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CNN Sunday Morning

A Look at Self-Service Check-In Kiosks

Aired November 24, 2002 - 09:22   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: There are some tricks to save yourself some time at the airport, and one way, as we mentioned, is to use the self-service check-in kiosks. You've probably seen them, but if you're like most passengers, you've never used one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(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 of seconds, but, you know, once you get used to it, it's pretty nice. Keeps you out of that line, and that line tends to be an hour, sometimes more.

CALLAWAY: 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 don't like it. 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. 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 will simply read your last name, ask you where you're going to help find your reservation. So it's purely 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.

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 of groups of up to seven can check in at the same time.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool.

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 to Ft. Lauderdale, we're not going to see you at a kiosk, are we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Now, some of those limitations that I talked about in that piece on the kiosks are likely to change. In fact, they will. At least at Delta. You will soon be able to do things that require an exchange of money -- say if you want to upgrade to a flight that costs more.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Take a first class seat or something like that?

CALLAWAY: Right. You can't do that right now on the kiosk, because they're not set up that way, but they will be. In fact, if you've got more than -- more luggage than you...

SAN MIGUEL: More than the two pieces. CALLAWAY: ... than the two-piece maximum, then you can eventually be able to pay the fee for doing that. And I found it actually easier to use, because I have kids and I could take my time picking the seat. There is a beautiful map of the plane there, and you can decide where you want to sit with your children.

SAN MIGUEL: And even if some folks are uncomfortable with it, from what I've discovered in flying and using some of these kiosks, there is always somebody close by, like an attendant, right?

CALLAWAY: Right. Well, at Delta, they are next to where you hand in your luggage, so there's agents, and you can see them in that piece leaning over and actually helping people. And even some of the smaller airlines, they may be away from the desk but they have an attendant standing there because they really want people to use these, because it frees them up to do the more complicated ticketing services.

SAN MIGUEL: And most of the major airlines -- I know American is really expanding its kiosk service as well.

All right. There you go.

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 24, 2002 - 09:22   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: There are some tricks to save yourself some time at the airport, and one way, as we mentioned, is to use the self-service check-in kiosks. You've probably seen them, but if you're like most passengers, you've never used one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(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 of seconds, but, you know, once you get used to it, it's pretty nice. Keeps you out of that line, and that line tends to be an hour, sometimes more.

CALLAWAY: 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 don't like it. 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. 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 will simply read your last name, ask you where you're going to help find your reservation. So it's purely 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.

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 of groups of up to seven can check in at the same time.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's cool.

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 to Ft. Lauderdale, we're not going to see you at a kiosk, are we?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Now, some of those limitations that I talked about in that piece on the kiosks are likely to change. In fact, they will. At least at Delta. You will soon be able to do things that require an exchange of money -- say if you want to upgrade to a flight that costs more.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Take a first class seat or something like that?

CALLAWAY: Right. You can't do that right now on the kiosk, because they're not set up that way, but they will be. In fact, if you've got more than -- more luggage than you...

SAN MIGUEL: More than the two pieces. CALLAWAY: ... than the two-piece maximum, then you can eventually be able to pay the fee for doing that. And I found it actually easier to use, because I have kids and I could take my time picking the seat. There is a beautiful map of the plane there, and you can decide where you want to sit with your children.

SAN MIGUEL: And even if some folks are uncomfortable with it, from what I've discovered in flying and using some of these kiosks, there is always somebody close by, like an attendant, right?

CALLAWAY: Right. Well, at Delta, they are next to where you hand in your luggage, so there's agents, and you can see them in that piece leaning over and actually helping people. And even some of the smaller airlines, they may be away from the desk but they have an attendant standing there because they really want people to use these, because it frees them up to do the more complicated ticketing services.

SAN MIGUEL: And most of the major airlines -- I know American is really expanding its kiosk service as well.

All right. There you go.

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