Scandinavian Airlines leverages NFC to get frequent flyers through terminals faster

Scandinavian Airlines NFC Technology

Scandinavian Airlines NFC Technology
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is planning to reward their frequent flyers with NFC-powered benefits. The airline is currently testing their “SAS Smart Pass” in select areas.

The service is aimed at making the traveling experience much more fluid and engaging. Pending the success of preliminary trials, the airline has plans to launch the full service to their exclusive EuroBonus Gold members in September. NFC is becoming a popular medium for companies looking to garner the favor of mobile consumers. Indeed, many smart phones are being released already equipped to interface with NFC technology.

The SAS Smart Pass will be a sticker which frequent flyers can stamp onto their mobile devices. The sticker holds basic self-identifying information and will allow them to get through processing much faster than those without the Smart Pass. Travelers will also be able to use the NFC tag to make purchases at several of the duty-free shops found in airports.

“We can see that NFC is the future,” says Lena Rokaas, vice president for product and customer service for SAS. The airline is the first to use the technology.

The increase of mobile consumers has not gone unnoticed by other airlines, but many have opted to make use of QR codes instead of NFC technology. The codes allow for the same services as SAS’s Smart Pass. QR codes have been gaining in popularity among mobile users and businesses due to their ease of use and accessibility. NFC is following this trend and, in some regard, is being considered the next evolutionary step of the QR code.

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