Swissport shortens airport check-in times by introducing a new web check-in facility in collaboration with Swiss International Air Lines

Zurich, March 24, 2006 – Swissport International, the world’s leading provider of ground services to the aviation industry, has teamed up with Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), Switzerland’s national airline, to offer passengers a much simpler way of checking in for their flights. The attractive new “web check-in” facility which the partners have devised and developed permits customers to check-in online from the comfort of their home within 24 hours of their flight’s departure. Web check-in is currently available for SWISS services from Switzerland and from 16 SWISS airports outside the country, and should be extended to further destinations and airlines in the coming months.

Swissport, the world’s number-one aviation services group, is making another forward-looking contribution to simplifying the passenger handling process, in close collaboration with SWISS. ‘Web check-in’ is already in use at numerous air carriers; but with Swissport’s increased involvement, this convenient check-in facility can now be extended to more airlines and airports. “We are proud to be playing such a pioneering role in this dynamic field,” says Michael Kilchherr, project leader at Swissport International. “After all, today’s markets have a tremendous need for innovative solutions that can also deliver cost savings for smaller and medium-sized airlines.”

SWISS is equally enthusiastic about the new facility. “We’re delighted to offer this excellent service,” adds Stephan Ellenberger, the carrier’s General Manager Ground Services Switzerland. “Web check-in allows our customers to choose their seat and print out their boarding card from their home PC, saving them a sizeable amount of time when they get to the airport. So it’s another big step in our efforts towards ‘simplified passenger travel’ – an area where we’re constantly seeking further and better solutions from our customers’ perspective.” Web check-in also represents a major technological achievement. “The increasing use of advanced technologies won’t just simplify passenger flows, it will totally transform them,” says Bruno Riesen, Chief Information Officer at Swissport International. Further work still needs to be done on the check-in processes for travellers with registered baggage and the option of checking in by mobile phone. But here, too, development is well under way.


The web check-in option in currently available at: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Basel, Birmingham, Budapest, Dubai, Geneva, Lisbon, Lugano, Madrid, Milan, Montreal, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich.

With a workforce of around 21 000 personnel, Swissport International Ltd. (which is owned by Ferrovial, a leading European infrastructure and service corporation based in Spain) provides ground services for over 70 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 600 client companies. Swissport is active at 175 airports in 41 and generated consolidated revenues of around CHF 1.5 billion last year. www.swissport.com

Contact Information

Stephan Beerli

Corporate Communications

Swissport International

Contact via E-mail