Mobile Boarding Passes?
Dec 29, 2011, 2:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 22
Mobile Boarding Passes?
Anyone know if Southwest is planning on starting to take boarding passes from cell phones like some of the other airlines are starting to do?
Seems like it would be a great enhancement if they started doing that.
Seems like it would be a great enhancement if they started doing that.
Dec 30, 2011, 12:47 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: USA
Programs: AC SE100K, F9 100k, NK Gold, UA *S, Hyatt Glob, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 5,187
not going to happen.
have you ever seen 137 people walk by one tsa screener in 10 minutes? let alone a screener with that many people with various screen size cell phones.
I saw a continental gate at CLE having the toughest time with those scanners. they had to guess how to operate many users' cell phones in order to resize/zoom in on the barcode to scan. many times, after holding up the line for a few minues, they were unsuccessful and sent back to the ticketing agent for a reprint.
have you ever seen 137 people walk by one tsa screener in 10 minutes? let alone a screener with that many people with various screen size cell phones.
I saw a continental gate at CLE having the toughest time with those scanners. they had to guess how to operate many users' cell phones in order to resize/zoom in on the barcode to scan. many times, after holding up the line for a few minues, they were unsuccessful and sent back to the ticketing agent for a reprint.
Dec 30, 2011, 4:29 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
I have seen this go haywire a couple of times in Seattle. The TSA agent was not able to scan the phone, so he sent them back out....after they had waited in line, they had to do it all over again. One guy was a complete jerk about it, knocking over the ropes as he went under them.
I personally will always print my boarding pass for that reason alone. I never want to be sent away, only to return and have to stand in line again.
I personally will always print my boarding pass for that reason alone. I never want to be sent away, only to return and have to stand in line again.
Dec 30, 2011, 4:50 am
#6
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: spg (Plt) Hilton (gold) Marriott (silver) WN (CP & A-listerP) Delta Silver AA gold
Posts: 101
I use the cell phone boarding pass all the time on AA. Works both at TSA and gate. In MCO last week the TSA lane that I selected didn't have a digital reader so the TSA agent went to another lane and read it.
It is the way of the future. I hope SWA gets with the progam. Makes my life much easier.
It is the way of the future. I hope SWA gets with the progam. Makes my life much easier.
Dec 30, 2011, 7:48 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NJ
Programs: Avis Preferred, Hertz #1 Gold, National Exective, United Premier Silver
Posts: 1,363
I use the cell phone boarding pass all the time on AA. Works both at TSA and gate. In MCO last week the TSA lane that I selected didn't have a digital reader so the TSA agent went to another lane and read it.
It is the way of the future. I hope SWA gets with the progam. Makes my life much easier.
It is the way of the future. I hope SWA gets with the progam. Makes my life much easier.
I use the mobile BP all the time on UA/CO, and have never had an issue with a scanner being able to read the barcode. In fact the airlines app saves the BP on your device, opposed to having to open it in your browser, and hope you have reception at the gate. I think the biggest problem with reading the barcode is that people's brigtness is turned down low. You almost need it set at 100% to be read.
Dec 30, 2011, 6:39 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,963
At first I was dubious about how well a scanner could read a mobile-phone's screen, but I've been using the Starbucks Mobile app for ~9 mos now on a couple of different Android phones and it's worked every time, so maybe it's near-universally feasible after all?
Dec 30, 2011, 8:01 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Houston (HOU/IAH)
Programs: WN, UA, DL, AA, Chase UR, Amex MR
Posts: 2,267
My only experience with mobile BPs was on a CO flight last winter. TSA was having some issue with the scanner at their checkpoint and basically kicking out anybody with a mobile BP and ordering them to come back with paper copies. Thankfully, I had chosen to use a paper BP and got through without issue. Granted, that wasn't CO's fault (at least, I'm assuming it wasn't on their end) but I would like to remove any chance of there being an issue at times like that. That said, WN needs to offer it as an option for those who are comfortable with it.
Dec 31, 2011, 8:23 am
#11
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: WN peon (was A+), IHG Plat Hilton HHonors Gold DL SkyPesos PM (still a peon) US Chmn, Hawaiian Haole
Posts: 1,166
I used it routinely on Delta. I print out a backup paper BP just in case, but have never had to use the paper one at any airport where TSA has the scanners. I also make sure I refresh the screen just prior to getting to the checkpoint. Not all Delta gates have the scanners, but I also use it to board at those gates where Delta has a scanner.
Dec 31, 2011, 2:41 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,185
On topic though - It would be nice for WN to get mobile boarding passes. I use them rarely but when I do I always wish I had the possibility for a mobile boarding pass.
Jan 2, 2012, 4:43 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: LAX
Programs: WN A-List
Posts: 1,020
Well, for one thing they scribble on paper boarding passes to indicate that they've checked it against your ID. I guess the scanning of the BP is what they do for mobile BP's? Since TSA's policies aren't standardized I could just see them causing problems until they are commonplace. I've never actually seen somebody use one out in the wild.
Jan 2, 2012, 5:18 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,459
That scribble or stamp is not needed for anything. Consider the person who transfers to another flight with a different boarding pass within security.
Jan 3, 2012, 8:04 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Mobile boarding passes? The paper ones are not immobile. They are real easy to move around.
(Please, no posts about how stupid I am. It's a joke.)
If we are talking about electronic boarding passes, then the language works.
I am reminded of a friend that gave his dad a battery powered screwdriver. His dad wanted to know what it was. "It's a cordless screwdriver." Dad's answer, "So, whats the big deal, none of my old screwdrivers have cords."
(Please, no posts about how stupid I am. It's a joke.)
If we are talking about electronic boarding passes, then the language works.
I am reminded of a friend that gave his dad a battery powered screwdriver. His dad wanted to know what it was. "It's a cordless screwdriver." Dad's answer, "So, whats the big deal, none of my old screwdrivers have cords."