Great tech ideas from Air NZ

Regan Schoultz reports:

An app will allow travellers to check in, receive flight information, order coffees and enter flight lounges using their Apple watch.

Okay that’s just a watch version of their smartphone app (which is great).

The self-service baggage drop will allow passengers to process and drop off their own baggage manually.

The service will use a biometric camera – the same technology that immigration staff use at the Smart Gate – which will match biometric information, contained inside a passport, with the person’s physical identity to verify they are the same person.

A customer will then be able to weigh and load their luggage on to the belt themselves.

This process is at present carried out by airline staff at a baggage drop-off counter.

That’s pretty cool.

A permanent tag attached to luggage will display bag information and a barcode for any flight.

Passengers input their details using Bluetooth technology which will update the barcode and flight information on the tag.

Also cool.

The airline is also looking to create electronic departure cards that can be filled out by passengers on their mobile phone or home computers before checking in.

The online service will remember personal details of someone if they have previously flown and will automatically fill those out on the departure card.

This is the one that really excites me. I hate filling out those stupid forms, and have often said that surely the airline could provide you with one filled in when you check in, as they have all your details.  So all you’ll really need to do is check it, and sign it.