Rivals Delta and Continental say they're considering Internet check-in as well. When weather wreaks havoc with flight schedules, Northwest plans to roll out another initiative, the Rebook Hotline . It's a portable bank of phones that lets passengers on canceled flights connect with the first available reservations agent. Paul, Detroit and Memphis are testing the hotlines. With the swipe of a credit card, they allow passengers to make reservations, print boarding passes and get information on cancellations or delays.
Some machines even allow baggage check-in.
By June, the airline plans to increase the number of machines, from 114 to 250, at 35 airports. Delta is still testing its version of the kiosk in the Northeastern United States. But Continental, which introduced the concept five years ago, says its program is soaring. The carrier recently upgraded its machines to offer faster service and a Spanish-language option. The kiosks help provide better customer service because they free more employees to do different jobs, McMahon says.