NEWS worthy Clips (1/3)
Update your vocabulary with news clips from around the world
NEWSworthy Clips
Self-serve kiosks pop up in airports everywhere
First it was the bank. Then the gas pump and grocery store. And now comes the airport. Self-serve kiosks are everywhere.
More travelers are checking in for flights online at home, in the office or at a kiosk at the airport, than with an agent at the ticket counter, according to new studies. Airlines are taking notice.
As airports across America approach record crowds, travelers are looking for new ways to skip the long lines. "You'd much rather just get on your way," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research. "There are very few people who enjoy spending extra time at airports trying to check in for flights"
Two-thirds of U.S. in 2006 checked in for their flights using kiosks, according to a report co-written by Harteveldt this year. That’s up slightly from about 63 percent in 2005.
But even larger growth is online. More than half of the 100 airlines around the world that responded to a recent survey sponsored in part by Airline Business magazine said they let travelers check in over the Internet and print their at home. And 89 of the airlines said they expect to offer the service within the next two years.
Alaska Airlines recently unveiled what it calls the Airport of the Future. The airline’s lobby in its largest hub, Seattle-Tacoma Airport is being to feature an army of self-serve kiosks and a separate area for checking bags.
“What we’re trying to do is separate the customers who have fairly simple transactions and can just zip through the standard check-in area,” said Amanda Tobin Bielawski, a spokeswoman at the Seattle-based carrier. “And for the customers who need a little extra assistance, we have a designated area where those more time-intensive transactions can be taken care of.”
Vocabulary Focus
Check in (phr v)--- To indicate one’s arrival at an airport in order to be given seat assignment and have bags put on the aircraft.
Unveil (v) --- To make something known for the first time
Hub (n)--- A central airport through which a specific airline routes most of its traffic
Zip through (phr v)--- To travel or move very quickly through something
Specialized terms