By TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa’s Lanseria International Airport is making the most of technology to add new convenience for passengers while providing improved common-use functionality for airlines.
It is investing an unspecified amount in the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) self-service technology to achieve those goals.In a first for a South African airport, passengers who have checked-in online or on their mobile device can now tag and drop their bags in less than a minute using SITA’s Scan&Fly self bag-drop units.
Scan&Fly’s plug-and-play design allows the bag-drop solution to be easily installed onto existing airport check-in desks, maximizing terminal space while leveraging the speed of self-service.
Using SITA’s Airport iValidate, Lanseria International Airport will be able to automatically verify all types of boarding passes, including home-printed A4 and mobile boarding passes, increasing security and speeding up the check-in process for passengers.
Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Eastern and Southern Africa said the agency’s research showed an overwhelming number of passengers preferred technology rather than a human interaction when in the airport.
“They value the control and convenience that self-service options such as self-bag drop and mobile boarding provide. This is the case with Lanseria International Airport where passengers are accustomed to a smooth passage through the travel steps.”
Lanseria International Airport, north of Johannesburg, has established itself as a favored low-cost hub for passengers to quickly and conveniently connect to South Africa’s other main cities.

– Guardian