Airlines Use Heavy Holiday Travel To Promote Ticketing Kiosks

Airlines are taking advantage of the onset of one of the year's heaviest travel seasons to promote their electronic self-service check-in and ticketing machines. Both American Airlines and America West today released statements touting their airport kiosks and encouraging customers to use them in the coming days to avoid long lines and other hassles. American Airlines says in its release that 20 million passengers have used its airport ticketing machines this year, three times the number who used them in 2002. Passengers use the kiosks to claim boarding passes, check luggage, and change seats. American claims a transaction time of 90 seconds or less for its 1,330 units, which include 330 located at curbsides. Amercia West, which has 36 machines at its Phoenix hub and another six units at its hub in Las Vegas, in addition to units at 15 other airports, also pushed self-service check-in today as a way for passengers to beat heavy airport congestion this holiday season. The airline says it expects to fly 1.5 million passengers between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6. America West also participates in the SpeedCheck shared-kiosk network at McCarron International Airport in Las Vegas, which allows passengers to check in with any of 12 participating airlines on any of 30 machines. This is the only such shared airport network in the country. Airlines are also beginning to extend the machines' utility to passengers as an inducement to use them. In November, Northwest Airlines announced it would allow passengers to pay for in-flight meals with credit cards at its 755 kiosks. The machines will dispense paper vouchers which passengers can turn in once in their seats.