Madrid, 20 November 2007.- At the start of this month, Spanair launched
its new mobile boarding card service in partnership with Vodafone,
which provides the mobile connectivity services.
Spanair thus becomes the first airline to offer its passengers this
type of service, in the light of the recent publication by IATA of a
mobile boarding standard based on two-dimensional codes. The
Madrid-Bilbao route will launch this service up to the end of the year,
at which point the company will begin rolling out the mobile boarding
card on all its domestic routes.
Focusing primarily on business passengers, this innovative system
facilitates receiving a Spanair boarding card via a multimedia message
(MMS) sent to a mobile telephone. The multimedia message contains an
image with a two-dimensional code (dot code) which transmits all the
information necessary to execute automated boarding, as well as a text
information section with all travel details. Thus, to obtain their
boarding cards, passengers will just need to proceed to the special
check-in desks and pass the code through a scanner.
To obtain their mobile boarding card, passengers will be required to check-in using the web-based check-in service at
www.spanair.com, or by connecting to the internet via their mobiles via the new mobile check-in service at
www.spanair.mobi,
which will be launched in tandem with the mobile boarding card service.
At the end of the process, the passenger is asked for his or her mobile
number, to which Spanair will send the corresponding multimedia message
(MMS) free of charge.
In order to use this system, passengers simply need to pass the code
sent to their mobile through the scanners at Madrid and Bilbao
airports. On doing so, they will obtain a paper receipt with which they
will be able to pass through security and proceed to boarding.
Vodafone's director of innovation and business development, Pedro
Fuertes, commented that "the mobile boarding card and, in general
terms, ticketing systems based on mobile handsets, are further evidence
that mobile telephones, in addition to facilitating voice-based
communication, are making life easier for us by allowing for secure
access to endless services, at any time and from anywhere".
Spanair piloted this system in June during the Vodafone innovation
show, which also served as the launch for this new service. Pablo
Sánchez, Director of E-Commerce at Spanair stated that "with this
advance, Spanair is laying the foundations for implementation of a
boarding card system in the near future that will be 100% paper-less;
thereby ensuring greater passenger comfort and a substantial saving of
time".
Vodafone Spain is part of the Vodafone group, the world leader in
mobiles, operating in 25 countries, with agreements in a further 38
worldwide. Vodafone provides a complete range of mobile
telecommunications services, including voice and data communication,
ensuring access for 232 million proportional customers. Vodafone
Spain's 15 million clients benefit from the experience and capacity of
a world business leader helping individuals, companies and communities
to be better connected in a mobile world
Spanair was founded in 1986 and offers more than 600 daily flights
operated with a fleet of 63 aircraft and in code share with its
partners, to 241 destinations. Since April 2003, Spanair is a member of
Star Alliance, the largest and most prestigious airline network in the
world.
You may use these links to obtain further information on the service:
www.spanair.com /
www.spanair.mobi
Contact: María Navarro / Coro Navarro
Heads of PR & Communications Department
Tel. + 34 91 343 30 32/ 971 745 170
Original article:
http://www.europeaninvestor.com/Sit...91&wtLang=Dutch
