Ports Authority, said 176 airlines around the world now use bar coded boarding passes, or BCBP.
By the end of 2008 this number will grow to 200, representing over 90 percent of all scheduled international air traffic.
The CNMI airport’s ability to process BCBP is vital to ensuring the carriers’ uninterrupted service, the association said.
It added that BCBP-capable airports will be more “attractive to airlines and passengers.”
“The airline industry will save more than $500 million annually as a result of the move to BCBP. Passengers can enjoy greater convenience, as they will be able to get their boarding pass before they arrive at the airport – -and use only one boarding pass for multiple flights,” the association stated.
CPA Executive Director Efrain Camacho yesterday said the CNMI may lose a significant number of tourists if the agency fails to comply with the new international mandate.
“If we don’t adjust we may be left out of the routing and it will impact us because if we don’t have the machine they might either cut back and may all together drop their flight services to the CNMI,” Camacho said.
CPA’s signatory airlines Asiana, Northwest, Continental are already complying with the new bar code system, he said.
According to Camacho, he will ask the International Air Transport Association to explain how CPA can acquire and build the required machine.
“I am sure that all airlines will comply and implement this new system so we need to respond and build the necessary machine,” Camacho said.
