Bar-Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) Implementation guide - IATA

BCBP technical implementation
The CRS is the reservation system providing the list of passengers booked for a flight.
The DCS is an application running either on a server that is hosted by the airline in a central
location or on a local airport server.
The CUTE is installed in the airport. The CUTE provides a connection to the DCS and to devices
such as printers and readers.
The bar code printed on the BCBP contains data coming from the CRS through the DCS and the
CUTE. The data, e.g. passenger name, are captured by the reader at the gate and sent back to
the CRS.
Any future evolution of the CUTE technical specification should include as strategic drivers:
• The use of commodity hardware and off-the-shelf software to reduce the total cost of
operation
• The consistency with IATA Resolution 792 ‘BCBP’
5.8.3. Client/Server architecture
The Server is called the Host, where the DCS is hosted. The Client is called the Terminal
Emulator, where the agent interacts with the system.
Upgrading the Terminal Emulator (TE) and deploying the latest version is one of the critical steps
in the implementation of BCBP.
Upgrading the TE requires its certification for the CUTE environments, such as SITA’s CUTE or
ARINC’s MUSE (see IATA Strategic Partners in Appendix).
The CUTE vendors will ask airlines to provide the new TE version to test it. Then the TE will be
deployed in each airport, where it will be tested on the local infrastructure.
The following aspects of the local infrastructure may be impacted:
• Boarding Gate Reader: CUTE workstation peripheral that reads magnetic stripes
• Laser Scan Reader: CUTE workstation peripheral that reads bar code data
Some reworking needs to be done on site with the CUTE operator.
The operator would proceed to a test flight. The airline should provide the operator with a test
environment, including test bar codes.
Just before starting the boarding process, the Departure Control System (DCS) sends the list of
checked-in passengers to both the Terminal Emulator (TE) and the Boarding Gate Reader (see
fig. 52). During the boarding process, the Boarding Gate Reader returns the names of
passengers boarded and the DCS submits a refreshed list of checked-in passengers.
DCS Host
Passenger
Name List
Terminal Emulator
Passenger
Name List
Bar code
reader 1
Bar code
reader 2
Figure 54 - Data flow of passenger list to gate readers
4 th edition - June 2009 - www.iata.org/stb/bcbp 67/128