Alaska Airlines Unveils New Check-in Facility In Seattle
Business Travel Executive Redline News, 10/18/2007
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have opened the first phase of their $18 million "Airport of the Future" check-in facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Traditional ticket counters have been replaced with check-in kiosks and bag-check stations. The first of the project's three islands has opened to serve Alaska customers, with the second and third islands slated to open by mid-2008. The new facility will serve Horizon customers beginning in February 2008.
The first island has 11 check-in kiosks and 16 bag-check stations. When completed, the facility's three islands will offer 50 check-in kiosks and 56 bag-check stations. Alaska and Horizon will continue to operate a portion of their traditional ticket counters during the construction.
Alaska Airlines introduced its new design of the check-in area in 2004 at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, where the project reduced congestion and cut customer wait times in half, claimed the airline. The airline has implemented similar, though smaller-scale, designs in Los Angeles; Boise, Idaho; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and several locations in Alaska.