Finnair is one of the most advanced airlines in the world when it comes to utilization of e-services and in particular mobile phone applications.
Finnair was the first airline in the world to enable passengers to check-in in advance for flights with a text message. Now, Finnair is the first airline to enable passengers also to check-in with a 2D-barcode boarding card -multimedia message (MMS) from Copenhagen, Denmark.
In this new feature to the mCheck-in service, Finnair sends to it’s Finnair Plus loyalty scheme customers an MMS with a 2D-barcode boarding card. This 2D-barcode replaces the traditional paper boarding card and can be used in the shops, in security check and at the gate where personnel use their scanners to read the data.
This new feature together with the traditional intelligent SMS (iSMS) mCheck-in option has been introduced to Finnair Plus loyalty customers departing from Copenhagen, Denmark. For Finnair Plus loyalty customers the Finnair’s mCheck-in service is complimentary service in which they only pay for the reply-message or for the MMS data transfer.
Ease-of-use is the key to success
Finnair has recognized that the critical factor for successful implementation of mobile services is ease-of-use. The more difficult the new service is to use, the higher is the threshold for the passenger to adapt it. It’s useless to offer complex services.
Text messages i.e. SMS-based services have been successful as the Finns use text messages as a routine. Finnair’s SMS check-in services has really been a success. The service has been offered to Finnair Plus loyalty scheme customers in Finland, Sweden and now also in Denmark.
- On some short distance flights with large proportion of business passengers up to half of the passengers perform their check-in with text messages, tells Matti Alanne, manager of Finnair’s E-Business development department. Now we are excited to see how the new MMS –based mobile services will be received, continues Mr. Alanne.
Sources:
- Finnair Group, www.finnairgroup.com
- Kauppalehti -business magazine, April 29th, 2008 Finnair bring new services to the passenger’s phone -article