Lufthansa’s million reasons to go paperless

The German carrier marked a milestone in paperless travel, issuing its millionth mobile bar coded boarding pass in October. Lufthansa first started offering passengers mobile BCBP in April 2008. “The pick-up in just a year and a half is phenomenal,” said Eric Léopold, BCBP Project Manager. “The passenger interest has beat all expectations and reflects the added convenience of not having to print out a boarding pass.”

Passengers receive the IATA standard 2D barcodes on their mobile phones. They can then present their phone at security, the boarding gate and when they enter the plane.

Security checkpoints at airports have transitioned smoothly to acceptance of mobile BCBP – in fact, these electronic boarding passes offer better security than their magnetic stripe equivalents, as security officials can scan the barcodes to verify their authenticity.

The IATA standard for mobile BCBP was adopted by the Joint Passenger Services Conference in October 2007 and published in June 2008. For more information on the project, visit www.iata.org/bcbp.

Global BCBP capability increases; are we ready for 100% in 2010?

Global bar coded boarding pass capability now stands at 80% as airlines and airports gear up for next year’s 100% mandate. Several airlines and airports are already at 100% BCBP, saving money in a time of crisis and offering passengers better service. Both Sydney and Mauritius airports are now platinum – meaning that magnetic stripe boarding passes are now a thing of the past at these locations.

IATA recently conducted a campaign, engaging 175 airlines around the world to understand the end 2009 and end 2010 BCBP forecast. The campaign demonstrated that airlines are ready to achieve 100% BCBP and industry savings of US$1.5 billion every year. Complete results of the campaign, including forecast numbers and gaps by region, are available here.