THE CONFIDENT TRAVELLER
FREQUENT FLYERS will know that the stress starts long before take-
off: when does check-in open? What is my booking code? Will I
get an aisle or window seat? AirlineCheckins.com promises to solve
this problem once and for all by automatically checking in travellers
for more than 100 airlines worldwide.
Launched with the promise ‘Never check in to a flight again’,
the service is free (for now, anyway). It was tested last year on a
small scale as a prototype. Based on that it was further developed
and is now up and running.
“Checking into a flight 24 hours in advance while packing,
wrapping up work, planning your itinerary and more adds another
level of stress to the air travel experience,” says Holger Schneider,
managing director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, where the
programme originates. That stress is particularly acute for those
who travel often such as business travellers or families with
multiple passengers, he adds.
After registering on the website, you can store your seating
preference in your customer profile. You’re then automatically
checked in for all flights booked using your personal e-mail
address from AirlineCheckins.com.
As the first industry-wide solution, it manages check-in for
all airlines in the world that offer online check-in. The check-in
takes place in the first few minutes after the online check-in
opens for the airline involved, increasing the likelihood that
travellers will get their preferred seat. Travellers automaticallyBEAT CHECK-IN BLUES Automating one of travel’s stress points
receive their boarding pass by e-mail or SMS. In the initial test
phase, the system was used by 5 000 travellers from 60 countries.
In 2016, a total of more than 10 000 check-in requests were
processed.
Subsequent updates implemented in advance of the launch
include:
The ability to specify fellow passengers in a profile to ensure
smooth check-in for multiple travellers.
Frequent flyer information will also be taken into account at
check-in.
Identification documents can be managed within user profiles
to simplify check-in on international flights.
A new flight overview showing upcoming and past flights pro-
vides a clear summary of the passenger’s own travel activities.
The programme is being viewed as a starting point for a platform
for travel-related services. “Online check-in for an airline is a stra-
tegically important customer touchpoint in the travel chain.
Customised offers for activities at the destination or for the air-
port transfer could follow from this,”says Gleb Tritus, director of
Venture Development and member of the management board at
the Lufthansa Innovation Hub.
The second test phase has already shown demand for a cross-
airline check-in service. The focus now is to explore direct-to-
customer business such as destination-related services; for
example rental cars, hotels or activities. PM