The end of check-in agents?

Since its establishment back in 1995, easyJet has been a pioneer in the low cost airline sector. While airlines in Europe never saw any interest in using the internet for anything other than as a marketing tool, easyJet saw real value in using the internet as an e-commerce tool. In 1998, easyJet was the first airline in Europe to offer real time bookings via the internet. 15 years on the airline is still setting standards in terms of using technology not only to reduce operating costs, but also to provide customers with services that make travelling easier.

The airline has recently announced that it is now trialling mobile check-in and boarding passes via the award winning easyJet app. Flights departing from six airports will be included in the trial – London Stansted, London Southend, Manchester, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Nice. The airline says that passengers will be able to check-in and download boarding passes directly to their smart phones in less than 10 seconds.
The trial will be available on iphone and Android smart phones and will be extended to include mobile web to accommodate Windows phones and Blackberry devices later this year.

Back in the day when internet booking was relatively unheard of, easyJet employed a vast workforce at its call centre at London Luton airport. To encourage people to book online, the airline priced on-line tickets cheaper than those booked via the call centre. Now, flights can only be booked over the Internet except during the 3 months immediately before the flight, thus significantly reducing employment costs at the call centre. Perhaps a similar trend will follow with check in agents.

Source: easyJet and atn.aero