BEAT CHECK-IN BLUES

Automating one of travel’s stress points

FREQUENT FLYERS will know that the stress starts long before takeoff: when does check-in open? What is my booking code? Will I get an aisle or window seat? Airlinecheckins.com promises to solve this problem once and for all by automatically checking in travellers for more than 100 airlines worldwide.

Launched with the promise ‘Never check in to a flight again’, the service is free (for now, anyway). It was tested last year on a small scale as a prototype. Based on that it was further developed and is now up and running.

“Checking into a flight 24 hours in advance while packing, wrapping up work, planning your itinerary and more adds another level of stress to the air travel experience,” says Holger Schneider, managing director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, where the programme originates. That stress is particularly acute for those who travel often such as business travellers or families with multiple passengers, he adds.

After registering on the website, you can store your seating preference in your customer profile. You’re then automatically checked in for all flights booked using your personal e-mail address from Airlinecheckins.com.

As the first industry-wide solution, it manages check-in for all airlines in the world that offer online check-in. The check-in takes place in the first few minutes after the online check-in opens for the airline involved, increasing the likelihood that travellers will get their preferred seat. Travellers automatically receive their boarding pass by e-mail or SMS. In the initial test phase, the system was used by 5 000 travellers from 60 countries. In 2016, a total of more than 10 000 check-in requests were processed.

Subsequent updates implemented in advance of the launch include:  The ability to specify fellow passengers in a profile to ensure smooth check-in for multiple travellers.  Frequent flyer information will also be taken into account at check-in.  Identification documents can be managed within user profiles to simplify check-in on international flights.  A new flight overview showing upcoming and past flights provides a clear summary of the passenger’s own travel activities.

The programme is being viewed as a starting point for a platform for travel-related services. “Online check-in for an airline is a strategically important customer touchpoint in the travel chain. Customised offers for activities at the destination or for the airport transfer could follow from this,”says Gleb Tritus, director of Venture Development and member of the management board at the Lufthansa Innovation Hub.

The second test phase has already shown demand for a crossairline check-in service. The focus now is to explore direct-tocustomer business such as destination-related services; for example rental cars, hotels or activities.