On Nov. 1 British Airways will launch its remote check-in service, letting travelers check-in for flights from any location through their mobile devices.

Mobile check-in is made possible by the British Airways mobile Web site, powered by Usablenet. It is a free service available across global markets in 11 languages, with no need of additional downloads or software.

"British Airways' brand as an airline is a service-based company, they are not a low cost airline, and they cater to travelers who want extra service," said Jason Taylor, vice president of mobile products for Usablenet, New York. "They want to provide the best services for travelers, and in a survey of people who use their Web check-in service, they found that 40 percent didn't use Web check-in on the return trip because they didn't have their computer with them.

"Mobile check-in lets them use the same feature on the return trip," he said. "This benefits the brand on a service level, providing convenience for customers, and the practical aspect, driving people to check-in via the Web and mobile saves the airline money."

In fact, a traditional counter costs the airline about three times as much as Web or mobile check-in.

"Mobile check-in is the same as Web check in, but on your handset, and that provides cost savings for the airline," Mr. Taylor said. "Factors driving airlines to encourage Web and mobile check-in include lower operational costs and more convenient service for customers -- self-service extends the value add for the end user and the airline."

By logging on to http://www.ba.com/mobile with any Web-enabled mobile device, customers can access the British Airways timetable, as well as select seats and check-in individuals, groups and families for departure and/or return flights in real-time.

Supported languages include English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Hungarian, Polish and Swedish.

This is phase one of British Airways' mobile strategy.

"Most airlines see mobile as a natural progression for them, since their travelers are mobile and they all have handsets," Mr. Taylor said. "American Airlines provides every feature on their mobile site that they do on their Web site."

American Airlines recently announced a partnership with British Airways, which allows them to share schedules and is as close to a merger as you can get.

It is a signal that British Airways could follow the model of American Airlines' comprehensive mobile site.

British Airlines' site recognizes each consumer's mobile device and generates a site that is optimized for it.

While Usablenet clients, including American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, JetBlue and Airtran all enable mobile check-in, British Airlways is unique in that it provides mobile check-in for every region that it operates worldwide, for a total of 72 regions.

Once consumers check in via their handset, they enter their confirmation number into a British Airways' kiosk to print out their boarding pass.

The screen then tells them to drop off their luggage at the British Airways luggage counter

Usablenet's mobile Web platform, Usablenet Mobile, is a fully managed service that lets companies translate all existing Web site functionality to a full-featured mobile interface.

Usablenet Mobile provides leading brands with a new channel to extend marketing, commerce and client service efforts to their customers' mobile phones.

The service requires no IT resources on the client side, works on all Web-enabled mobile devices worldwide and can be implemented in six weeks.

Usablenet customers include American Airlines, Amtrak, Limited Brands, Nissan and Pfizer.

The TSA has participated in trials with American Airlines for mobile barcode check-in, letting consumers skip the kiosk step, which would be the next logical progression of the mobile service.

British airlines will promote mobile check-in with the day-of-travel emails it sends out, which will include a link to the mobile check-in option.

It will also promote the mobile service on its PC Web site and via campaigns with frequent fliers, including content in the November issue of its on-board magazine.

"We are proud to be the first UK airline to offer a remote check-in service in 11 languages," said Chris Carmichael, innovation and planning manager for British Airways, in a written statement. "We recognize that our customers have busy lifestyles, and by offering greater accessibility, we hope to enhance their overall travel experience."