Flew to Copenhagen over the weekend.
On Thursday I got an SMS from SAS telling me that I now check in via sms. All I needed to do was to reply YES to the sms. I did and received a confirmation, also via sms, informing me about my seat at the flight and welcoming me and whishing me a nice flight. I found it quite cool and was happy not having to line up for check in at the airport. However I felt a bit uncomfortable not to have a boarding card and as I also received an e-mail where I could print one myself I did so.
On the way back the same thing happened, I got a sms yesterday, replied and got a confirmation. Now I did not have access to my e-mail and a printer so I decided to just trying to check in with the sms.
When I came to the security check it seems it is not enough. The staff said I needed a bar code that I might have received as an mms, but I never got a mms nor any other information. They had no idea how it worked or how I should get the bar code and sent me back to ask at SAS. I went to the SAS information desk. There I had an interesting expereince! It turned out no-one at the desk knew anything about how it is supposed to work!! Apparently the whole system is very new and none of the staff had had the sms-chek-in-briefing yet! The woman at the counter said that the people working at the check in counters ought to know. But she also agreed with me that the whole idea seemed a bit wasted if I should have to line up at the check-in anyway. So what she did is that she printed me a normal boarding card, with a bar code, from the information in the sms!! Very funny!
It is amazing that they start a new service before anyone in the staff knows how it is supposed to work!
So; all I said about this during the weekend, talking about what a good and efficient service that is; I take it back!!
