Continental Airlines claims it is the first carrier to offer mobile boarding passes on nonstop flights from Britain to the United States.

The airline has expanded its mobile boarding pass service to London?s Heathrow Airport. Consumers can now receive boarding passes electronically on their mobile devices or PDAs.

?A mobile boarding pass is the type of self-service product our customers have told us they want,? said Mary Clark, spokesperson at Continental Airlines, Houston. ?It saves them time and offers them more control of their travel experience.?
 
Paperless route
The mobile passes display a two-dimensional bar code with passenger and flight information, which scans at the security checkpoint and boarding gate.

The technology of the mobile boarding passes helps prevent manipulation or duplication of the boarding passes and heighten security.

Additionally, consumers can access their flight information, view onboard amenities and track the status of their flights, all on their handset.

Continental currently offers mobile boarding passes at 42 of its airports, including hubs in New York, Houston and Cleveland.

The airline is looking to expand its mobile boarding passes to more locations next month including, Albuquerque, El Paso, Fort Myers, Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

?By eliminating the need to print a paper boarding pass it also reduces paper waste,? Ms. Clark said.

The airline was also the first to offer mobile boarding passes from an international destination when it launched the service at Frankfurt Airport last year.

New heights
Alaska Airlines recently introduced electronic boarding passes in seven cities. Consumers who fly with the airline also can use their paperless passes to view flight information and expedite their airport check-in process (see story).

Continental airlines was the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes in the U.S. in a pilot program with the Transportation Security Administration in 2007.

Last fall, the airline passed a million mark for flyers who used mobile boarding passes.

Anyone can access their mobile boarding passes as long as they have a Web-enabled phone.

This isn?t Continental?s first foray into mobile. The airline ran mobile ads last October and had a mobile sweepstakes that targeted Hispanic males and females ages 27-45?both Spanish- and English-speakers?in the New York and Houston metro areas. (see story)

?We are continuing to look for new features that customers might want,? Ms. Clark said.