American Expands Mobile Boarding Passes to Eight More Airports

American Expands Mobile Boarding Passes to Eight More Airports

American Airlines has expanded mobile boarding passes capabilities to eight more airports. Passengers departing from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), as well as six international airports, including Barcelona, Spain (BCN), Rome, Italy (FCO), Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN), Milan, Italy (MXP), and Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH), now can receive their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones.

American now offers mobile boarding pass option to travelers departing on American Airlines and American Eagle flights from 50 airports. Mobile boarding passes use a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode and were rolled out in partnership with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2008.

The mobile boarding pass process is simple. When customers check in for their flight using AA.com and opt to receive their boarding pass on their mobile phone they will receive an email with an Internet link to the boarding pass. Customers must have an active email address where their boarding pass can be sent and an Internet-enabled mobile phone where the 2-D barcode can be received. The mobile boarding pass contains a 2-D barcode that can be scanned both at security checkpoints and at American Airlines gates.

At the airport, customers simply scan their mobile phone screen with the 2-D barcode displayed on it when going through security (proper identification must be presented) and when boarding, just as they would a traditional paper boarding pass. Customers who wish to check bags can still use this mobile option by scanning the 2-D barcode on their mobile phone screen at any of the American Airlines self-service machines, ticket counters, or curbside check-in facilities located in the 50 participating airports.

At this time, customers who opt to use the mobile boarding pass option may only list one person in their reservation. They also must be traveling on American or American Eagle flights from any one of the 50 participating airports on a nonstop or connecting flight through a participating mobile-boarding airport. London Heathrow was the first international location to offer the program, and American Airlines is one of the first U.S. carriers to roll out the mobile boarding pass technology in the U.K., as well as in Italy, Spain and Switzerland.