Virgin Atlantic is now allowing passengers to fly by scanning boarding passes on their iPhone.
The airline claims to be the first UK based airline to use Passbook for its boarding cards. Passbook is an application that allows users to store coupons, tickets, store cards and other forms of mobile payment.
Customers can opt to have their boarding pass sent directly to their phone when they check-in online and it is ready to be scanned at the departure gate before boarding the flight.
Simon Lloyd, Virgin Atlantic’s director of marketing said; "We continually look for ways to enhance our passengers’ experience when they travel with us and that begins before they even reach the plane.
"Passbook integration works seamlessly with our website – and will enable a speedy check-in and ensure your boarding card is stored safely and securely in the Passbook app on your iPhone or iPod touch.
"Critically, it also cuts down the impact of printing physical cards. Our trials have shown passengers really enjoy using Passbook and we’re sure many other airlines will now follow our lead."
Passbook stores the boarding card data in an industry standard barcode which can be scanned and read at departure gates at all Virgin Atlantic UK departure airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.
Virgin says Passbook and mobile boarding card technology is available to use at key UK airports, selected airports around the world and will be rolled out to more airports as authorities approve it.
