NEW DELHI: In order to make travelling smart and hassle free at the Indira Gandhi International airport, DIAL has come up with new ways to allow one to avoid long queues during the peak hours. 'Self check-in kiosks' and 'self bag drop units' are two additions to the domestic terminal of the airport.

According to DIAL, using these check-in kiosks, passengers can select a seat of their choice and procure their boarding pass along with the luggage tag on their own without waiting for their turn. Once the luggage is tagged, the passenger can further drop it to the 'self bag drop unit' that weighs it on its own and transports it to a carousel, which takes it to the baggage-handling area.

The two facilities have been on trial for about a year and have gained popularity among flyers. With many passengers using kiosk daily, DIAL has now decided to increase its number soon.

"At present, our domestic terminal 1D has 12 kiosks which are overseen by airlines. The move was started with Indigo, and now we also have Go Air on board. Spice Jet is also set to use it. The number of such kiosks will also be increased to 18 very soon," said a DIAL spokesperson.

The official said the machines have effectively reduced the work pressure at the counters.

"The process takes not more than a minute. One can simply go to the kiosk and enter his details to procure boarding pass. He can also get the luggage tag printed from there and drop the baggage directly to the belt after which they are moved to baggage-handling area. There is always the staff from the airlines to assist passengers," the spokesperson said.

DIAL is also planning to bring in the same technology at their international Terminal 3. Officials said the talks are underway with Jet AirwaysBSE 1.54 % and Air India to install similar kiosks at T3.

About the 'Self bag drop units', DIAL officials said these have also been widely used by flyers. The system allows a passenger to travel the smarter way. When a passenger keeps his luggage on the belt, it is automatically weighed and handed over to the ground staff handling the baggage. DIAL said, at present, there are just two units, and the number will be increased soon.

Source : ET