Cell phone Boarding Pass

Pretty soon you'll be able to board Continental Airlines flights with a boarding pass stored on your phone. As part of a new pilot program, Continental will be testing the using of electronic passes that could signal the end of the paper passes we know and love. The three month trial will be available for passengers flying out of Houston for now. A unique barcode is sent to a user's phone by the system. It is encrypted and tied directly to the user's handset, so the chances for fraud are low. When you get to the gate all you have to do is open up the message on your screen, the gate attendant will scan it using the Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro Gen2 handheld with barcode reader, and you can proceed to your uncomfortable seat. Though this makes perfect sense, and I could see it being rolled out quickly across a number of airlines. Make sure you don't forget to bring your cell phone...