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CNN Live At Daybreak

Self-Service Check-In Kiosks at Airports

Aired November 25, 2002 - 05:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you may have seen a self- service check-in kiosk at the airport, but if you're like most passengers out there, you've never used one. Airlines are investing heavily in these machines. They're hoping to significantly reduce the time it takes to get on board.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY (voice-over): In at least 120 airports across the nation, airlines have installed thousands of these do it yourself check-in kiosks. Most major airlines have them and anyone with an electronic ticket can use them. But an estimated 80 percent of those passengers don't. Here at the Atlanta airport, we found Delta agents actually directing e-ticket passengers to the kiosk to talk them through their fears of technology or making a mistake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it takes a couple seconds but, you know, once you get used to it, it's pretty nice. It keeps you out of that line, and that line tends to be at least an hour, sometimes more.

CALLAWAY: Well, nobody likes lines. But not everybody likes the kiosks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Punch your card in and whatever comes up comes up. Like I don't even know what kind of airplane this is. I don't know whether it's a window seat, I don't know whether it's an aisle seat. So I just, I don't want, I don't care for it.

CALLAWAY: Actually, you can see where you're sitting and even change your seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see in this case we're on a wide body aircraft. I've got two aisles here, several empty seats this morning on this particular flight. I'm sitting here in the blue chair and anything that's in yellow is available. So if I would prefer to sit over by the window, I simply touch that seat number and it makes the adjustment for me.

CALLAWAY: The hardest part of using the kiosk may be figuring out how to log on for the first time. A credit card is needed, but there's not a charge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are used for identification purposes only. If you give us the Sky Miles number or the credit card that you bought your ticket with, we can match exactly on that number. If not, we'll just simply read your last name, ask you where you're going to help find your reservation.

So it's a dilly for identification.

CALLAWAY (on camera): Right, so if you didn't buy the ticket, if your company bought the ticket, you really just need some kind of card with your name on it, a credit card, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That has your name on it, exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to check one bag and I'll check one.

CALLAWAY (voice-over): You can check the two bag maximum. Just hand over the luggage to the nearby agent when they call your name. And families or groups of up to seven can check in at the same time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was pretty easy. We weren't sure with the baby and with the car seat, but it was fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool, hey? That's the man.

CALLAWAY: Besides meals, the kiosk will also allow you to change to any earlier flights that are available and place you on standby for an upgrade. But there are limitations. You cannot check more than the two bag maximum or change to more expensive flights. Additional fees must still be paid through an agent and not at the machine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be flying again next week and I plan to use it.

CALLAWAY: But not everyone feels that way. Remember this guy?

(on camera): When you fly out of Fort Lauderdale, we're not going to see you at a kiosk, are we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

CALLAWAY (voice-over): Most first time users told us they would use them again and the airlines hope they're telling the truth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 25, 2002 - 05:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you may have seen a self- service check-in kiosk at the airport, but if you're like most passengers out there, you've never used one. Airlines are investing heavily in these machines. They're hoping to significantly reduce the time it takes to get on board.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY (voice-over): In at least 120 airports across the nation, airlines have installed thousands of these do it yourself check-in kiosks. Most major airlines have them and anyone with an electronic ticket can use them. But an estimated 80 percent of those passengers don't. Here at the Atlanta airport, we found Delta agents actually directing e-ticket passengers to the kiosk to talk them through their fears of technology or making a mistake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it takes a couple seconds but, you know, once you get used to it, it's pretty nice. It keeps you out of that line, and that line tends to be at least an hour, sometimes more.

CALLAWAY: Well, nobody likes lines. But not everybody likes the kiosks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Punch your card in and whatever comes up comes up. Like I don't even know what kind of airplane this is. I don't know whether it's a window seat, I don't know whether it's an aisle seat. So I just, I don't want, I don't care for it.

CALLAWAY: Actually, you can see where you're sitting and even change your seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see in this case we're on a wide body aircraft. I've got two aisles here, several empty seats this morning on this particular flight. I'm sitting here in the blue chair and anything that's in yellow is available. So if I would prefer to sit over by the window, I simply touch that seat number and it makes the adjustment for me.

CALLAWAY: The hardest part of using the kiosk may be figuring out how to log on for the first time. A credit card is needed, but there's not a charge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are used for identification purposes only. If you give us the Sky Miles number or the credit card that you bought your ticket with, we can match exactly on that number. If not, we'll just simply read your last name, ask you where you're going to help find your reservation.

So it's a dilly for identification.

CALLAWAY (on camera): Right, so if you didn't buy the ticket, if your company bought the ticket, you really just need some kind of card with your name on it, a credit card, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That has your name on it, exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to check one bag and I'll check one.

CALLAWAY (voice-over): You can check the two bag maximum. Just hand over the luggage to the nearby agent when they call your name. And families or groups of up to seven can check in at the same time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was pretty easy. We weren't sure with the baby and with the car seat, but it was fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool, hey? That's the man.

CALLAWAY: Besides meals, the kiosk will also allow you to change to any earlier flights that are available and place you on standby for an upgrade. But there are limitations. You cannot check more than the two bag maximum or change to more expensive flights. Additional fees must still be paid through an agent and not at the machine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be flying again next week and I plan to use it.

CALLAWAY: But not everyone feels that way. Remember this guy?

(on camera): When you fly out of Fort Lauderdale, we're not going to see you at a kiosk, are we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

CALLAWAY (voice-over): Most first time users told us they would use them again and the airlines hope they're telling the truth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com