Virgin Australia is rolling out a new check-in system this week, in a move designed to streamline the travel process and make the most of its investment in the SabreSonic booking system.
Smartphone-toting travellers already have access to the system, with tablet and desktop editions going live this Thursday, August 28.
In addition to a simplified design, the check-in screens also show the weather at your destination.
Desktop users will be able to generate an SMS or email boarding pass, something which until now has been an exclusive perk of mobile check-in, and also purchase additional baggage and extra leg-room.
Travellers can already select and pay for an exit row seat when booking a Virgin Australia flight, but can also nab one of these prized seats for free at the airport if they haven't all been snapped up.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson confirmed to Australian Business Traveller that there are no changes to this process, but that the new online check-in option will give travellers one last chance to lock-in that roomy seat before they're made available at no charge.
And, if you're in control of a group travel booking, there's also the facility to check-in the entire group before everyone arrives at the airport. Now that's a time-saver!
"Up to 20,000 of our customers check-in online each day and we see consistent growth across all of our online check-in channels each month, making it a key part of our customers' experience" says Virgin Australia Chief Commercial Officer Judith Crompton.
“We know that remote check-in functionality is an extremely important feature and this latest innovation delivers a better experience and increased choice for customers, with an intuitive interface and a range of options to aid their journey."
For more information, click to Virgin Australia's How to Check-in Online website.
Also read: Virgin Australia, Qantas now allow gate-to-gate gadgets
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
19 Jul 2012
Total posts 13
Great news unless you have upgraded your ticket... no more online check in for you!
29 Aug 2014
Total posts 3
Tell us more... how to you know, and what do you know?
19 Jul 2012
Total posts 13
Seems VA is more interested in keeping travel agents happy than the premium FFers who upgrade using points. If a PAX upgrades using points the ticket needs to be reissued. In the past when this happened the Travel Agent lost control of the booking so now the ticket is no longer is reissued, which means you cannot check in on line and the reissue occurs at the airport. QF manages to do this, don't know why VA can't sort it out.
27 Aug 2014
Total posts 1
I heard that this is a custom built product that VA has done themselves, has nothing to do with Sabre. This looks like a massive step up from the existing Sabre webcheck product that used to be on offer.
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