By Andrew Heasley
IN A world first, Australian domestic air travellers will soon check themselves and their bags in electronically rather than face the long queues at manned counters, under a radical vision for the airport of the future unveiled by Qantas yesterday.
It could even mean the bane of the air traveller - lost luggage - might be relegated to just a bad memory if the airline's faith in smart cards and computer-chipped luggage tags is realised.
In unveiling the plan, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said its domestic passengers have ''told us that airport check-in today is nothing less than a major point of pain''.
''Check-in takes too long. It causes too much stress. Our customers know what they want: speed and ease,'' he said.
Qantas' self-service system promises to process passengers much faster than the current system, when queues at peak hours regularly stretch back through the departure concourse. ''Our plan is to halve the check-in time - or better,'' Mr Joyce said.
The system is being developed between the airline and technology giant IBM at a cost of $40 million for its first phase of implementation.
Only Qantas frequent flyers rated with silver status or above will be issued with the new smart identity cards and chip-embedded baggage tags to access the system. It will be a re-issued frequent flyer card with an embedded chip.
Those passengers will be able to swipe their card across check-in readers planted across the terminal concourse and drop their bags directly on to new baggage carousels.
The smart chip in the identity card will have all your details and will match you and your bags up with your flight details, avoiding the need for a paper boarding pass and the sticky barcode luggage tag.
Passengers can then go through what Mr Joyce called a streamlined security process and proceed to board.
But you'll still have to go through hand luggage security screening, including removing laptops from bags, before boarding.
The system is scheduled to be tested at Perth airport next year, installed at the Sydney Qantas terminal at the end of next year, and in Melbourne in early 2011.