Air New Zealand has initiated the deployment of its innovative Next Gen check-in kiosks across various airports in New Zealand following a successful trial period. The rollout commenced at Auckland Domestic Airport and is expected to reach all New Zealand airports by the end of July.

The kiosks, crafted by Air New Zealand’s research and development team, present state-of-the-art technology, including iPads for user-friendly touch inputs and integrated cameras for passport scanning. During trials at Auckland’s domestic terminal, four kiosks handled more than 30,000 customer check-ins, slashing the average check-in time from over two minutes down to just 37 seconds. The quickest check-in recorded was just 18 seconds.

These kiosks also revolutionize group check-ins, as showcased by a recent instance where 21 passengers were processed with their boarding passes and bag tags in as little as 2.5 minutes, a stark improvement from the previous time that exceeded two minutes per passenger. This advancement enables quicker check-ins for larger groups, making the process up to 20 times faster.

Cost-effectiveness is another significant benefit since each new kiosk is approximately a third of the cost of earlier models. The airline projects to save over $1 million (USD) annually in maintenance costs.

Jeremy O’Brien, Air New Zealand’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, expressed: “We focus our innovation efforts on better customer outcomes. The purpose of our research and development team is to make travel easy and frictionless.”

The project took 13 months from conception to rollout, involving thorough testing and adjustments based on customer feedback. The technology gained international attention after being presented at a global aviation conference.