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Self-Boarding Comes to First US Airport

Houston experiment likely to spread

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 28, 2010 5:52 AM CDT

(Newser) – For Continental passengers flying out of Houston, boarding a plane has become a lot more like getting on the subway. The airport is the first in America to test "self-boarding" gates, in which passengers simply run their boarding passes through a machine before getting on the plane without having to hand it to a staff member, USA Today reports.

Airline staffers will still be at the gate performing other duties. The TSA says that since passengers pass through security checks earlier, the agency has determined that self-boarding gates won’t impact security. Fourteen other airlines worldwide use the technology, and self-boarding gates are expected to proliferate in the US if the Houston experiment is a success.

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

Continental Airlines jets are seen parked at the terminal at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. (AP Photo/Robert Graves/file)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 8 comments

Craighenn

Jul 29, 2010 1:27 AM CDT

I feel like that quote is very provocative.

The_Pinkston

Jul 28, 2010 3:54 PM CDT

Southwest has been doing something like this for years. Passengers are separated in groups of three: A,B,C and you Get to sit where ever you want when they call your group.

Nwambe

Jul 28, 2010 10:53 AM CDT

I'd like this, if I knew that I was going to get a discount on my ticket for boarding by myself - Hell, I'm already charged enough to fly as it is, airlines should jump for got-damn joy that I'm willing to board by myself.

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Self-Boarding Comes to First US Airport