AA mobile boarding pass Frankfurt and Zurich

American Airlines customers departing from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), as well as six international airports, including Barcelona, Spain (BCN), Rome, Italy (FCO), Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN), Milan, Italy (MXP), and Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH), will now be able to save time and paper by receiving their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones.
Mobile boarding passes, which use a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode, were rolled out in partnership with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2008 and are currently available to travelers departing on American Airlines and American Eagle flights from 42 airports.

"We know our customers are mobile by definition, which is why the option to use personal devices to expedite travel has been so popular with our customers over the past two years," said Andrew Watson, American's Vice President - Customer Technology. "Eligible passengers departing from London Heathrow or one of the 41 U.S. cities that currently offer the program now have the option to avoid printing a paper boarding pass and choose instead to have their boarding pass displayed on their mobile device, thereby speeding the process at the airport, and helping the environment by saving paper."

At the airport, customers simply scan their mobile phone screen with the 2-D barcode displayed on it when going through Security (proper identification must be presented) and when boarding, just as they would a traditional paper boarding pass. Customers who wish to check bags can still use this mobile option by scanning the 2-D barcode on their mobile phone screen at any of the American Airlines self-service machines, ticket counters, or curbside check-in facilities located in the 50 participating airports.

At this time, customers who opt to use the electronic boarding pass may list only one person in their reservation. They must be traveling on American or American Eagle to a U.S. destination from one of the 42 participating airports on a nonstop or same-plane direct flight or connecting flight through a participating mobile-boarding airport. Domestic destinations include those within the United States, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. London Heathrow is the first international location to offer the program, and American Airlines is one of the first carriers to roll out the mobile boarding pass technology in the U.K.

Customers who check in online and wish to print a paper boarding pass are still able to do so. At the end of the online check-in process on AA.com, customers can choose how they would like to receive their boarding pass by selecting either "Print" (customers can print the pass at that time, or use a self-service check-in machine to print at the airport), "E-mail for Print" (boarding pass is e-mailed and customers can print at their convenience), or "E-mail for use on Cell Phone or Other Device" (customers receive an electronic boarding pass via e-mail on their cell phone or mobile device, which would then be presented at the airport).