SAA pleased with online check-in

1676

The facility is well received by travellers too, says the airline.Its new online check-in facility has been well received by travellers who see it as a way to cut back on the ever-growing hassle associated with air travel, says South African Airways (SAA).

The state airline introduced online check-in earlier this year.

SAA CIO Mike Re says customers are avoiding potentially long queuing times by using the Internet option.

“The facility is also fully integrated with the self-service kiosks available at various domestic airports,” he adds. Specially provided baggage drop-off facilities and counters serving those using the self-service option have also been introduced.

Some destinations served by SAA, such as London and Frankfurt, now also allow customers to print a boarding pass on a standard A4 page that includes a two-dimensional bar code that can be recognised by scanners in use there.

For now, 2D scanning is not available in Johannesburg, but travellers can check in online and then use the self-service check-in kiosks at the airport to print a boarding pass.

Domestically, self-help kiosks are available in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.

Online check-in and self-service facilities form part of an International Airline Association initiative aimed at simplifying air travel. Also included in this drive are e-ticketing, bar-coded boarding passes, e-freight and radio frequency baggage tagging.

Related stories:
Pay on the go for Mango
Increased airline security adds to IT bill
Baggage theft punishes airlines