Airports are fitted by arrays of technology to help ease up the check-in at the airport. This is necessary as the number of passengers are increasing and due to the security arrangement, addition checks are necessary.
It had been the tradition to use paper tickets. It was not without disadvantages. For a passenger, the worst night mare will happen if he loss the ticket. It will be almost impossible to continue your journey on time.
The problems is more for the airlines. The tickets are like a signed checks (cheques) waiting to be cashed. That mean the airlines have to treat it like cash and keep it under security lock. The printing itself was costly.
In 2007, IATA imposed the project of e-ticket on all members. Since IATA members control a very high proportion of the travellers, itbecame the norm. Within a short period of about 1 year, all members complied. Now passengers are no longer provided by the paper ticket, the print of the tickets had stopped, the security problems for airlines are solved. The passengers do not have to worry about losing his ticket.
The Online self check in is another facilities offered, leveraging on the technology of the internet. Now you do not have to be too early at the airport. However, please make sure you are onboard as the ticket is considered consumed.
The latest project by IATA is the CUSS, or Common User Self Service. It is the system to allow passenger to check in himself at the airport. It is common user as airlines share the check in machines.
Facilities have improved a lot at the airports. It will take time for general public to be comfortable with them. In the mean time, you may see some issues and problems faced both by the airlines and the passengers in managing the transition.
