Using Cell Phones for Boarding Passes

Continental Airlines is testing new technology that uses an encrypted 2D barcode on a cell phone screen in place of a traditional paper boarding pass.

Cell phones may be a no-no on flights once a plane gets into the air, but on the ground, they may soon help save paper and improve security in the process of boarding. According to the Houston Chronicle, Continental Airlines has become the first airline to adopt paperless boarding passes for a trial run at George Bush International Airport in Houston, substituting cell phones for cellulose.

The system works using 2D barcodes, the mess of black and white squares often seen on the back of state drivers’ licenses, which can be encoded with information. Passengers receive the barcode on their phones and pull it up on the screen when they go to board. Screeners merely scan the barcode prior to letting a passenger on the flight to verify its authenticity.

Although electronic boarding passes may help save paper if they come into widespread usage, the environmental benefits are second to the technology’s primary purpose: improving security. Since the information embedded in the 2D barcodes is actually encrypted, the airline is confident it cannot be forged or falsified as paper boarding passed have been in the past.

If Continental’s test run is a success, other airlines could be adopting the new technology within three months.