Mobile ticketing takes off

The printed boarding pass may become a thing of the past, as Trinity Mobile is saying it has seen a 1,200% year-over-year increase in mobile ticketing.

The company provides mobile tickets services for airlines like Austrian Airlines and British Midlands Airways and it sent out over 600,000 mobile boarding passes last year. This is obviously a nascent industry but it is expected to grow rapidly. Trinity said its uptake comes solely from consumer demand because there was no massive marketing push to get the word out about mobile ticketing.

“The massive growth in mobile ticketing is completely driven by the consumer’s need for the fastest, easiest and most affordable way to get tickets,” said Rob Clegg, Trinity’s commercial director, in a written statement.

I’ve used mobile boarding passes the last three times I’ve flown and it has been a decidedly mixed bag. On one cross-country flight, I had to check luggage anyways, so there wasn’t really a time-saving aspect. On the last two shorter flights I’ve taken without check-in luggage, it’s a convenient way to get your ticket or boarding pass if you’re not around a printer. Unfortunately, the airport staff wasn’t the most tech-savvy folks around and it took five scan attempts before I was allowed into the security area.

Overall, I’d say mobile ticketing is convenient but it’s not game-changing. Still, the technology is expanding to more and more airlines and it’s always nice to have more options. Any experiences with mobile tickets and boarding passes? Share them in the comments.

[Via Trinity Mobile, photo via USA Today]