Alaska Airlines says its passengers will need to print their boarding passes at home or load them onto a smartphone to fly through Portland International Airport.
The airline is replacing the self-serve kiosks that print boarding passes as part of what it described as a new “check-in experience,” and it says boarding passes for Alaska flights won’t be available on the airport’s common-use kiosks, either.
The new self-serve stations will print bag tags for checked luggage.
Alaska says the change will get people through the lobby area more quickly and cut down on paper use. Spokesperson Tricia Bruckbauer said the airline will still have customer service agents available who can print passes for passengers at no extra charge.
The airline says 3 in 4 passengers already print their boarding passes at home or use a smartphone.
It’s also done away with printer kiosks at other airports including those in Las Vegas, Indianapolis and Cleveland, as well as Pacific Northwest destinations including Missoula, Montana, and Boise, Idaho.
Portland International Airport officials said the change is unrelated to the renovations underway at the airport, and that the decision to do away with boarding pass printing was made by Alaska. Other carriers won’t be affected.
— Elliot Njus; enjus@oregonian.com