Qantas has begun trialling its next-gen airport kiosks at Terminal 3, Sydney Domestic Airport, which it says will make the airport experience “faster and easier for customers travelling on domestic flights.”
After fine-tuning the new technology with customers, the airline says it expects to have them fully installed in Sydney by early June and around 140 kiosks across all major domestic airports by September.
The airline says new technology is up to four times quicker than the existing kiosks, with the process to print a bag tag now taking just 20 seconds on average.
Qantas says that with more than three-quarters of customers already checking in online and using digital boarding passes on their smartphones, the new kiosks will primarily be used for bag tag printing. Customers will also be able to use the new kiosks to purchase additional bags.
Customers who haven’t checked in prior to arriving at the airport will be able to use QR codes on the kiosks to quickly check in online and receive a digital boarding pass. Customers will still have the option to be checked in by a customer service agent if needed.
The increased use of digital boarding passes also aims to help reduce paper waste. Pre-COVID almost 25 million paper boarding passes were printed each year which can’t readily be recycled. Qantas committed in 2019 to phase out its use as part of its zero waste to landfill targets.
How does it work?
- Check-in online at qantas.com or on the Qantas app for your domestic flight
- If you’ve got luggage, use the new kiosks to print any bag tags
- Drop your luggage at the auto-bag drops
- Use your digital boarding pass to board your flight
Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said the pandemic had accelerated the shift towards digital services, with an almost 40 per cent increase in the number of customers checking in online in just two years.
“The existing kiosks were instrumental in reducing queuing for check-in at airport counters when they were introduced more than 10 years ago, and these new kiosks will match the latest technology with customer preferences.
“Understandably, our customers want to move through the airport and get to the lounge or boarding gate as seamlessly as possible, and the new kiosks will help speed things up.
“We know that some customers would prefer to speak to a person when they check-in, so we’ll continue to have the same number of Qantas team members available in the terminal to help customers with enquiries as well as have check-in desks open.”
Head to www.qantas.com/au for more.