The airlines make you turn off your cell phone on the planes, but your phone might get you through the airport and seated a little quicker. Delta Air Lines is now permitting travelers at New York's LaGuardia International Airport to use their cell phones as a boarding pass.
Domestic passengers can download their boarding passes to their mobile phones from the company's web site. When they get to the airport, they skip the check-in lines and go directly to the airport screening area. There, the Transportation Security Administration scans the electronic pass and checks customers' identification. Delta agents also check the phone at the gate before travelers get on the airplane.
Steve Gorman, Delta's executive vice-president of operations:
"Passengers can now quickly check in for their flight while en route to the airport or in a taxi or walking from the parking lot to the terminal. The check-in process now can take place from anywhere, any time within 24 hours of departure."
The idea isn't new, and it's catching on slowly. Last year, Continental Airlines began using mobile-phone barcodes at four U.S. airports, and Northwest Airlines launched a similar system earlier this year at Indianapolis International Airport. Here's a mobile-friendly link to Delta's mobile check-in. Fasten your seat belt!
