ticu

How does the paperless boarding pass thing works in USA and Canada?

What do you show the security guys when you go through security?

A pdf copy of the boarding pass on an Ipad is enough?

Please share your experiences. My interest is to use the service in Miami. Anyone with Miami experience, please share.
Thanks

bocastephen

These are designed to be used on smartphones, not iPads - the airline will give you the option of displaying a mobile boarding pass, usually by an email link that you click. It's not a PDF copy.

UnitedFlyGuy

Hi ticu,

The paperless boarding pass is easy to do. I use it on my iphone frequently--It is designed to work on a mobile phone device, the ipad wouldn't work. Also - Make sure it is a paperless boarding document from the airline. Not just any PDF of a confirmation, etc. will work. For example, when I check in to a UA, DL, etc. flight, I have the option of printing a pass or being emailed a mobile boarding pass. You're airline should have the same option basically. You should confirm with them if they do mobile boarding passes and at which airports. Not every airport accepts them.

alanh

Specifically, the mobile boarding pass isn't just a PDF copy of the normal one. It's a 2d barcode that the TSA and gate agents have a scanner for. You need to show the airport personnel this barcode on your phone.

As far as I know there's no specific reason it won't work on any device that can display graphics, though a full-sized laptop would be pretty awkward.

CPRich

Actually, you don't show the airport personnel the barcode. There is a reader. You pull up on your phone the bar code and place it in front of the reader. The agent has a display which confirms that your bar code has been read, and displays your name and flight number/time. The agent compares that name to the government-issued ID you have handed over, to verify your identify.

Using an iPad to open the email/link, and resizing the barcode to fit in the window of the reader (which is roughly the size/shape of a current mobile phone), should certainly work.

BearX220

With an Android phone you risk having your phone battery run down before your travel day is complete. I've done the paperless thing a few times but always run off a paper backup for this reason, which of course renders the whole thing pointless.

ticu

It actually worked fine on both an Ipad and an Ipod-Touch.
The TSA scanner is different of the one at the gate but if the scanning at the gate fails they will print you a paper copy on the spot. My concern was with the TSA as once you are admited in the sterile zone , they will let you board the flight even if you have no boarding pass, like i just said before.
I flew with my wife so we had to use two different devices (even though I believe they would have admited both of us on the same device)

ralfp

Well, one could make a PDF of the mobile BP (I've done this). However, your point is correct and important; a PDF of a normal BP will not work. Mobile BPs are "special".

I use an iPad for these all the time. The only problem I have is with the CO gate readers, which don't have enough room for the iPad if the barcode is centered on the screen (the HTML version has the barcode in the corner, so it works fine).

I've even used a Netbook for mobile BPs without problems.

One thing I always do is get a screen shot (center + power buttons on iOS devices) of the mobile BP so that I don't need an internet connection to display it.

travelmad478

That's a risk with any phone, and one of the reasons I don't bother with mobile-phone boarding passes. The other reason is that the few times I've used them, it's generally more of a hassle to get my phone out, find the relevant e-mail, click on it, and then (inevitably) have my phone screen go black just before I get to the agent so that I need to unlock it to show it to him/her. This takes two hands, so now I've got to put my stuff down, fumble with my ID...it's just a PITA. Paper works just fine and it's easier.

gobluetwo

Many phones let you do screen captures or save the page for offline viewing. Or you can even just leave the tab with your BP up so you can easily access it when approaching the line. I usually pull up the BP as I'm walking from my car or taxi to the line. If your phone goes to sleep and locks that quickly, I would suggest changing the settings.

Also, I have my mobile BP sent to a dedicated "travel-related stuff" account (airlines, hotels, award wallet, etc) which gets far fewer emails than my work or other personal accounts. Makes it easy to find and also easy to access on my BB.

I use mobile BP whenever possible and have very rarely had any issues. I can only remember 1 out of at least 70 flights using mobile BP where the scanner (at security) didn't work and I had to go back to get a paper copy. Occasionally, I'll have to wait a little bit while the doc checker turns on the scanner and it warms up, but that's also the exception. I'm a big believer in mobile BPs and will continue to use them. But to each his own.

ticu

This is correct...A screenshot works just fine. Actually what you get from the airline is also a picture (a GIF file with the QR - matrix- code and your boarding info ) that they instruct you to save it to your "gallery". At least this happened with Amarican Airlines , but probably the system is kind of standard for all the airlines ...
I will use the mobile BP's instead of the paper ones whenever I will be able to.

RobbieRunner

Agreed. I've used mobile boarding passes and have the same complaint. It's generally a hassle. I prefer paper. But to each their own. If you have never tried it, it certainly does work, as long as you can, as trvelmad says, find the email, click on the link, get it to come up on screen and stay up on screen until scanned. One more thing I have to worry about in the already complicated world of TSA. So I just do paper.

Steve M

The recent versions of the CO/UA iPhone application allow you to store mobile boarding passes in the app, so you don't need to use the browser or the Internet at the airport. As soon as you check in, you can go to the mobile app and download the mobile boarding pass, and not need any data connection past that point (although there is a "refresh" option if you need to update it, for example if an upgrade comes through and your seat assignment changes).

gglave

You do in Canada. They security personnel scan your bar code at security, to make sure you're going to the right place. They'll also often inform you of flight delays or your gate or similar.

They will scan a smart phone, but it's often a fiddle.

wanderlustoz

Yes the screen capture is the way to go, so you don't have to reload the image, or depend on a potentially (nonexistent) data connection.