Over 50% of air passengers have been opting for web check-in and using kiosks to reduce contact with employees at the airport these past few months after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “The practice has become the norm now. A majority of passengers own a smartphone and are conscious to avoid any contact with employees inside the airport. So they finish their web check-in at home or office and get e-boarding passes. Otherwise, some just collect the passes at kiosks outside the airport terminal. This saves a lot of time for them and also reduces congestion,” an official said.
Only those who carry a check-in baggage have to necessarily stand in queue for the security scan. However, a baggage tag was no longer used, and passengers instead received an identification number by SMS, officials said.
“Of course, there are passengers who do not own a smartphone or do not have the facility for web check-ins. They are assisted at the entry points by airline staff to fill up self-declaration forms for COVID-19 and then issued boarding passes. Some also go to the counter inside the terminal for the passes,” he added.
The number of passengers now ranges between 12,000 and 14,000 a day with an increase during the weekends and a mild dip during the middle of the week.
“But it has certainly gotten better with time and we hope it will touch 18,000-20,000 a day when the number of flights operated goes up to 200-250 a day. Currently, 130-140 flights are operated per day,” he said.