How Will Passengers Check-In Five Years from Now? Two ARINC Experts Help Industry View the Future

August 27, 2007

Annapolis, Maryland—Technology is rapidly driving major changes in the airline check-in process, and a preview of the future will be available at Check-In ’07, an industry forum coming to Las Vegas September 5-7.

ARINC Incorporated, a major global provider of check-in and boarding systems, will be represented at Check-In ’07 by two experts on the subjects of remote off-site check-ins and common-use technology.

John A. Dungan, Director of ARINC’s Remote Passenger Services Group, will chair a 90-minute working session Thursday, September 6, focusing on off-site check-ins and remote baggage drop-offs. In 2003 ARINC and its partner BAGS, Inc. of Orlando, Florida, pioneered off-airport check-in at hotels in the Orlando area.  Four years later, the companies’ Internet-enabled remote check-ins now serve millions of airline passengers a year at dozens of major U.S. hotels, resorts, convention sites, and most major cruise line terminals.

Panelists will include Paul Mewett, Manager, Simplified Passenger Travel, Vancouver International Airport Authority; David Wilding, IT Business Systems Planning Manager, Virgin Atlantic; Patrick Rary, Vice President, Business Development and Strategy, BAGS Inc.; Dave Bernier, General Manager – Commercial Airlines, Transportation Security Administration; Alex Gerdts, Project Manager – Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; and Roy Braganza, Manager Remote Check In, American Airlines.

On Friday, September. 7, “The Las Vegas Case Study,” another working session, will examine the unique baggage drop-off program operated by Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The McCarran program leverages ARINC’s common-use kiosk and bag drop technologies to offer airline check-ins and common bag drops at two downtown Las Vegas hotels and the Convention Center. Common-use bag drops are a long-awaited industry development because they extend the concept of self-service to allow airline passengers to tag their own bags as they check in, reducing the need for dedicated airline personnel to handle bags.

Dale Kirby, ARINC Director of Airports Marketing, will provide commercial perspective for the session chaired by Dave Bourgon, Airline Systems Manager, Information Systems, McCarran International Airport. Other participants will include Micah Richins, VP, Hotel Operations, Luxor, and Ricardo Baquero, President, Bags To Go of Las Vegas.

Check-in '07 will bring together all major players in the travel industry under one roof to share information on the latest innovations, from Internet check-in and remote baggage drop off, to CUSS check-in and mobile phone check-in. The two-day conference at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, is tailored to the interest of everyone responsible for efficient, cost-effective self-service for the travelling passenger. For more information, visit the web site at www.pps-events.com/checkin07.

ARINC Incorporated is a world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to eight key industries: airports, aviation, aerospace and defense, government, healthcare, networks, security, and transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and maintains regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,200 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.

Release: 07-154

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