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Apple Watch and airline tickets

overlyunderme

overlyunderme

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 22, 2010
203
15
Houston
I've seen some articles where it appears that airlines like Delta, United, etc. are interested in integrating their services into the Apple Watch. I began wondering if this means boarding passes or just flight information. Personally, I would love for the boarding pass to be available on the screen for scanning as it would be one less thing I have to deal with in the queue. But that got me to thinking if this is possible at all. Currently, you can use your phone to show your boarding pass to the TSA, but you have to place it upside down on their stand and leave it there until it beeps. Same for boarding the plane. Don't know about you guys, but I'm sure as heck not turning my watch face upside down on another glass screen. What do you all think they will make available on the watch? Just the boarding information, or passes as well?
 
Boarding pass. Just turn your palm up to scan.

Might not be a bad idea to wear your watch on the inside of your wrist on the day of departure. No contact is required so you're not really touching the screen.

I've done boarding passes in Passbook in the past and all it requires is a QR reader. They may even improve the user experience by making a QR reader that hovers above.
 
overlyunderme said:
I've seen some articles where it appears that airlines like Delta, United, etc. are interested in integrating their services into the Apple Watch. I began wondering if this means boarding passes or just flight information. Personally, I would love for the boarding pass to be available on the screen for scanning as it would be one less thing I have to deal with in the queue. But that got me to thinking if this is possible at all. Currently, you can use your phone to show your boarding pass to the TSA, but you have to place it upside down on their stand and leave it there until it beeps. Same for boarding the plane. Don't know about you guys, but I'm sure as heck not turning my watch face upside down on another glass screen. What do you all think they will make available on the watch? Just the boarding information, or passes as well?
Click to expand...

They showed boarding passes at the March 9th event.
 
When using boarding passes on your phone, you don't actually have to touch the phone screen to the scanner, you just have to have it hovering above the scanner. The watch should work the same way.
 
Yes, you do not have to lay your phone down on the screen, but some of the TSA readers and airline boarding pass readers have a top section, so you would have to be careful putting your wrist in there when using the watch.
 
If it's anything like using your iPhone as a boarding pass - I find that at some point in the journey I have to get a paper one printed anyway. Whether that's because a scanner is having trouble, or my phone dies!
 
Brian Y said:
If it's anything like using your iPhone as a boarding pass - I find that at some point in the journey I have to get a paper one printed anyway. Whether that's because a scanner is having trouble, or my phone dies!
Click to expand...

I travel just about every week and almost never use a paper boarding pass. The only time is when I need to go to the agent to pay for more upgrades, and then they'll go ahead and print my first class boarding pass right there for me.

Otherwise - I'm always iPhone/electronic boarding pass on American Airlines.

I'm really looking forward to boarding passes on the :apple:Watch.
 
Those of you who use electronic boarding passes - what does the TSA do to confirm you've passed their ID inspection? On every trip I've been on, the TSA agent scribbles some signature on the paper boarding pass after they've checked my ID. What do they do instead?
 
Last edited:
bumpylumpy said:
Those of you who use electronic boarding passes - what does the TSA do to confirm you've passed their ID inspection? On every trip I've been on, the TSA agent scribbles some signature on the paper boarding pass after they've checked my ID. What do they instead?
Click to expand...

When I've been through an electronic BP TSA checkpoint they don't write anything down.

I believe the notes aren't anything official, they're just a reference for staff manning the scanners (e.g. if you've been picked for an enhanced search, etc).
 
bumpylumpy said:
Those of you who use electronic boarding passes - what does the TSA do to confirm you've passed their ID inspection? On every trip I've been on, the TSA agent scribbles some signature on the paper boarding pass after they've checked my ID. What do they do instead?
Click to expand...

They don't have to write anything. The read their screen, make sure the information from the electronic boarding pass matches my ID, they put the ID under some ultraviolet light thingy, then hand it back and wave me through...
 
Brian Y said:
When I've been through an electronic BP TSA checkpoint they don't write anything down.

I believe the notes aren't anything official, they're just a reference for staff manning the scanners (e.g. if you've been picked for an enhanced search, etc).
Click to expand...

Therein lies the question: Are you less likely to be flagged if you use your phone/watch as a boarding pass?
 
I don't think TSA will give a damn where the QR is, they just need to see it on some device. Been using iphone and passbook, never a problem, have not printed a boarding pass in 2 years. Fly 8 times a month.
 
I have a question, if I purchase 2 airline tickets, can I put one boarding pass on my phone/watch, and the other pass on my wife's phone/watch?
 
overlyunderme said:
Yes, you do not have to lay your phone down on the screen, but some of the TSA readers and airline boarding pass readers have a top section, so you would have to be careful putting your wrist in there when using the watch.
Click to expand...

There was a recent article by someone who used the Delta boarding pass app on his Android Wear watch.

He was excited about it at first, but soon ran across reader orientations where he had practically had to twist his arm off to get it to read the watch on his wrist.

Remember, it's not like a phone which is not tied down to your arm.

His conclusion was that it was really cool, but he wasn't going to use it any more.
 
kdarling said:
There was a recent article by someone who used the Delta boarding pass app on his Android Wear watch.

He was excited about it at first, but soon ran across reader orientations where he had practically had to twist his arm off to get it to read the watch on his wrist.

Remember, it's not like a phone which is not tied down to your arm.

His conclusion was that it was really cool, but he wasn't going to use it any more.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my recollection of the TSA barcode readers is that the scanner is usually facing up, which would require twisting your arm so that the watch is facing the floor.

I imagine one day these scanners will offer NFC as an option in addition to barcodes.
 
briankeith513 said:
So how do you put one boarding pass on each phone? Do you need to log into the airline's app on both devices, and then it will allow you to save it to each device?
Click to expand...

Or forward the email containing the electronic boarding pass to your wife's phone and she can open it from there (they send separate email for each boarding pass). No idea if this will work on the watch though.
 
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