Alaska Airlines announces a $2.5 billion investment over the next three years to enhance the airport experience at its hubs.
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GLOAlaska Airlines has announced a $2.5 billion investment over the next three years to enhance the airport experience at its hubs and focus cities in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Anchorage. The primary objective of this investment is to reduce the time it takes for passengers to go through the lobby and security, aiming to achieve this goal in five minutes or less. The company plans to eliminate airport check-in kiosks and replace them with new bag tag stations, where passengers will be able to pay for and tag checked bags using iPad tablets. Additionally, the airline will encourage passengers to use their mobile app to check-in and is hoping to increase the number of passengers who do so from 70% to 90%. The new system will allow passengers to print a bag tag in less than a minute, as opposed to the current process which can take over five minutes. Furthermore, by spring 2024, the airline will introduce technology in the airport lobbies that allow passengers to drop off their bags with a quick scan using facial recognition technology, ID, and bags. While customer service agents will still be available to assist passengers if needed, Alaska Airlines argues that the new streamlined system will improve efficiency and reduce wait times. The airline was the first in the US to introduce kiosks into airport lobbies, and now it will be the first to remove them.
