Beating the Queues with Electronic Check-Ins
Self-service Check-in is a fast and convenient way for customers to check-in for flights. Last year, Emirates became the first airline to introduced self check-in kiosks in the Economy and First and Business check-in areas at Dubai International Airport.
At present, the service can be used for Skywards members only but, eventually, all passengers with hang baggage only will be able to use them.
The Self-service Kiosks are also located in the airport’s main departures hall for Skywards members travelling in Economy Class.
Members of Skywards, the frequent flyer programme of Emirates and SriLankan Airlines, who are carrying just hand baggage, can check themselves in for a flight using their membership card.
The facility is also available to customers who are members of Skywards’ partner airlines - British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and United Airlines.
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In order to check-in electronically the customer needs an e-ticket or an ATB ticket (cardboard ticket with a magnetic strip on the back). It is also possible to change your seat if availability allows.
Customers insert their membership card and their booking is displayed on the kiosk screen, following verification of the card’s number which is given at the time of booking the flight. Flight details are confirmed and the boarding card printed. Staff are available for assistance.
It takes approximately one minute to check-in for a single flight (three minutes for a return journey). This speed reduces queues and checking in baggage is also faster using the Fast Bag Drop facility. The kiosks will soon accept larger baggage that can be checked into the aircrafts hold.
Customers travelling in First, Business or Economy Class can also use their e-cards to pass through the electronically-controlled gates (e-gates) at Immigration.
Six e-gates have so far been installed at the airport; two for Arrivals, two for Economy Class Departures and two for First and Business Class Departures, allowing customers to bypass manual Immigration checks.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Executive Vice-President Commercial Operations Worldwide, Emirates Airlines commented: “The introduction of e-check-in at Dubai airport, is part of our move towards seamless air travel for our passengers. We are committed to enable our passengers to use e-ticketing, e-check-in and Dubai Immigration’s e-gate smart card to save our passengers hours of time. We foresee the day when our passengers will simply stroll through airport procedures to catch their flights.”
These developments are a major step towards seamless air travel for Emirates passengers, enabling them to save time and avoid hassle by taking advantage of electronic processes.
Dubai International Airport is the first in the Middle East and only the third in the world (after Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) to install the e-gates for arrival and departure. They provide a hi-tech passenger clearance system that screens passengers via a smart card containing all their details.
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