Delta, NWA start paper-free boarding in Twin Cities

Twin Cities travelers can download boarding passes onto mobile devices such as a BlackBerry and hand the devices to TSA agents.

By LIZ FEDOR, Star Tribune

Last update: December 11, 2008 - 9:18 PM

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Paperless boarding is being introduced today at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for domestic flights on Northwest and Delta airlines.

Travelers who have a BlackBerry or other mobile device can download their boarding passes from www.nwa.com or www.delta.com. Then they'll hand those devices for scanning to federal security screeners and airline gate agents before to boarding their flights.

Electronic boarding passes were tested more than a year ago at the Houston airport and are now at 14 airports, said Carrie Harmon, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.

Harmon said the passes feature "a two dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information that will identify the traveler."

TSA, Delta and airport officials will demonstrate the new technology today at the airport.

"Delta's time-saving technology puts customers in control of their experience and provides them with valuable convenience," said Jackie Astleford, Delta's director of delta.com and self service. She added that a passenger could receive an electronic boarding pass while riding in a taxi or walking from an airport parking lot to the terminal, saving the trouble of stopping at an airport kiosk to print a boarding pass.

"It's just like having a computer in your hand," said Delta spokesman Anthony Black.

Harmon said the TSA chose to test the technology in a variety of airports with different airlines and found that the electronic pass is "another step toward protecting against the use of fraudulent boarding passes." At security checkpoints, TSA workers will check customer identifications and scan the electronic passes.

Liz Fedor • 612-673-7709

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