An open standard for airline boarding passes that could save the world's airlines millions of dollars is being introduced by ARINC (Stand D246).
The company, part of the State of Maryland presence, has published the JADE standard in a 11-page document that specifies how barcode technology can be used to encode, print, and decode the passenger data normally placed on magnetic-stripe boarding passes.
Airports and airlines that changed to JADE could save millions of dollars on the cost of magnetic printers and readers, and millions more on recurring expenses such as magnetic card stock, maintenance and replacement parts.
Protocol
Virtually all airlines today use the Association of European Airlines (AEA) protocol for recording and reading their passenger data on magnetic boarding passes. JADE - an acronym for Java AEA Device Emulation, the technology that makes the system work -simply replaces the magnetic medium with a barcode.
Because it is AEA-compliant at both ends, a JADE system appears exactly like a magnetic system and requires no changes in airline host computers. ARINC worked with technology partner VidTroniX to develop the JADE standar
Source: Flight Daily News
