Starting Thursday, United will charge $20 for all customer-requested paper tickets issued by United in the U.S., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
next July and for all eligible domestic and international flights by January 2004. Paper tickets will end for flights in the U.S. Meanwhile, United said it will shift to electronic tickets to better serve customers. IBM has installed similar kiosk systems for other airlines, including Air Canada, Alitalia, British Airways PLC, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and United. "I don't think you'll see long lines at the kiosks," Orr said. The machines, which are designed and built by IBM, are all expected to be installed by the Thanksgiving holiday travel season. With the kiosks, customers will know they will avoid long lines and extended waits. "It takes one element of uncertainty away from the traveling experience," Orr said, by reducing the wait to check in. For customers needing ticket exchanges or other more complicated transactions, the ticket counter lines will still await them. Steve Orr, an IBM global airline executive, said about 85% of Southwest's passengers already use electronic tickets and will be able to speed their check-in by going to the kiosks instead of the counter. Both moves are part of Southwest's attempt to ease travel hassles for customers since security was heightened after the Sept. The new kiosks come one month after Southwest finished speeding and automating its check-in process in June, moving from numbered, colored plastic boarding cards to paper passes with printed customer information. We didn't want to do technology just for technology's sake." "We were slow to automate our procedures because we have a very simple operating system. "We're certainly not the first to do them," she said.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WIFI WINDOWS 10 INSTALL
Linda Rutherford, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Southwest, said her company has watched other airlines install kiosks for passengers for several years and decided to bring in its own system to give Southwest customers the same benefits. The kiosks are already in operation at Dallas' Love Field. In a deal announced yesterday, Southwest is paying IBM about $2 million for approximately 250 "rapid check-in" kiosks that will be installed in airports including San Antonio, Phoenix, Nashville, Houston Hobby, Chicago Midway, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Orlando and Baltimore/Washington. Instead of standing in line at the ticket counter, Southwest passengers using electronic tickets will be able to go to a specially marked kiosk where they can check in, pay for their tickets, get their boarding passes and collect their frequent-flier miles.
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