PlusMore Airports Using Paperless Boarding PassesMore Airports Using Paperless Boarding PassesThe Associated PressAir travelers whose cell phones get e-mail now have more airports where they can utilize paperless boarding passes for Continental Airlines flights. (May 28)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] ((Newark, NJ)) Get ready for "paperless" air travel. NATS: beep We're all use to e-tickets, but now Continental Airlines and the T-S-A are rolling out the electronic boarding pass at several airports across the country. ((Lara Uselding, Transportation Security Administration)) "T-S-A created the concept. Continental came up with the software behind this to ensure authenticity of the electronic boarding pass." Travelers appear to like the paperless option. "That's pretty wild." ((Robert Gower, Traveler)) "It's very convenient, you get it at home, and then you go right to the airport, I think it speeds the process up." Here's how it works: Using a computer or cell phone passengers "check in" electronically before a flight, by entering the confirmation code from an e-ticket. A boarding pass is then emailed to the passenger's cell phone. It has an encrypted bar code on it with the passenger's name and flight info. NATS: beepThen a T-S-A officer just scans the person in through security. ((Jared Miller, Continental Airlines)) "If you think about the business traveler, who may not have access to a printer or fax machine, they now can use that mobile phone or PDA, skip the counters and go straight to the checkpoint." The T-S-A says the paperless system is not only good for the environment, by saving paper, but is more secure than the paper boarding pass. "This is another great security layer for us at the airport because it's helping to make sure that people aren't coming through with fraudulent boarding passes." Some travelers, however, fear it may be an open invitation to hackers.((Sean Boland, Traveler)) "I'm sure somebody will figure out some way, they always do." The paperless boarding passes are now available for flights out of Newark, Houston, Boston and Ronald Reagan Washington National. Ted Shaffrey, The Associated Press, Newark, New Jersey
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