http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/ Engadget Comments for Continental Airlines expands paperless boarding in US http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 11:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 11:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 9:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://impatientsufferance.com/2008/05/05/go-to-the-tape-226/]]>May 5th 2008 11:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 11:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 9th 2008 9:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/
As far as I know, its actually available throughout Canada. Even in my dinky little airport in Timmins, ON, you can use paperless boarding, though they just look at your screen and key in the number instead of scanning.

I haven't personally tried this because I've been too afraid of uninformed staff, I think I will next time I fly.

]]>May 6th 2008 5:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/
The LCD screens of today's mobile devices put out their own light, and so the typical laser scanner (recognizable by putting out a scribbling red line) does not work, as the scanner is looking for it's own red light to be reflected.

Electrophoretic paper displays (EPD) aka electronic paper displays (like the Amazon Kindle) do not have this issue - they reflect ambient light, and so a laser scanner would work one.

Electronic shelf tags are a common example of EPD:
http://www.pricer.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=279

And yes, they display readable bar codes.]]>May 5th 2008 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 1:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 8th 2008 11:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 5:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 12:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/
I'm glad they are letting us have the luxury of having them at DCA too now.]]>May 5th 2008 12:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/
What's not to like?

Once bitten, twice shy? (was that a foreigner song?)]]>May 5th 2008 1:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 5:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 1:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 1:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/I fail at replying :(]]>May 5th 2008 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 2:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/May 5th 2008 6:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/05/continental-airlines-expands-paperless-boarding-in-us/Once at the gate I encountered a glitch that they may or may not have fixed yet. The link that you use pulls the boarding pass based on the confirmation number, this number is fixed for both portions of a round trip flight. My return flight was less than 24 hours after my flight out, so while sitting in the terminial, I hit the 24 hr mark and was checked into my return flight. At this point the Confirmation number pointed to my return flight and when I pulled up the link for the woman at the gate it was the boarding pass for the next day. They had to go in and print out a paper boarding pass for me... so much for paperless.

Overall I think the intention is good and I am glad that the airline industry is at least trying to innovate. That said I have not utilized this option since this incident. I print out the boarding pass at the office and go about my day.]]>May 6th 2008 9:52PM