Airport check-in is the process whereby an airline approves airplane passengers to board an airplane for a flight. Airlines typically use service counters found at airports for this process, and the check-in is normally handled by an airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline. Passengers usually hand over any baggage that they do not wish or are not allowed to carry in the aircraft 's cabin and receive a boarding pass before they can proceed to board their aircraft.
62-721: The Seoul Station City Airport Terminal ( SCAT ) is a in-town early check-in service for passengers to the Incheon International Airport , located in the Seoul Station of Downtown Seoul , South Korea , operating from 29 December 2010 under AREX company. After the CALT closed its in-town check-in service operation at Gangnam in 2023, the Seoul City Terminal is the only available place in Seoul where in-town check-in service
124-545: A terahertz frequency identification (TFID) tag that is barely 1 square millimeter in size. The devices are essentially a piece of silicon that are inexpensive, small, and function like larger RFID tags. Because of the small size, manufacturers could tag any product and track logistics information for minimal cost. An RFID tag can be affixed to an object and used to track tools, equipment, inventory, assets, people, or other objects. RFID offers advantages over manual systems or use of barcodes . The tag can be read if passed near
186-566: A South Korean airport is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Airport check-in#In-town check-in Check-in is usually the first procedure for a passenger when arriving at an airport, as airline regulations require passengers to check in by certain times prior to the departure of a flight. This duration spans from 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on the destination and airline (with self check in, this can be expanded to 30 days, if checking in by online processes). During this process,
248-508: A battery and thus can be read at a greater range from the RFID reader, up to hundreds of meters. Unlike a barcode , the tag does not need to be within the line of sight of the reader, so it may be embedded in the tracked object. RFID is one method of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC). RFID tags are used in many industries. For example, an RFID tag attached to an automobile during production can be used to track its progress through
310-402: A certain frequent flyer program membership card (usually the higher-level tiers), or any other arrangements with the carrier, access to the premium check-in area and/or the lounge may be offered. Premium check-in areas vary among airlines and airports. The main airport in which an airline hub is located normally offers a more thorough and exclusive premium check-in experience, normally inside
372-560: A certain distance of the reader to authenticate the holder. Tags can also be placed on vehicles, which can be read at a distance, to allow entrance to controlled areas without having to stop the vehicle and present a card or enter an access code. In 2010, Vail Resorts began using UHF Passive RFID tags in ski passes. Facebook is using RFID cards at most of their live events to allow guests to automatically capture and post photos. Automotive brands have adopted RFID for social media product placement more quickly than other industries. Mercedes
434-539: A day ahead of time. This service allows passengers to take a train to the airport without the burden of carrying their luggage to the airport terminal; Also, elected airports in London, Geneva and Zurich, people make use of baggage collection service such as Airport where bags are collected from home. RFID Radio-frequency identification ( RFID ) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of
496-407: A dedicated application. The process is then similar to that which one would expect when checking in using a personal computer. At the end of the mobile check-in process, some airlines send a mobile boarding pass to a passenger's mobile device, which can be scanned at the airport during security checks and boarding. However, others send an electronic confirmation with a barcode that can be presented to
558-441: A dedicated curb side entrance and can wait at couches while staff assist them in checking-in. They are then led to a dedicated passport control counter. Emirates provides its first-class/business-class customers with individual and separate check-in lane at its hub DXB , to divide most economy-class customers from main check-in lobby apart, and then ensuring those first-class/business-class customers' privacy. SkyTeam provides
620-490: A flight. In order to meet this demand, some sites have offered travelers the ability to request an airline check-in prior to the 24-hour window and receive airline boarding passes by email when available from the airline. Some airlines charge for the privilege of early check-in before the 24-hour window opens, thus capitalising on the demand for desirable seats such as those immediately behind a bulkhead or emergency exit row, such as Ryanair, which allow check-in up to 60 days before
682-409: A particular product. Often more than one tag will respond to a tag reader. For example, many individual products with tags may be shipped in a common box or on a common pallet. Collision detection is important to allow reading of data. Two different types of protocols are used to "singulate" a particular tag, allowing its data to be read in the midst of many similar tags. In a slotted Aloha system,
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#1732855415281744-578: A passenger is checked on all the onward flights and has boarding passes for all the connecting flights and bags are also through checked i.e. passenger does not need to recheck him/herself and the baggage again on the transit, then the check-in is known as through check-in. At the time of check-in, one of the agent's primary duties is to check for valid documents. This includes tickets, passports, visas , letters of consent, and in some cases, passengers' address and contact details to comply with immigration requirements. Some airlines may ask passengers to present
806-723: A reader, even if it is covered by the object or not visible. The tag can be read inside a case, carton, box or other container, and unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read hundreds at a time; barcodes can only be read one at a time using current devices. Some RFID tags, such as battery-assisted passive tags, are also able to monitor temperature and humidity. In 2011, the cost of passive tags started at US$ 0.09 each; special tags, meant to be mounted on metal or withstand gamma sterilization, could cost up to US$ 5. Active tags for tracking containers, medical assets, or monitoring environmental conditions in data centers started at US$ 50 and could be over US$ 100 each. Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) tags were in
868-563: A separate check-in lounge. For example, Air New Zealand 's Auckland International premium check-in lounge provides a dedicated customs clearance counter and direct shortcut access to the security checkpoints. Airlines operating in minor airports generally offer an exclusive and separate premium check-in queue lane, often combined for its first, business, and/or premium economy passengers. Singapore Airlines also offers this service to First Class and Suites passengers, whose flights depart Singapore Changi Airport 's Terminal 3. These passengers have
930-788: A smartphone app. Electronic bag tags are designed to streamline the baggage check-in process, allowing passengers to pre-tag their luggage from anywhere before arriving at the airport. Once at the airport, passengers simply drop off their luggage at a designated self-service drop point or at a traditional check-in counter if preferred. This innovation reduces check-in time and also reduces the chance of lost luggage, as electronic tags are more durable and less likely to be misplaced or damaged during handling. Passengers can use their electronic bag tags from BAGTAG with Lufthansa , Qatar Airways , Alaska Airlines , KLM , SWISS , Austrian Airlines , Air Dolomiti , Discover Airlines , Icelandair , Aegean , Horizon Air , Skywest and China Southern . Usually at
992-510: A special tool or deactivated electronically when payment is made. On leaving the shop, customers have to pass near an RFID detector; if they have items with active RFID tags, an alarm sounds, both indicating an unpaid-for item, and identifying what it is. Casinos can use RFID to authenticate poker chips , and can selectively invalidate any chips known to be stolen. RFID tags are widely used in identification badges , replacing earlier magnetic stripe cards. These badges need only be held within
1054-436: A tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver , and a transmitter . When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number , back to the reader. This number can be used to track inventory goods. Passive tags are powered by energy from the RFID reader's interrogating radio waves . Active tags are powered by
1116-441: Is a fuzzy method for process support. From the perspective of cost and effect, bulk reading is not reported as an economical approach to secure process control in logistics. RFID tags are easy to conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers at Bristol University successfully glued RFID micro-transponders to live ants in order to study their behavior. This trend towards increasingly miniaturized RFIDs
1178-436: Is a service offered by some cities such as Abu Dhabi , Seoul , Hong Kong , Delhi , Kuala Lumpur–International , London , Stockholm , Vienna and Taipei , where passengers may check in luggage in designated places within the city but outside the airport. This reduces check-in time and queuing at the airport. If passenger is checked in for only one sector of the flight, then it is called destination or point check-in. If
1240-460: Is a strategy for interrogating multiple tags at the same time, but lacks sufficient precision for inventory control. A group of objects, all of them RFID tagged, are read completely from one single reader position at one time. However, as tags respond strictly sequentially, the time needed for bulk reading grows linearly with the number of labels to be read. This means it takes at least twice as long to read twice as many labels. Due to collision effects,
1302-460: Is expected to rise from US$ 12.08 billion in 2020 to US$ 16.23 billion by 2029. In 1945, Leon Theremin invented the "Thing", a listening device for the Soviet Union which retransmitted incident radio waves with the added audio information. Sound waves vibrated a diaphragm which slightly altered the shape of the resonator , which modulated the reflected radio frequency. Even though this device
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#17328554152811364-411: Is generally promoted by the airlines to passengers as being easier and faster because it reduces the time a passenger would normally spend at an airport check-in counter. Some airlines, however, would still require passengers to proceed to a check-in counter at the airport, regardless of preferred check-in method, for document verification (e.g., to travel to countries where a visa is required, or to ensure
1426-507: Is likely to continue as technology advances. Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05 mm × 0.05 mm. This is 1/64th the size of the previous record holder, the mu-chip. Manufacture is enabled by using the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process. These dust-sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM). A major challenge is the attachment of antennas, thus limiting read range to only millimeters. In early 2020, MIT researchers demonstrated
1488-408: Is not reliable. Bulk reading can be a rough guide for logistics decisions, but due to a high proportion of reading failures, it is not (yet) suitable for inventory management. However, when a single RFID tag might be seen as not guaranteeing a proper read, multiple RFID tags, where at least one will respond, may be a safer approach for detecting a known grouping of objects. In this respect, bulk reading
1550-400: Is offered on the airline's website not earlier than 24 hours before a flight's scheduled departure or seven days for Internet Check-In Assistant. However, some airlines allow a longer time, such as easyJet , which opens it 30 days beforehand. Depending on the airline, there can be benefits of better seating or upgrades to first class or business class offered to the first people to check in for
1612-438: Is prescribed by the airline and anything in excess may be refused or warrant additional surcharges, at the airline’s discretion. Some airlines have a self-check-in process allowing passengers with bags to check-in at Self Bag Drop machines. Passengers then attach the baggage tag and drop the bag at the baggage drop belt. Passengers without checked luggage can go straight to the lounge (if entitled to lounge access) and check in at
1674-586: Is provided. In the Seoul Station City Airport Terminal, several designated airlines offer in-town early check-in service including luggage registration and hand over. From April 2024, there are 9 airlines offering in-town check-in services at the Terminal; Korean Air , Asiana Airlines , Jeju Air , T'way Air , Air Seoul , Air Busan , Jin Air , Lufthansa , and Eastar Jet . This article about
1736-438: Is the landmark 1948 paper by Harry Stockman, who predicted that "Considerable research and development work has to be done before the remaining basic problems in reflected-power communication are solved, and before the field of useful applications is explored." Mario Cardullo 's device, patented on January 23, 1973, was the first true ancestor of modern RFID, as it was a passive radio transponder with memory. The initial device
1798-428: Is used in intelligent transportation systems . In New York City , RFID readers are deployed at intersections to track E-ZPass tags as a means for monitoring the traffic flow. The data is fed through the broadband wireless infrastructure to the traffic management center to be used in adaptive traffic control of the traffic lights. Where ship, rail, or highway tanks are being loaded, a fixed RFID antenna contained in
1860-407: The assembly line , RFID-tagged pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses, and implanting RFID microchips in livestock and pets enables positive identification of animals. Tags can also be used in shops to expedite checkout, and to prevent theft by customers and employees. Since RFID tags can be attached to physical money, clothing, and possessions, or implanted in animals and people,
1922-582: The railroad industry, RFID tags mounted on locomotives and rolling stock identify the owner, identification number and type of equipment and its characteristics. This can be used with a database to identify the type, origin, destination, etc. of the commodities being carried. In commercial aviation, RFID is used to support maintenance on commercial aircraft. RFID tags are used to identify baggage and cargo at several airports and airlines. Some countries are using RFID for vehicle registration and enforcement. RFID can help detect and retrieve stolen cars. RFID
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1984-649: The French retailer Decathlon , customers perform self-checkout by either using a smartphone or putting items into a bin near the register that scans the tags without having to orient each one toward the scanner. Some stores use RFID-tagged items to trigger systems that provide customers with more information or suggestions, such as fitting rooms at Chanel and the "Color Bar" at Kendra Scott stores. Item tagging can also provide protection against theft by customers and employees by using electronic article surveillance (EAS). Tags of different types can be physically removed with
2046-509: The US$ 3–10 range. RFID can be used in a variety of applications, such as: In 2010, three factors drove a significant increase in RFID usage: decreased cost of equipment and tags, increased performance to a reliability of 99.9%, and a stable international standard around HF and UHF passive RFID. The adoption of these standards were driven by EPCglobal, a joint venture between GS1 and GS1 US , which were responsible for driving global adoption of
2108-679: The barcode in the 1970s and 1980s. The EPCglobal Network was developed by the Auto-ID Center . RFID provides a way for organizations to identify and manage stock, tools and equipment ( asset tracking ), etc. without manual data entry. Manufactured products such as automobiles or garments can be tracked through the factory and through shipping to the customer. Automatic identification with RFID can be used for inventory systems. Many organisations require that their vendors place RFID tags on all shipments to improve supply chain management . Warehouse Management System incorporate this technology to speed up
2170-528: The credit card used to purchase is genuine and/or matches the identity of the person who made the purchase). If passengers need to continue the check-in process at the airport after performing an online check-in, a special lane is typically offered to them to reduce wait times unless all desks are designated as baggage drop-off points. Furthermore, online check-in for a flight is often available earlier than its in-person counterpart. The process then transfers to passengers' control over their check-in. Airlines may use
2232-437: The field produced by the reader by changing the electrical loading the tag represents. By switching between lower and higher relative loads, the tag produces a change that the reader can detect. At UHF and higher frequencies, the tag is more than one radio wavelength away from the reader, requiring a different approach. The tag can backscatter a signal. Active tags may contain functionally separated transmitters and receivers, and
2294-405: The flight for passengers who pay for a seat reservation. In the mid-late 2000s, checking in was made possible using a passenger's mobile phone or PDA . A GPRS or 4G-capable smartphone or an internet-capable PDA is required in most instances (Finnair allows check-in by text message), and the check-in feature may be accessed by keying in a website on the mobile phone's browser or by downloading
2356-432: The kiosk there using their ePass (a small RFID device only for its premium customers) or proceed straight to the departure gate. Many airlines use electronic check-in such as ePass, mPass, or similar mobile apps, and these applications serve as the boarding pass. More and more airlines are also allowing the use of electronic bag tags, which replace the traditional paper tags with a digital version that can be updated via
2418-451: The organization number is assigned by the EPCGlobal consortium. The next 24 bits are an object class, identifying the kind of product. The last 36 bits are a unique serial number for a particular tag. These last two fields are set by the organization that issued the tag. Rather like a URL , the total electronic product code number can be used as a key into a global database to uniquely identify
2480-436: The original credit card used for payment. At the time of check-in, the passenger hands over baggage which is checked by the airport security and may be sealed (subject to the security regulations in that country). Anything that is above the weight limit or which is not allowed to be carried by the passenger themselves in the aircraft cabin is usually handed over to the agent at the time of check-in. The baggage allowance, if any,
2542-565: The passenger often has the ability to ask for special accommodations such as seating preferences, inquire about flight or destination information, accumulate frequent flyer program miles, or pay for upgrades. The airline check-in's main function, however, is to accept luggage that is to go in the aircraft's cargo hold and issue boarding passes. The required time is sometimes written in the reservation, sometimes written somewhere in websites, and sometimes only referred as "passengers should allow sufficient time for check-in". In-town check-in service
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2604-473: The possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised serious privacy concerns. These concerns resulted in standard specifications development addressing privacy and security issues. In 2014, the world RFID market was worth US$ 8.89 billion , up from US$ 7.77 billion in 2013 and US$ 6.96 billion in 2012. This figure includes tags, readers, and software/services for RFID cards, labels, fobs, and all other form factors. The market value
2666-463: The priority check-in service "SkyPriority", whose members could access the check-in counter to authorize the prioritized check-in service, along with the larger luggage capacity. In some cities (including Dubai, Sharjah, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Chennai, Seoul, Vienna and Taipei), certain airlines provide in-town check-in services, allowing passengers to check their luggage at check-in counters located in railway or subway terminals as much as
2728-528: The radio energy transmitted by the reader. However, to operate a passive tag, it must be illuminated with a power level roughly a thousand times stronger than an active tag for signal transmission. Tags may either be read-only, having a factory-assigned serial number that is used as a key into a database, or may be read/write, where object-specific data can be written into the tag by the system user. Field programmable tags may be write-once, read-multiple; "blank" tags may be written with an electronic product code by
2790-423: The range of the RFID reader and read them simultaneously. RFID systems can be classified by the type of tag and reader. There are 3 types: Fixed readers are set up to create a specific interrogation zone which can be tightly controlled. This allows a highly defined reading area for when tags go in and out of the interrogation zone. Mobile readers may be handheld or mounted on carts or vehicles. Signaling between
2852-410: The reader and the tag is done in several different incompatible ways, depending on the frequency band used by the tag. Tags operating on LF and HF bands are, in terms of radio wavelength, very close to the reader antenna because they are only a small percentage of a wavelength away. In this near field region, the tag is closely coupled electrically with the transmitter in the reader. The tag can modulate
2914-484: The reader broadcasts an initialization command and a parameter that the tags individually use to pseudo-randomly delay their responses. When using an "adaptive binary tree" protocol, the reader sends an initialization symbol and then transmits one bit of ID data at a time; only tags with matching bits respond, and eventually only one tag matches the complete ID string. Both methods have drawbacks when used with many tags or with multiple overlapping readers. "Bulk reading"
2976-425: The receiving and delivery of the products and reduce the cost of labor needed in their warehouses. RFID is used for item-level tagging in retail stores. This can enable more accurate and lower-labor-cost supply chain and store inventory tracking, as is done at Lululemon , though physically locating items in stores requires more expensive technology. RFID tags can be used at checkout; for example, at some stores of
3038-497: The second quarter of 1999, and was available to the general public on selected flights the following quarter. Since then, a growing number of airlines have introduced the system. British Airways were the first airline to deploy online check-in globally having sealed approval from both the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority and FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) for use of the 3-D Barcode technology. Typically, web-based check-in for airline travel
3100-426: The staff at check-in or scanned at the kiosks to continue the check-in process (i.e., to have boarding passes issued). One disadvantage of early check-in is that it puts a restriction on a person's agent changing their flight. As the ticket coupon has to be reset back to OPEN again prior to any changes being made, this may take some time to arrange. If the passenger carries a first or business class ticket or presents
3162-483: The system because self-service is frequently more efficient to operate, with a greater ability to cope with surges in passenger numbers. It also lessens activity at the airport, saving airlines money and reducing passenger waiting times. Ryanair charges passengers a fee which can amount to 60 Euros for not using online check-in, except in certain limited circumstances. Furthermore, by the start of 2010, all passengers were required to check in online, therefore abolishing
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#17328554152813224-414: The tag need not respond on a frequency related to the reader's interrogation signal. An Electronic Product Code (EPC) is one common type of data stored in a tag. When written into the tag by an RFID printer, the tag contains a 96-bit string of data. The first eight bits are a header which identifies the version of the protocol. The next 28 bits identify the organization that manages the data for this tag;
3286-518: The time of check-in, an option of selecting a specific seat is offered, with passengers asked if they prefer a window or an aisle seat. Online check-in is the process in which passengers confirm their presence on a flight via the Internet and typically print their own boarding passes. Depending on the carrier and the specific flight, passengers may also enter details such as meal options and baggage quantities and select their preferred seating. This service
3348-572: The time required is greater. A group of tags has to be illuminated by the interrogating signal just like a single tag. This is not a challenge concerning energy, but with respect to visibility; if any of the tags are shielded by other tags, they might not be sufficiently illuminated to return a sufficient response. The response conditions for inductively coupled HF RFID tags and coil antennas in magnetic fields appear better than for UHF or SHF dipole fields, but then distance limits apply and may prevent success. Under operational conditions, bulk reading
3410-403: The transmission and sensor data, respectively. RFID tags can be either passive, active or battery-assisted passive. An active tag has an on-board battery and periodically transmits its ID signal. A battery-assisted passive tag has a small battery on board and is activated when in the presence of an RFID reader. A passive tag is cheaper and smaller because it has no battery; instead, the tag uses
3472-454: The use of check-in desks. Despite this, passengers are still charged to print their boarding cards out. Online check-in is increasingly becoming required in other legacy carriers, particularly in Europe as the airport check-in desks are being relegated as baggage drop points only. Alaska Airlines was the first to offer online check-in. The system was first offered on a limited basis starting in
3534-410: The user. The RFID tag receives the message and then responds with its identification and other information. This may be only a unique tag serial number, or may be product-related information such as a stock number, lot or batch number, production date, or other specific information. Since tags have individual serial numbers, the RFID system design can discriminate among several tags that might be within
3596-633: Was a covert listening device , rather than an identification tag, it is considered to be a predecessor of RFID because it was passive, being energised and activated by waves from an outside source. Similar technology, such as the Identification friend or foe transponder , was routinely used by the Allies and Germany in World War II to identify aircraft as friendly or hostile. Transponders are still used by most powered aircraft. An early work exploring RFID
3658-544: Was an early adopter in 2011 at the PGA Golf Championships , and by the 2013 Geneva Motor Show many of the larger brands were using RFID for social media marketing. To prevent retailers diverting products, manufacturers are exploring the use of RFID tags on promoted merchandise so that they can track exactly which product has sold through the supply chain at fully discounted prices. Yard management, shipping and freight and distribution centers use RFID tracking. In
3720-484: Was granted to David Everett, John Frech, Theodore Wright, and Kelly Rodriguez. A radio-frequency identification system uses tags , or labels attached to the objects to be identified. Two-way radio transmitter-receivers called interrogators or readers send a signal to the tag and read its response. RFID tags are made out of three pieces: The tag information is stored in a non-volatile memory. The RFID tag includes either fixed or programmable logic for processing
3782-929: Was passive, powered by the interrogating signal, and was demonstrated in 1971 to the New York Port Authority and other potential users. It consisted of a transponder with 16 bit memory for use as a toll device . The basic Cardullo patent covers the use of radio frequency (RF), sound and light as transmission carriers. The original business plan presented to investors in 1969 showed uses in transportation (automotive vehicle identification, automatic toll system, electronic license plate , electronic manifest, vehicle routing, vehicle performance monitoring), banking (electronic chequebook, electronic credit card), security (personnel identification, automatic gates, surveillance) and medical (identification, patient history). In 1973, an early demonstration of reflected power (modulated backscatter) RFID tags, both passive and semi-passive,
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#17328554152813844-520: Was performed by Steven Depp, Alfred Koelle and Robert Freyman at the Los Alamos National Laboratory . The portable system operated at 915 MHz and used 12-bit tags. This technique is used by the majority of today's UHFID and microwave RFID tags. In 1983, the first patent to be associated with the abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton . In 1996, the first patent for a batteryless RFID passive tag with limited interference
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