Crowded airports, full flights and long lines are increasingly normal experiences travelers encounter.
For its part, American Airlines (AAL) is implementing a major change to its check-in process that the carrier hopes will cut down on queues during that initial process.
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Early in 2024, American Airlines had consolidated its various teams for customer service into one group, laying off 335 employees.
Self-service tools, the airline hoped, would minimize the frequency at which its passengers would feel compelled to contact customer service support.
The tools involved kiosks at airports for travelers that would assist them by handling flight changes, upgrades and other services.
Now, American Airlines is making moves to further increase the efficiency of these tools.
American Airlines installs new kiosks for passenger check-in
New kiosks at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Miami International Airport (MIA) that the carrier has had success with will soon be rolled out at other airports.
An internal memo revealed by Gary Leff of View From the Wing explained American Airlines' thinking.
The memo said that the new kiosks are designed to streamline the check-in process and reduce the time it takes to engage in transactions.
"We have seen success with the new kiosks at DFW and MIA already and look forward to rolling out to additional hubs, gateways and select stations this summer," the memo stated. "We also have new express bag tag kiosks, which allow customers who have pre-paid their bags during check-in to print their bag tags in under 30 seconds."
The memo said passengers will get an email four hours before their flights reminding them to use the express kiosks. From there, travelers can simply scan boarding passes to print their baggage tags.
"These new kiosks are among the investments American is making in 2024 for an improved customer experience," the memo added.
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Airline technology changes for streamlining check-in are increasing
On April 13, Leff had reported that Alaska Airlines (ALK) was taking the step of eliminating check-in jobs with kiosks to another level: eliminating even kiosk jobs.
Alaska Airlines had then said its passengers would be required to print their boarding passes at home — or make them available on their smartphones by the time they get to the airport — for flights leaving from Portland, Ore.
Alaska explained in a statement, according to Leff, that its airport lobbies were in the process of being modernized in an effort to move its passengers through the check-in process faster.
The airline also said that the move was based on the reality that a vast majority of its customers own a smartphone.
"The Alaska Airlines app is the perfect pre-trip tool, but guests can also check-in on a desktop and send a boarding pass to their phone or print one at home," Alaska said in the statement, according to Leff. "For guests who need more assistance at the airport, we will always have customer service agents available. Airports have already begun changing to the new tablets and guests are adapting — with 3 out of 4 guests arriving with a boarding pass in hand to airports with the new technology."
In addition, Alaska Airlines said the move would reduce the amount of paper it uses, citing the carrier's sustainability goals.
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