When passengers fly, airlines provide several methods of check-in. Check-in options are provided online, at the ticket counter (with a human), or kiosks. Use the Internet to locate airport kiosk page of one major airline (such as United’s Airport Kiosks page). Describe the key factors that constitute a user-friendly check-in experience. Examine the major design flaws and features of the airline you researched. Recommend one feature you would like to add or eliminate.
Discussion Week 1
Air India is among the many airline companies globally that provides self-service check-in kiosks to allow passengers to check-in by themselves without human intervention. A user-friendly check-in experience in the airline industry is determined by various key factors, such as a great user interface that allows users to locate information easily, adequate information, such as about services and products, and authentically appealing and easy to navigate website without human support. The factors are critical to enable users to locate all necessary information and links to check-in easily and without additional support.
The major design flaws and features on the Air India check-in kiosk include lack of all-inclusive service to ease the customer check-in. Besides offering services to local passengers only, the Air India check-in kiosk allows service for passengers only, with a separate check-in for luggage. The design flaw and missing feature makes check-in process lengthy and complex. A user-friendly check-in should be all-inclusive and bring all services to the same self-service point instead of separate processes. Furthermore, the Air India kiosks are limited to local travelers, making them highly inconvenient for others passengers. The kiosk does not include sufficient information for customers, who have to navigate through links to assess the preferred service, such as printing tickets.
I would recommend addition of a feature to the Air India check-in kiosk that allows luggage check-ins for customers to access all services from a single self-service point. The feature should be added such that it allows customers to access all the information from the same interface and prevent unnecessary movement from one check-in place to another. The airline company should optimize its self-service technology to improve customer service during check-in and the general air travel experience.