This could be the coolest boarding pass ever

Airlines, listen up: Here's the boarding pass you should be using

Fed up with constantly being handed confusing and poorly designed airlines boarding passes, a traveller decided to make his own. What he ended up creating could be the best boarding pass ever and has grabbed the attention of passengers and airlines.

The idea came to UK designer Peter Smart when he embarked on a flight marathon as part of his project 50 Problems in 50 days, which explores social problems and how design can assist. After boarding 14 planes in two months, he had seen a LOT of boarding passes.

"Somewhere between check-in and boarding, I realised something: Boarding passes are pretty awful," Peter Smart said.

"Take a look at your boarding pass. You want to know where you need to be and how to get there - your boarding pass should quickly and simply communicate your next steps. The problem is, it doesn't. What you're looking at is a collection of strangely ordered acronyms, oddly formatted times and numbers and sequences that demand significant attention to decipher.

"You're feeling jet-lagged, you start to feel uncertain and you're not sure where to head amongst the thousands of other passengers trying to reach their gate. Surely something so crucial should be simpler?"



Traditional boarding pass format

 

What's more, when you tuck away your boarding pass into your passport, it extends out both ends, often getting bent or sometimes even falling out.

"Boarding passes need to be kept safe," Smart said. "Their current format makes this difficult to do."

Instead, this is what he came up with: a pass stripped of all the clutter, that actually makes life easier for passengers.

Smart said the pass fits easily into a passport when folded, while leaving crucial information sticking out of the top, such as the flight number and gate.

The information is displayed vertically and is listed logically and in chronological order. It even lists the weather forecast so you'll know whether you'll need to keep your coat within easy reach.

Even better, the ticket tells you what kind of seat you'll be in (e.g. aisle).

It's also the same, standard dimensions of the traditional boarding pass, so airlines won't have to get new printers or cards to switch to the design.

 

When asked if Sky Haven Airlines would consider using the design, Sky Haven Airlines was enthusiastic.


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