Newsstand - Airlines develops electronic board cards

http://www.travelbite.co.uk/flights/airlines-developing-electronic-boarding-cards-$8154394.htm

A group of airlines is developing technology to create a new generation of electronic boarding cards.

The oneworld alliance - which includes British Airways, Aer Lingus, and American Airlines - is looking at new bar-code technology for boarding cards with the aim of providing passengers with better customer service.

The bar-code boarding passes will replace the existing magnetic stripe systems that rely on traditional paper tickets.

This is a really confusing article. It says "electronic boarding cards" - I assumed that meant some kind of electronic device with a digital display or something like that (which seems extremely expensive) - but then it goes on to talk about bar codes.

Bar codes don't really count as "electronic boarding cards" if you ask me.