Self-service kiosks: Museum pieces or here to stay?

Abstract

In a world where demand for air travel has never been higher, the self-service kiosk remains a key element of the airport of the future. Today, kiosks are evolving to answer air transport industry and passenger needs, alongside other self-service check-in channels, such as the internet, mobile phone and personal digital assistant (PDA). However, this paper argues that ‘one size does not fit all’ in the field of self-service check-in solutions, and that kiosks will make up a significant part of the service mix at airports in the years ahead. Kiosks contribute to cost and space savings, for example, they can be deployed off-site, enabling advance check-in from convention centres, hotels, car rental facilities etc, thereby relieving congestion at overcrowded airport terminals. Kiosks are also evolving to meet new requirements necessitated by fast-changing transportation security regulations.