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Evidence of airline support for Apple's Passbook surfaces ahead of iPhone debut

Last updated

A report on Thursday claims a Virgin Australia passenger using an iPhone running iOS 6 beta was prompted to save a digital boarding pass to Passbook, hinting that air carriers are readying support for Apple's forthcoming organization app for coupons, membership and other barcode-based assets.

According to the Australian Business Traveller, the passenger checked in to a flight using the airline's mobile website on his iPhone, which recognized the digital boarding pass from Safari and displayed a prompt asking whether he wanted to add the digital ticket to Passbook, suggesting that Virgin Australia's mobile site is employing Apple's new ".pkpass" mime type.

The file type, which allows the Safari web browser and email clients to recognize boarding passes to be sent to Passbook for processing and storage, has been available to developers for some time, though before Thursday there was little evidence of a major airline using the feature.

Currently, only United Airlines has officially signed on to support the upcoming iOS 6 feature, however other carriers are sure to follow suit as many already offer barcode-based digital ticketing.


Source: Australian Business Traveller

It is unclear if the traveller was able to board the plane using Passbook, however, as company protocol may not allow for the unreleased system.

Passbook is slated to debut alongside a list of new features when iOS 6 launches this fall. Apple this week sent out invitations to a Sept. 12 special event all but confirming the unveiling of its next-generation iPhone, which will run the new mobile operating system.



26 Comments

tallest skil 15 Years · 43086 comments

Okay, I really like the softer matte colors there and how it's not covered in glossy sheenyness, but that prompt is quite ugly and unrefined. I realize, of course, that this is a beta, but we're about two weeks from launch, so… 

rot'napple 18 Years · 1839 comments

Could Passbook ever take the place of NFR for buying most things?  Of is Passbook a stop gap until NFR gets its act together with regards to standards, security, and whatever other issue there may be?

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wurm5150 15 Years · 763 comments

[quote name="Rot'nApple" url="/t/152380/first-evidence-of-apple-passbook-boarding-pass-support-surfaces-ahead-of-iphone-launch#post_2184266"]Could Passbook ever take the place of NFR for buying most things?  Of is Passbook a stop gap until NFR gets its act together with regards to standards, security, and whatever other issue there may be? / / [/quote] What the hell is NFR? National Finals Rodeo?

rot'napple 18 Years · 1839 comments

National Finals Rodeo, No.  

 

Near Field Rapport!  

 

Okay, okay.  NFC.

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iqatedo 22 Years · 1815 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rot'nApple 

National Finals Rodeo, No.  

 

Near Field Rapport!  

 

Okay, okay.  NFC.

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...and not a NFC chip in sight... (or out of sight!)