Kudos to Continental airlines for being the first to test their mobile boarding pass (Houston departures only for now). But why are they keeping this on the down low?
According the New York Times, Continental is the first airline to test electronic boarding passes that replaces the usual paper boarding pass. Their system creates a unique two-dimensional bar code (versus the more easily hackable one dimensional bar code used for paper) that can be downloaded and then scanned by airport personnel from your mobile device/cellphone. Athough Forrester Research is claiming only “42% interest in using mobile phones as a boarding pass” (42% of whom? mobile users who travel? Business travelers?), I think this is going to be in wide use once the airlines work out the standards with the T.S.A. and FAA.
The easy part is just letting users know about it, right? Hmm. You’d think that Continental would be making a big deal about this since they are first to market (since December ’07), so let’s go find out more about it. Here is their home page:
It’s nice to see the BlackBerry icon although there is no specific mention on the home page re: this amazing breakthrough (only mentions of getting “flight updates”). And, just a nit, the icon is located just below the fold on my browser. Well, at least it gives me a good visual to start off …
Now that I’m on the “Wireless Tools” landing page I have to do some real scanning to find the link (see above). And note: although this new technology is considered a “special offer” by the company, the featured ads here (on right of page) are generic pitches for “low fares” and frequent flier miles. A real missed opportunity. Let’s click on that link under “Mobile Boarding Pass” …
Made it! They provide a pretty good overview of how to get set up to start using your mobile device for check in. And the benefit is right in the title: “truly paperless check in.” But, look at the breadcrumbs at top: why are they burying this page within the “OnePass News and Offers?” This is real news for everybody – why isn’t Continental featuring this across the site — and especially within their own “Wireless Tools” section? This new check-in solution represents a real opportunity to communicate to savvy fliers that Continental is a true leader in technology. When another airline starts their own mobile check in service and does a better job marketing it, they could take away a lot of the mojo from Continental.
To wrap up:
Overall usability score: 7/10
Content score: 8/10
Markeing/branding score: 4/10
Some suggestions for Continental and other airlines once they get this going:
-Prominently feature a BlackBerry-type icon/link on the home page
-When users land on the mobile-related page make sure to feature this new technology, perhaps with a visual showing someone using it at the airport
–Make ad space contextual — i.e., lose those generic ads when you are only talking to mobile users and cross sell something specific to mobile technology
-Don’t bury the link so deep within a proprietary “offers” sequence/area. Users are likley to pass it over within a section reserved for “specials” and “price off” promises.
We weary travelers just want to get on that plane and move on with our lives. Now the airlines can help us do it even faster.
Can you dig it? 