For decades, airlines relied solely on permanently installed scan counters for data capture during boarding. Due to their fixed installation and dependence on the respective airport, these offer little flexibility. Additionally, those standard hardware scanners are maintenance- and cost-intensive.
Intelligent devices such as smartphones and tablets offer a modern alternative. Apart from enabling staff to scan boarding passes on the go, they are also suitable for other internal use cases that fixed barcode scanning counters cannot cover.
Let’s now dive deeper into the benefits of mobile scanning in the air travel industry.
The benefits of Scanbot’s mobile Barcode Scanner SDK
You might wonder if budget smartphones can really compete with reliable, if expensive, dedicated scanning devices – and the answer is yes. Modern software can easily take over the functions of inflexible hardware. The Scanbot Barcode Scanner SDK can be integrated into your internal app within just one business day and supports your operations with the following striking advantages:
- Barcode Scanning within 0.2 seconds
- 98.7% Barcode Scanning accuracy
- Scanning under difficult conditions
- Integration within just one business day
- Fixed price including with regular updates & support
- Extensive range of covered barcodes
Our solution has been under constant development for years and is used by enterprises in numerous industries and for a wide variety of use cases. Thanks to our continuous work on the functionalities, the Scanbot SDK is more than a match for conventional scanners. It also offers numerous advantages over open source solutions, avoiding the lengthy development time and the associated high personnel costs.
We know that time is a critical factor, especially at airports, and that operational delays don’t just increase cost and workload, but ultimately diminish passenger satisfaction. If you want to evaluate the speed and user experience of the Scanbot Barcode Scanner SDK for yourself, please take a look at our free demo app, which is available in the App Store and via Google Play.
Turn any smartphone into a mobile air travel scanner
Upgrade your airline operations with fast and accurate scanning solutions
Streamlined boarding pass scanning – all it takes is a smartphone
Now that you’ve gained insight into the benefits of Scanbot’s Barcode Scanner SDK, it’s time to get practical. Here is what such a boarding process and its benefits look like in practice:
What other use cases can airlines tackle with mobile scanning?
In addition to scanning boarding pass barcodes, you can cover numerous other use cases with mobile scanning capabilities. Let’s take a brief look at some of these diverse application areas:
Mobile check-in: After downloading your mobile app with an integrated Scanner SDK, passengers can comfortably check in at home. All they need to do is to scan a passport or valid ID with their smartphone. Thus, operators minimize both queues and manual data entry errors. Learn more about our data extraction features here.
Lounge access: Passengers can check into private lounges by scanning the barcodes on their boarding passes. This way, airlines can ensure that only registered passengers enter their lounges while keeping track of available capacity to avoid overcrowding. Collecting such data allows carriers to adjust the passenger journey and improve their customers’ experience.
Luggage: Barcodes on luggage labels can also be easily scanned via smartphone, ensuring that they are assigned to the correct destination and passenger. Direct visual feedback simplifies this workflow immensely.
As you can see, mobile scanning has both internal and customer-facing uses, streamlining operations for staff and passengers alike.
FAQs
What is a boarding pass scanner?
A boarding pass scanner is a device used to read and extract information from boarding passes, typically found at airport security checkpoints or boarding gates. With the right software, even a smartphone can be used as a high-performance boarding pass scanner.
Can I scan my boarding pass from my phone?
Yes, you can scan your boarding pass from your phone using mobile data capture software.
What type of barcode is on a boarding pass?
The barcode on a boarding pass is typically a 2D barcode, such as a QR code or a PDF417 code, which contains encoded information about the passenger’s flight details.
Why is there a barcode on boarding pass?
QR codes and PDF417 codes printed on airline boarding passes can contain a lot of information about the traveler, including personal details, future travel plans and frequent flyer account information.
What specific security measures are in place to protect passenger data during the mobile scanning process?
When utilizing smartphones as boarding pass scanners, it’s essential to implement robust security measures to protect passenger data. This typically involves encryption during data capture and transmission, ensuring that personal information remains secure from unauthorized access.
Can a mobile scanning solution integrate with existing airline systems and databases for seamless operation?
The ability to integrate a boarding pass scanner into existing airline systems and databases is crucial for seamless operation. This requires the scanner software to be compatible with airline IT infrastructure, allowing for real-time data exchange and updates.
How does the Scanbot SDK handle varying qualities of digital or printed boarding passes to ensure high scanning accuracy?
A boarding pass barcode scanner must accurately scan both digital and printed boarding passes, regardless of their quality. Advanced SDKs like the Scanbot SDK are designed to handle various conditions and qualities, ensuring high accuracy in scanning and data extraction.