Cheap airplane tickets as well as cheap vacation packages are many prospective travelers goal, but making traveling easier makes the trip even better. To that end, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have introduced the use of electronic boarding for fliers with mobile devices.
Internet capable cell phones, as well as any other mobile devices (such as web enabled touch screen iPods) that can access the Internet, are capable of downloading paperless boarding passes.
Initially these electronic boarding passes are being used for passengers flying from Anchorage; Boise, Idaho; Denver; Las Vegas; Portland, Or., Seattle and Spokane.
Starting February 24th, electronic passes will also be available to customers flying between San Jose, Ca., and Fairbanks.
The airlines are planning to offer paperless boarding passes in additional California cities (Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, Palm Springs, and Sacramento) by late March. This service is expected to be expanded to dozens of other cities later this year.
Electronic boarding passes show a bar code as well as traveler and flight details. Security personnel at checkpoints are able to scan these bar codes to validate their information.
The use of paperless boarding passes is expected to grow rapidly with most airlines making it available in the near future.