Consultant Says Idea Is Good, But Implementation Needs
Work
On November 13, 2008, American Airlines offered a mobile
boarding pass option for a select group of flights. Travelers would
have the option of showing their boarding pass barcode on their
mobile device to TSA personnel at security and to airline personnel
at the gate in lieu of a paper boarding pass printed at check
in.
Gavin Lew, Managing Director at User Centric, a Chicago-based
user experience consulting firm, tried this new process within days
of the initial launch. "Mobile boarding passes represent the
potential of improved convenience, but the user experience is not
yet perfect," says Lew, who tried the mobile boarding pass because
he is a heavy mobile user and a frequent traveler.
The online check-in process begins with a normal login to the
AA.com site but the traveler now has three options for their
boarding pass: print, print later, or using the mobile pass.
Lew was dismayed to discover that not only must travelers have a
phone that can receive emails -- and not simply a text or picture
message -- but their device must also have mobile Internet to
download the boarding pass bar code. These are key requirements to
using the new service that are not fully described.
"I must admit that I was really surprised. First I thought my
phone would get a picture message. Then I needed to access email
through my phone. Then I needed to open a browser and get the
boarding pass from the Internet. This is a very cool concept, but
American Airlines just needs to set expectations for the user with
clearer instructions -- especially because your trip may depend on
it. This is not a receipt, but access to your seat on a plane that
leaves within hours," said Lew.
Lew added there was a minor hiccup at the TSA security
checkpoint when it took three attempts to scan the mobile boarding
pass. The major hurdle came at the gate. The mobile boarding pass
did not include the seating group assignment and the gate agent was
unable to scan the mobile boarding pass.
"After about 20 seconds of trying different display angles and
experimenting with turning on and off the backlight, another
American Airlines attendant assisted by entering my seat assignment
into a standard terminal. I was then cleared to board," Lew said.
"The delay experienced at the gate, while it generated some
disgruntled stares from those behind me, was minimal."
Overall, the experience could not be considered a complete
success. Although Lew cleared through security and boarded the
plane, manual intervention was required at the gate. Although Lew
says the mobile concept remains very compelling, he says he will
still print a backup boarding pass for now.
"There are just too many dependencies that American Airlines
cannot control, such as the chance that there will be different
scanners at different airports, the possibility my phone might go
to sleep or reboot right when I am checking in, and the strength of
my mobile Internet signal at the airport (which can be sometimes
dodgy)."
Lew says that American Airlines should still get credit for
their innovative approach to using mobile passes. "For traveling
professionals and students who rely on their mobile devices,
American's efforts to support the mobile user are definitely steps
in the right direction."
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