(CNW) Air Canada has introduced paperless boarding passes
for its customers who check in using their PDA (personal
digital assistant such as Blackberry or Treo) or cell phone.
Air Canada's mobile check-in service, available at
http://mobile.aircanada.com
, has been enhanced to now offer customers the option of
receiving an electronic boarding pass in the form of SMS text
messages that the customer simply shows to airport security
screening personnel and Air Canada gate agents, in lieu of a
paper boarding pass. 
Passengers with baggage to check proceed as usual to baggage
drop off points prior to security screening.
Air Canada's new mobile service is currently available for
boarding domestic Canada flights and departures to
international (non-U.S.) destinations, including connecting
flights, from 60 airports across Canada served by Air Canada
and Jazz.
"Introduction of the mobile boarding pass is a key element in
Air Canada's initiatives to use the most recent and secure
mobile and 2-D barcode technologies to simplify our customers'
travel experience," said Lise Fournel, senior vice-president
E-Commerce and CIO. "In addition to the simplification of
travel and business processes made possible by the replacement
of paper with electronic documents, we're particularly excited
about the expanded application of 2-D barcode technology that
gives our employees better tools to serve our customers more
efficiently."
How it works: Using a mobile device, the customer logs on to
http://mobile.aircanada.com
and enters the required information: last name, first name,
departure city and one of the following: Aeroplan number,
credit card number or booking reference. If the device supports
2-D barcode technology and the travel itinerary qualifies for
an electronic boarding pass, the customer will be prompted to
enter his mobile number to receive the boarding pass.
While 2-D barcode technology works on a majority of mobile
devices, some older phones or PDAs may not be compatible. If
this is the case, it is still possible to use Air Canada's
mobile check-in and print a boarding pass at a self-service
kiosk or with an agent.
Montreal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air
transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170
destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the
14th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 32
million customers annually with a fleet consisting of 335
aircraft.