Fully automated routines offer smoother travel for SAS customers

Fully automated routines offer smoother travel for SAS customers Pre-departure routines for SAS passengers on domestic flights in Sweden, Norway and Denmark have now become much smoother. SAS is the first airline in the world to have a system that offers fully automated boarding routines: Turnstile, checking-in and seat selection in the same automated flow. And an increasing number of travelers are able to choose their favorite seat in ample time before their trip. Customers with Travel Pass/Travel Pass Corporate and busi-ness-price tickets choose a seat easily when making a reservation. A person who chooses a seat on the aircraft immediately prior to departure does not have to come to the airport earlier - a feature unique for SAS in the airline industry. "The fully automated routines reflect SAS' respect for its customers' demands for freedom of choice, and are also designed to create more efficient flows of passengers, which is something that customers also appreciate," says Peter Söderlund, who is responsible for development of SAS' ground-based products. Surveys show that five out of ten SAS customers have a favorite seat on an aircraft, one that the want to occupy each time they fly. Many who travel ticketless describe their preferences in their profile filed with SAS on the Internet, or in their profile at the travel agency in they have Travel Pass, and the system notes their wishes each time a reservation is made. Customers who travel on one of SAS' business-price plans as well as travelers who are EuroBonus members, easily reserve a seat on an aircraft when they book a ticket. A traveler who has not made a reservation in advance can use SAS Self Service automatic machines, or the traditional check-in counter, to check baggage. In practice, the fully automated routines are as follows: · The customer who is traveling ticketless runs his/her card through the scanner above the turnstile; if the customer has reserved a seat in advance, a receipt showing the seat is printed out. · If the traveler has not reserved a seat in advance, the screen above the turnstile displays a sketch showing the available seats, and after the traveler has pointed to the seat desired, a seat receipt is printed out. The traveler himself/herself sees which seats are available, rather than being assigned a seat. The traveler is now free to pass through the turnstile, he/she is checked in and has his/her seat. The seat receipt is printed out at the same time that checking-in system is working - a time-saving feature that benefits both the customer and SAS. For additional information, please contact: Peter Söderlund, Director Product Management On Ground and IT, tel +46 8 797 11 04 SAS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/08/01/20030801BIT00320/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/08/01/20030801BIT00320/wkr0002.pdf