The basic premise is that we've separated check-in from bag check. Check in occurs at the kiosk (there's lots of them scattered throughout the lobby - not attached to the counter, just sitting out in the middle of the lobby or in the skybridges on the way into the terminal). If you have bags to check after you're done with check-in, you continue to step #2 where an agent uses a touch screen app to scan the barcode on your BP, verify that you want to check the number of bags you indicated at check-in, then just hits a 'process' button. The bags tags come out, the agent puts them on the bags (after the customer puts the bags on the belt - very slick), and off they go with the push of a button.

If you don't have bags to check, you just bypass step #2 and go to the gate. If you've checked in online and have bags to check, you skip step #1 and go straight to step #2.

It's not perfect, but I'm proud of it - it's pretty smooth and will do wonders for SEA. They're working with the port now since they'll have to gut out the current counter area (it requires a very DEEP lobby to work properly). We do it at LAX with a much shallower lobby, but it doesn't flow nearly as well. Basically, you need to be able to walk through it (step #1, #2, then gate) instead of walking into it, then veering left or right.

It's great, and really cuts down on bottlenecks.