Your cell phone is your ID? Feds expand paperless boarding at O'Hare

It was one small step for John Hatcher's BlackBerry, one giant step for devotees of cell phones and PDAs everywhere today at O'Hare International Airport.

Business traveler Hatcher became the first Continental Airlines passenger at O'Hare to bypass a paper ticket.

Instead, he held up the display screen of his BlackBerry to a scanner that read an encrypted bar code - his paperless boarding pass - containing personal information and flight details.

After a Transportation Security Administration officer did the low-tech step of cross-checking his photo identification, Hatcher was waved through.

"It keeps me from having to print a boarding pass," said Hatcher, a self-described avid BlackBerry user and security consultant from Houston.

Working with the TSA, Continental became the first U.S. airline to test the paperless boarding pass in late 2007. The pilot program is operating at 21 airports and involves four carriers - including American Airlines, which began offering the option at O'Hare several months ago.

About 65 percent of fliers check in before arriving at the airport during the 24-hour eligibility period, said Jared Miller, Continental senior director of customer self service.

Passengers who check in on their cell phones or PDAs can choose whether they want a paperless boarding pass. That decision triggers an e-mail containing an encrypted, two-dimensional bar code that is displayed at security checkpoints. Travelers using computers to check in, can opt to have the e-mail sent to their phones or PDAs also.

"This gives more control to travelers and peace of mind before arrival so that they have everything they need to clear security and can bypass the ticket counter altogether," Miller said, adding it should eliminate waiting in line and searching for boarding passes.

"Everyone knows where their phone is," he said.

Asked about security violations, TSA spokesman Jon Allen said officers still scrutinize passengers and their identification to see if everything matches up.

Any attempts to alter the bar code will show up when it's scanned in, he added.

Expansion of the service is ongoing, TSA and Continental officials said. The costs of the bar code scanners are paid by the airlines.

The move should not affect jobs,

"This is really about building customer convenience," Miller said. "This makes sure agents are able to focus their attention on customers that need an extra level of care."

A United Airlines spokesman said the company is not doing paperless boarding passes at this time and would not say if they would in the future.