Self Boarding Gates at Airports

Over the past 15 years, the use of technology has increased at airports that has changed the flying experience from what it use to be. We now today use many self service features that use to be done be customer service agents.

• We make our own reservations online 
• We print our own boarding passes at home, at the airport using self service kiosks, or we use our phone
• We print and tag our checked baggage either at home or at the airport

While this seems totally normal now, it has only been made possible with advances in technology. But when it comes time to board the plane at the gate, we still have a gate agent there that scans our boarding pass and allows us to board the aircraft at most airports in the United States. This is one aspect that is still not "self service". But have airlines tried out self board gate in the United States? The answer is yes.

Continental Airlines (which has since merged with United Airlines with the airline using the "United" name) was the first US airline to test self boarding gates in 2010. They did this at their hub at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The airline said "the self-service boarding gate allows our agents to focus on giving individual attention to customers who need extra assistance, thereby facilitating flights departing the gate on time."

The advantages seen were that passengers could board faster, more efficiently with the potential for airlines to save money. However, over the past 7 years, we have not seen Continental (now United) Airlines expand this service at Houston on a wide scale basis or at other airports.

A YouTube user filmed a short video explaining these gates in 2013.

Delta Air Lines then started testing self boarding gates at Atlanta and Las Vegas back in 2012. Mary Tabacchi, a professor who teaches airline management at Cornell University said "We're into the age of speed. We're into the age of trusting technology, airlines will find it a very useful tool." However, airline unions were afraid that self boarding gates would risk the jobs of airline gate agents. Other airlines like American Airlines have also tested this technology.

The largest installation of self boarding gates has been at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in 2014. The airport installed 14 gates with the capabilities of self boarding. Airlines that use those gates have the choice of whether or not to allow passengers to self board. The airport received positive reviews from passengers and airlines, but has not installed this technology through out the airport.

Some airlines like Southwest Airlines have stated that they do not plan to test or use self boarding gates anytime soon. This is because they say the boarding process to could be the first time a customer interacts with an employee, and that is a moment they can use to build a relationship with the customer. To this day, their has not been any major airline in the United States that in decided to implement self boarding gates on a wide scale basis.

In 2012, in Europe and Asia, however, 17 airlines had already been using this technology. And just recently, British Airways announced that they will be the first UK Airline to implement self boarding gates, and will do so on a wide scale basis over the next few months at London Heathrow International Airport. They are taking this technology even further and will add facial recognition technology to the process to add further security.

"A digital facial scan of the customer is recorded when they travel through security, and when they arrive at the gate, their face is matched with this representation when they present their boarding pass – allowing them to board the aircraft. Safety and security is at the core of the biometric facial recognition technology, and British Airways’ equipment is more advanced than alternative systems currently used by other airlines and airports."

This opens up questions on whether it is an innovation of privacy to have airlines taking photos of you twice.

The questions I was left with are theses:

• Will airlines in the United States finally implement this technology like British Airways?
• Would you prefer to use self boarding gates? Or are you indifferent?
• Would you fill comfortable with airlines using facial recognition technology?

http://www.airportimprovement.com/article/self-boarding-gates-garner-positive-reviews-mccarran-intl
http://www.startribune.com/delta-tests-turnstile-to-automate-boarding/160326795/
http://www.chron.com/business/article/Continental-tests-self-boarding-gates-at-Bush-1566483.php
http://www.traveldailymedia.com/249138/ba-first-airline-to-launch-self-service-boarding-gates/