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How to Board With a Paperless E-Ticket on Continental Airlines

Some Continental Airlines flights offer paperless e-ticket boarding, and the process is simple and easy thanks to advancements in technology. In 2007, Continental became the first U.S. airline to introduce paperless boarding when it launched a pilot program in Houston with the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration. The TSA was looking for ways to prevent people from boarding planes with fraudulent paper boarding passes, and Continental was interested in saving on printing costs. The program became a hit with customers, and in 2011 paperless boarding---described by Continental as a "mobile boarding pass"---was available on Continental flights from nearly 70 airports.

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase a Continental Airlines ticket for a flight offering paperless boarding. Paperless boarding is available only at selected Continental airports as of 2011. Check the list by visiting the Continental.com home page. Purchase your ticket online, at the airport or from a travel agency.
- 2
  Check in for your flight online at Continental.com. From the homepage, click on the "Reservations" tab, and then click on "Check-In For Flight." Follow the prompts to enter the flight confirmation or e-ticket number from your reservation. Or enter you Continental OnePass number if you are signed up for the OnePass customer loyalty program. Continue following the prompts to check in for the flight, and enter your email address allowing an electronic version of your boarding pass to be sent to your cell phone or other digital device capable of receiving electronic mail.
- 3
  Check your digital device to confirm receipt of the boarding pass. Open the email and view the boarding pass, which should display on your screen and show a two-dimensional bar code, along with your name and the flight number, date and time.
- 4
  Display the boarding pass on your digital device and show it---along with your driver's license or passport---to the TSA agent at the airport security entrance for flights. The agent is trained to recognize the mobile boarding pass and will treat it in much the same fashion as a paper boarding pass.
- 5
  Display the boarding pass on your digital device again at the gate. Position the device so that the bar code can be scanned at the gate entrance. Then board your flight.