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

StB Bar Coded Boarding Pass Implementation Guide
6.2. Baggage drop-off
Passengers who have printed their boarding pass at home and have to check bags do not want
to wait at the check-in desks. Airlines have created ad-hoc baggage drop off points. In a selfservice
environment, the baggage drop off becomes automated and the passenger uses a BCBP
to initiate the transaction that will issue the baggage tag (see fig. 60).
Figure 62 - Illustration of automated bag drop courtesy of IER
Baggage drop-off point should be advertised at the time of web check-in (see fig. 61) and inside
the airport, so that the passenger does not waste time in line at the check-in desk.
Figure 63 - Advertisement for new baggage drop-off service courtesy of Air France
In the case of common use baggage drop, the system may require to populate item 23 in the bar
code with the licence plate numbers.
The recommended process is defined by the Common Use Bag Drop committee. Airlines can
decide to populate several tags in the bar code but to activate in the system only the tags that
have been scanned at the bag drop point. Airlines can either provide a detachable stub, or
simply provide a new bar code with activated bag tag numbers.
6.3. Boarding gate
There are two key issues when a passenger shows up at the gate with a BCBP: ensure that the
BCBP belongs to the owner, and handle the boarding pass properly.
6.3.1. Passenger processing
The Operating Carrier is supposed to check the identity of the passenger. With a home printed
BCBP this check may be carried out at the gate, i.e. the last stage in the process. The purpose of
passenger identification is to make sure that the person boarding is entitled to the flight.
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