Multi-Passenger Mobile Boarding Pass

My Digital Experience team extended mobile boarding pass capabilities to support multiple passengers on a single reservation, enabling families and groups to manage everyone’s boarding passes from one device.

The Problem

Mobile boarding passes initially supported only single-passenger use:

• Families separated - Each person needed their own device for boarding pass
• Children without phones - Kids couldn’t have their own mobile boarding pass
• Group travel friction - Traveling companions couldn’t share boarding passes
• Paper fallback - Multi-passenger groups often printed paper passes instead

With 14.8-15.3% of reservations including multiple passengers, this was a significant gap.

The Solution

We enhanced mobile boarding passes to support all passengers on a reservation:

Multi-Passenger Features

• All passes accessible - View boarding passes for every passenger
• Easy switching - Swipe between passengers at the gate
• Family-friendly - Parents manage children’s passes on their device
• Group support - One device can display passes for traveling companions

User Experience

1. Check in all passengers on the reservation
2. Add boarding passes to mobile wallet or app
3. At the gate, swipe between passengers
4. Each passenger’s unique barcode scans for boarding

Technical Implementation

• Multiple boarding passes linked to single reservation
• Wallet integration supporting multiple passes
• Clear passenger identification on each pass
• Real-time updates if gate or seat changes

Results

Multi-passenger boarding passes drove meaningful adoption:

• 0.8% increase in self-service usage after deployment
• Positive adoption spike in web and mobile for multi-pax reservations
• Improved customer satisfaction for family travelers

Customer Scenarios

The feature serves various travel situations:

• Families - Parents manage boarding for children
• Couples - One partner handles both passes
• Business groups - Travel coordinator manages team passes
• Assisted travelers - Companions help manage boarding documents

Operational Benefits

The shift to self-service multi-passenger boarding:

• Reduced kiosk and counter usage for boarding pass printing
• Faster boarding process with mobile passes ready
• Less paper waste from printed boarding passes
• Improved gate agent efficiency

Mobile-First Travel

This enhancement reflects the evolution toward mobile-first travel management. Families and groups expect to manage their entire travel experience from a single device, and multi-passenger boarding passes deliver on that expectation.