year, major airlines including British Airways, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss), and Czech Airlines (AŒSA) plan to offer the service to their passengers, said Letiata Praha spokeswoman Veronika Sedlaia�?kovai. German air carrier Lufthansa has installed its own kiosk at the airport in Prague. By using the self-service kiosks, passengers can check in by themselves at the airport.
Read more
Tuesday, 25 April 2006
According to recent research from Venture Development Corporation (VDC), the global market for RFID systems in the transportation vertical reached an estimated $767 million in 2005, with hardware representing approximately 40% of the market. VDC forecasts a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22% through 2010, with revenue shipments projected to approach more than $2 billion within five years.
VDC's transportation vertical market report includes coverage and analysis of RFID systems operating in the following market segments:
- Air transportation/airports;
- General freight trucking/long-distance trucking;
- Line-haul railroads/Inter-modal freight;
- Mail/courier/parcel services;
- Third-party logistics (3PL);
- Transit and passenger transportation (i.e., buses, subways, ski lifts, toll roads); and
- Water transportation (i.e., ocean freight, port facilities, etc.).
Primary applications within these industry sectors include: asset management; baggage handling; electronic toll collection (ETC); real-time location systems (RTLS); security/access control; supply chain management (pallet, case/carton, and item tracking); and transportation ticketing. ETC and rail car tagging are the more established, historic applications for RFID in the transportation vertical; however, the future market will be driven by open-loop applications such as supply chain management, baggage handling, and ticketing.
According to VDC's recent end-user survey of transportation-related organizations, RFID is being investigated as a solution to improve efficiency, traceability and profitability. Surveyed transportation end users specifically cited the following benefits:
- Mandate compliance: Mandates for RFID are cascading throughout the value chain and compliance to those mandates is becoming a critical requirement for logistics service providers. Many are encountering more demand for RFID from their larger accounts due to customer mandates from Wal-Mart, the US DoD, and others;
- Real-time traceability: Couriers and 3rd-party logistics providers are experiencing increased pressure from their customers to provide real-time tracking and near 100% delivery accuracy; and
- Added functionality: New technologies such as thin-film, flexible batteries and printed electronics that enable increased power and range are expected to exert significant influence on both market and application development. In addition, through the convergence of RFID with sensors, solutions can enable the monitoring of 'sensitive' packages (i.e., temperature, shock, humidity) and the storage of additional value-add information on the packages or shipments.
"Over the next 3-5 years, RFID within the transportation industry will remain concentrated in traditional application segments such as electronic toll collection, security/access control, and asset management (i.e., rail car tagging)," says Michael J. Liard, VDC's RFID Director. "Open-loop applications such as supply chain management and baggage handling will increasingly be evaluated, but RFID will not become pervasive until economies of scale are obtained, improvements in performance are achieved, and reliable costs models are developed."
About VDC
Venture Development Corporation (VDC) is an independent technology market research and strategy consulting firm that specializes in a number of retail automation, RFID, AIDC, embedded, component, industrial, and defense markets. VDC has been operating since 1971, when the firm was founded by graduates of the Harvard Business School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, we employ a talented collection of analysts and consultants who offer a rare combination of expertise in the market research process; experience in technology product and program management; and formal training in engineering and marketing. VDC's clients include thousands of the largest and fastest-growing tech suppliers in the world and the most successful investors participating in the markets we cover.
For further information about: "2005-2006 RFID Business Planning Service"
Wednesday, 29 March 2006
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y., and HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., U.S.A. -- Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Companyâ„¢, and Syclo, a global leader in mobile software solutions, today announced that Tube Lines Ltd, a tube maintenance company that works in partnership with the London Underground, has equipped its engineers with more than 200 rugged PPT8800 mobile computers running Syclo's mobile work management solution, across three key London Underground lines.
As part of a massive overhaul and modernization of London's mass transit subway system, Tube Lines sought to create a single source of information from some 500 disparate systems. The end goal was to improve overall maintenance processes and asset performance but the first step required eliminating error-prone paper work orders and the resultant work backlog.
Syclo was selected to create mobile applications that would support workers in more than 15 asset areas, such as rolling stock, tracks, signals and premises. Using its Agentry platform, Syclo configured its widely deployed SMART Suite of mobile products for asset maintenance to create a seamless means for technicians to access and update critical asset information in order to provide managers with a 360-degree view of asset performance.
"The mobile solution has made an enormous impact on several areas of the business within fleet; but the biggest benefit would be that of front line management being able to focus on managing staff performance and maintenance planning rather than spending so much time in front of a computer inputting data," said Steve Lammin, depot manager, Tube Lines. "Another advantage is with budgets and operating functions. As we roll out additional mobile applications, we are now able to see a more accurate picture of what is spent · in terms of time and spare parts · on each work order and planned maintenance function. This is critical knowledge."
Symbol PPT8800 mobile computers were selected with the support of rail union GMB because they matched Tube Lines requirements for a ruggedized and easy-to-use handheld. Of the 210 PPT8800 mobile computers, 60 were supplied to two main end-of-line depots with one device supplied per work group and the remaining 150 across smaller locations. The aim of the project was to modernize the London Underground infrastructure through an aggressive capital investment and asset maintenance program.
"Using Symbol's PPT8800 mobile computers with Syclo's software has dramatically improved the productivity and efficiency of our workers by giving them instant access to high quality data" said Martyn Capes, project manager, Tube Lines. "Real time data upload and download allows engineers to view what work had previously been performed on a track or a carriage giving the complete work background. We are able to track virtually every asset which has improved our visibility of activities, and in turn has improved regulatory compliance."
Field engineers can now access mission-critical, real-time applications improving worker productivity and the overall efficacy of the asset management process. Work commenced in November 2004 and was rolled out over a six month period. The implementation was a joint effort involving Symbol's Premier Solution Partner, PEAK Technologies, who supplied the device provisioning, site surveys, and WiFi deployment services; Syclo's professional services team; and Tube Lines systems administrators and project managers.
"Tube Lines' mobile investment demonstrates the kind of knowledge management critical to developing London's transport infrastructure for the 2012 Olympics and beyond," said Marco Landi, marketing director, Symbol Technologies EMEA.
Tube Lines had been reliant on a paper-based system to submit tasks and urgent work. However, the process was incredibly slow and routinely delayed work for more than three weeks from the moment it was filed until it was actioned. With the introduction of the new mobile solution, field workers and service engineers are able to utilize real-time data entry to close off orders that transformed a previous 24-day process to one that was completed in 24 hours.
"The mobile software component eased the change management process for our front-line workforces, who were faced with a new set of work management systems as part of the complete asset management overhaul," Capes continued. "The result of the mobile software was rapid end user adoption, more data available for technicians and improved data for managers."
"Our development team worked closely with Tube Lines senior management to configure an application that would be both easy to use and deliver valuable data to asset managers," said Marc Chesover, director of Syclo's EMEA Operations. "The solution provides skilled technicians access to information that had never before been available at the point of performance, including detailed job plans, equipment repair history and failure information."
Tube Lines users will send and receive updates in real-time using a wireless connection in depot. In case of the absence of wireless connectivity, Syclo also supports full offline computing, so workers can work without interruption regardless of network availability. In addition to viewing maps with Mobile GIS and MSS, the solution also enables users to take photographs with their Symbol mobile computers and attach them to work orders and upload them to the appropriate databases.
Tube Lines is actively trialling Symbol's MC50 and MC70 Enterprise Digital Assistants (EDA) with their asset managers and senior staff, and are looking to utilize GPRS communications to increase system flexibility. They are also working with Symbol and Syclo to identify areas of the business that could benefit from the deployment of RFID technology. There are also plans, brought in since the July terrorist attacks in London, to introduce biometric swipe card tracking software of all personnel for safety and security reasons.
Tube Lines is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) formed in the UK responsible for maintaining and modernizing the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground system which amounts to a third of its infrastructure.
About Symbol Technologies
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Companyâ„¢, is a recognized worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for the world's leading companies. www.symbol.com
About Syclo
Syclo is a leading developer of mobile solutions that streamline workflow and maximize productivity. Building on its flagship development platform Agentry, Syclo offers fully configurable mobile applications that run on a variety of devices and support real-time wireless or offline computing. Syclo's SMART Suite, the most widely deployed solution for enterprise asset management, includes pre-packaged and pre-integrated applications for maintenance and field service teams. Syclo and its partners utilize Agentry to design, develop and integrate mobile solutions on-time and within budget. Over 500 Global 2000 corporations across industries have deployed Syclo's solutions. For more information, visit www.syclo.com, or email .
About Tube Lines
Tube Lines performs the ongoing maintenance, platform up keep and asset management of the track, signals, stations and trains. Tube Lines also takes care of train carriage rotation and an aggressive maintenance schedule with regular out of hours testing. It is the first company in the UK to deploy mobile technology in a rail asset management environment. www.tubelines.com
Thursday, 23 February 2006
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Island Air, Hawaii's leading regional airline carrier, has launched a Web check-in solution and self-check-in kiosks from Kinetics, a subsidiary of NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), designed to provide a quick and convenient travel experience to its passengers.
"Kinetics' solutions provide Island Air's customers with an even smoother, more efficient way to fly," said Theresa Heinz, vice president of Kinetics. "With Kinetics' technology, passengers can travel with the confidence that they have the industry's most developed self-service check-in solutions to speed them through the airport and on to their flights."
Beginning this month, Island Air will install Kinetics TouchPort II C self-check-in kiosks initially at its Honolulu International Airport curbside and check-in counter, and then at its Kahului Airport and Kona International Airport terminals. With the TouchPort II C kiosks, passengers can access their itinerary, check-in, check luggage and print their boarding pass by using a credit card.
The Web check-in solution was also launched this month on Island Air's Web site, allowing passengers to check-in and print their boarding passes online.
"We're very excited about introducing 'Island Express' services to our passengers," said Island Air CEO Rob Mauracher. "Home check-in on the Web and self-serve kiosks are another example of our efforts to make travel easy and convenient for our customers."
About Island Air
Island Air is Hawaii 's leading regional carrier, serving more destinations in Hawaii than any other airline. Island Air now offers 92 daily flights to the islands of Oahu (Honolulu International Airport), Molokai (Hoolehua Airport), Lanai (Lanai City Airport), Maui (Kahului Airport and West-Maui's Kapalua Airport), Kauai (Lihue Airport), and the Island of Hawaii (Kona International Airport and Hilo International Airport).
About Kinetics
Kinetics, a subsidiary of NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), is a leading provider of enterprise and self-service technologies to today's travel industry and is the architect of the modern airline self-service era. Kinetics, based in Lake Mary , Fla. , produces hardware and software solutions, as well as engineering, developmental and preventive maintenance services designed to help businesses capture more revenue, expand distribution channels and enhance customer service. Kinetics technologies support all consumer channels, including kiosks, Web, PDAs, cell phones and phones (natural speech recognition). For more information, go to www.kineticsusa.com
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading global technology company helping businesses build stronger relationships with their customers. NCR's Teradata (r) data warehouses, ATMs, retail systems, self-service solutions and IT services provide Relationship Technology (tm) that maximizes the value of customer interactions and helps organizations create a stronger competitive position. Based in Dayton , Ohio , NCR (www.ncr.com) employs approximately 28,200 people worldwide.
NCR, NCR EasyPoint, NCR FastLane, NCR RealPOS, NCR RealPrice, NCR RealScan, NCR RealSolutions and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.
For further information:
Emily Ramsland
NCR Corporation
770-623-7874
emily.ramsland@ncr.com
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