Apple's vision for its app, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, shows an icon in the screen's lower right labled "iTravel."
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Travel management —
Currently, United Airlines, Delta, American and other carriers offer passengers the option of storing electronic boarding passes on mobile phones. Ideally, if your flight's departure gate changes and your phone is connected to the Internet, you won't have to find an airport TV monitor to see where your new gate is, it will be updated on the e-boarding pass itself and you'll have it right there on your phone.
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Travel management —
Apple's iPhone app patent would allow passengers to book airline reservations, check in for a flight and check or claim baggage. It also would be able to store electronic versions of official identification, such as passports or drivers licenses.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Baggage and ticketing counters —
Current airport baggage and ticketing counters often rely on human-to-human information exchange. Staffers then use a computer keyboard to enter or retrieve each passenger's vital travel data, such as reservation or baggage information.
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Counter kiosks —
Under Apple's concept, each passenger's iPhone would communicate directly with a baggage check-in counter kiosk to exchange information about reservations, ticketing and luggage.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Unmanned kiosks —
The patent also calls for the option of checking baggage at unmanned kiosks.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Security check points —
The idea of electronic ID documents stored on mobile phones poses several security questions, say experts. How would TSA screeners know the phone belongs to the person being screened? How would the screeners be able to verify the electronic ID?
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Identification and boarding passes —
Currently, TSA screeners examine each traveler's boarding pass and ID by hand.
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Security check points —
Apple's patent imagines travelers going through airport security with totally empty pockets. All travelers would carry is a phone. By waving their phone at a special kiosk, the phone digitally transfers passport information to nearby TSA officers. They would review it on their own tablet or screen. The process would be entirely paperless.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Boarding gate —
Apple's patent also includes a boarding area kiosk, which would receive check-in and boarding pass data from each passenger's phone, before fliers head down the jetway.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Boarding gate —
Current airline boarding gates already include kiosks where passengers swipe their boarding passes before getting on the plane.
