Foreign flier? Check-in just got quicker

If you hate long waits at check-in counters before flying abroad, come April, you can now jump the queue, reports Soubhik Mitra.

If you hate long waits at check-in counters before flying abroad, come April, you can now jump the queue.

International fliers can get boarding passes, select seats and immediately check-in their luggage, thanks to the 30 Common Use Self Service (CUSS) kiosks to be set up in the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Passengers from New Delhi may, however, be able to avail of the facility from March, said a spokesperson of Delhi International Airport Limited.

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) will install 20 more CUSS kiosks in hotels close to the airport. "We are finalising the hotels where the service would be available," said an MIAL spokesperson.

The kiosks, to be installed by the GVK-led private consortia, will provide the option of paperless boarding, where a code will be sent to the flier’s cellphone. The International Air Transport Association has set a 2010 deadline for its implementation.

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CUSS will accompany the completion of the refurbishment of terminals 2B and 2C, which will now have 137 check-in counters from 99.

However, 15 of the 46 international airlines operating from Mumbai have CUSS-enabled systems. "We are expecting more airlines to become CUSS-enabled by the time it is introduced," said the spokesperson.