New SMS automated check-in for Jetstar passengers

[Slats7]

New SMS automated check-in for Jetstar passengers | Travel News | News.com.au

JETSTAR has announced it will use world-first technology to introduce boarding passes via mobile phone text message (SMS) and 24 hour pre-enrolment check-in by the end of the year.

 

[notzac]

Neat idea.
Will be interesting to see what exception handling they have - especially seeing that SMS delivery is best-effort only.

Still hoping that some carrier somewhere will introduce BlackBerry / iPhone native apps that allow you to manage your bookings, check in and download the barcode for the boarding pass directly to the phone.

 

[moa999]

Didn't Qantas trial this a while ago.

Afterall all you need is a phone that can display a barcode image and then whack it under the scanner.

 

[Nigelinoz]

AFAIK quite a few airlines worldwide offer an SMS check in facility but it appears that this is the first time it will be available to non web enabled mobile phones.
Could be quite useful if it works well,and that will be the telling factor,I would assume that Jetstar will be doing extensive testing on the system before it goes live.

 

[anat0l]

AFAIK quite a few airlines worldwide offer an SMS check in facility but it appears that this is the first time it will be available to non web enabled mobile phones.
Could be quite useful if it works well,and that will be the telling factor,I would assume that Jetstar will be doing extensive testing on the system before it goes live.

We can always trust the airlines to have extensive testing in place - not!

Air New Zealand have already implemented this (called mPass) at AKL, WLG and CHC domestic airports.

 

[moa999]

Can't see this being done by SMS, maye MMS with the barcode being a picture file.

 

[Slats7]

This guy could end up making some nice money out of it:

Jetstar's world-first SMS boarding passes | Travel | News.com.au

A SELF-TAUGHT young computer guru has dreams of becoming rich from a world first mobile-phone based boarding system.

Aaron Hornlimann, 22, who has an IT business in Melbourne, says several foreign airlines have followed up a decision by Jetstar to use his high-tech boarding system from November.

 

[hardya]

What an absolute joke, Jetstar offering SMS boarding passes.

Those on JQ19 OOL-KIX today who had boarded on previous leg from Sydney were treated to hand-written boarding passes and a long queue today due to a computer malfunction.

But remember, you're flying on the "no care, no responsibility" airline.

 

[gilby08]

What an absolute joke, Jetstar offering SMS boarding passes.

Those on JQ19 OOL-KIX today who had boarded on previous leg from Sydney were treated to hand-written boarding passes and a long queue today due to a computer malfunction.

But remember, you're flying on the "no care, no responsibility" airline.

Meh.. I'm sorry but it can happen with any airline. How is it JQ's fault if the 'system' malfunctions, especially if it could be an airport problem???

 

[anat0l]

Meh.. I'm sorry but it can happen with any airline. How is it JQ's fault if the 'system' malfunctions, especially if it could be an airport problem???

Lack of testing. Simple. Think LHR T5 day one baggage system.

Airport problem with SMS BP readers or software? Since when does an airport take charge of that kind of infrastructure?

 

[hardya]

Meh.. I'm sorry but it can happen with any airline. How is it JQ's fault if the 'system' malfunctions, especially if it could be an airport problem???

The words 'risk management', 'contingency' and 'redundancy' come to mind.

 

[albatross710]

Can't see this being done by SMS, maye MMS with the barcode being a picture file.

At a conference Sydney Convention Centre that I went to the entry pass was sent via SMS message with a series of characters. Placing the screen over the scanner at entry it read the characters and determined whom I was.

The humans in the process would be the limitations and risk. I have some confidence that IT can unscramble a cryptic 32 digit word, not so sure that a flight attendant could unscramble it, check the authenticity and then show you to the correct seat.

 

[anat0l]

At a conference Sydney Convention Centre that I went to the entry pass was sent via SMS message with a series of characters. Placing the screen over the scanner at entry it read the characters and determined whom I was.

The humans in the process would be the limitations and risk. I have some confidence that IT can unscramble a cryptic 32 digit word, not so sure that a flight attendant could unscramble it, check the authenticity and then show you to the correct seat.

I'm going to postulate that the "32 digit word" you received was a hash, i.e. it's not designed for unscrambling.

In which case the only way that a FA could be unsuccessful in checking a hash with the system is if the computer malfunctioned or they entered the hash wrong. Or they just suck at using computers. No human being, however, could be expected to take a hash and be able to "unscramble" it without the aid of a computer*.

And no for the IT geeks out there, don't say a full print out of the hash table or rainbow tables...

 

[albatross710]

I'm going to postulate that the "32 digit word" you received was a hash, i.e. it's not designed for unscrambling.

In which case the only way that a FA could be unsuccessful in checking a hash with the system is if the computer malfunctioned or they entered the hash wrong. Or they just suck at using computers. No human being, however, could be expected to take a hash and be able to "unscramble" it without the aid of a computer*.

And no for the IT geeks out there, don't say a full print out of the hash table or rainbow tables...

I was wondering how does a flight attendant on board a Jetstar flight sort out a seating allocation mix-up? Three people, three SMS messages.

 

[harvyk]

I attended CeBIT in Sydney earlier this year, and I was sent an SMS code (I had other paperwork incase it didn't work). All I needed to do was have the SMS shown on the screen and hold my phone upto the machine and it instantly confirmed who I was.

The only issue I see is that this was an event which attendance over the three days would have been far less than what an airline carries on a single day across it's entire network. There may start to be problems with screen real estate to ensure that

a. Each number is unique
b. Each number can not be easily guessed (free mystery flight anyone )

 

[albatross710]

I attended CeBIT in Sydney earlier this year, and I was sent an SMS code (I had other paperwork incase it didn't work). All I needed to do was have the SMS shown on the screen and hold my phone upto the machine and it instantly confirmed who I was.

The only issue I see is that this was an event which attendance over the three days would have been far less than what an airline carries on a single day across it's entire network. There may start to be problems with screen real estate to ensure that

a. Each number is unique
b. Each number can not be easily guessed (free mystery flight anyone )

It doesn't take a very long code to more than cover the possible seats plus encryption

26 letters + 10 numbers, a 10 digit combination gives 3,656,158,440,062,976.
(I'm thinking 36^10)

 

[harvyk]

True, but my previous comment still stands.

That said there are other measures they can do such as reusing the same code on two different itineraries which have no hope of crossing paths such as code 123 may be assigned to Mr John Smith Travelling from LAX - JFK on AA and Mrs Jane Doe travelling from PER to BNE on QF both flights leaving at roughly the same time. Odds of Jane Doe travelling to LAX on the off chance her mobile code may work, not very likely, because the code itself can simply be a link back to a database record and not actually contain any information about the person or flight.

The other thing to remember is that not everyone has modern mobiles with large easy to read screens.

 

[Flashback]

Jetstar to deploy 3G netbooks at departure gates - Hardware - Technology - News - iTnews.com.au

Low cost airline Jetstar plans to deploy netbooks and SMS boarding passes before the end of this year, according to the company's CIO Stephen Tame.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion in Sydney this morning, Tame said the netbooks were the ideal solution for Jetstar because they were cheap, reliable and mobile.
"The batteries last seven hours, they have solid state disks so no moving parts, and a built in 3G card. The idea is [airline staff] open up the netbook and turn it on. It takes between 60 and 80 seconds to boot up and find a connection. It then establishes a synchronised secure connection [to Jetstar's network], and then you can start boarding the plane," said Tame.
The netbooks will allow the airline to bypass expensive connectivity costs at airport departure gates.

 

[drron]

"The other thing to remember is that not everyone has modern mobiles with large easy to read screens. "
Correct Harvyk.I for one.Just remember how much problem I have been with pics in TR's.No way SMS will work for me.

 

[pauly7]

Jetstar to deploy 3G netbooks at departure gates - Hardware - Technology - News - iTnews.com.au

They better not go cheap (like my employers) and use Vodafones coughpy 3G network! Imagine not being able to board because the coverage kept on dropping out...