Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has unveiled self-service check-in kiosks — Flightcheck — at South Africa’s four major airports, OR Tambo, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
Acsa said in a statement on Monday that 36 kiosks have been installed and plans are under way to add a further 70, bringing the total investment to around R20-million for the 106 kiosks.
The kiosks will go a long way in alleviating pressure at the traditional check-in counters and offer a secure and faster alternative to the traditional check-in process, Acsa said.
Acsa said that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Kenya Airways had started using the system and were seeing benefits.
“The feedback we have received so far is that there are benefits in terms of cost, terminal space-savings, better use of resources, improved efficiency and better customer service. South African Airways, South African Express and Airlink will join the two airlines this week while other airlines such as Nationwide Airlines are expected to join soon,” said Acsa.
While the concept of self-service check-in airport kiosks is not new, Acsa is one of the first airport companies in the world to introduce kiosks that can be used by all the airlines.
The kiosks look much like ATMs and are easy to use with simple touch screen display icons and text instructions for passengers. During the initial stages, Acsa has made additional temporary staff available to assist passengers in using the new technology. – I-Net Bridge