Copenhagen Malmö Port introduces airline check-in aboard ship

Arnt Møller Pedersen, COO cruise and ferries for Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP), called the program a 'win-win' for passengers and the destination.

Together with the airport and SAS, this season CMP tested the on-board check-in. Using a system developed by the US company Bags, passengers can check in and print their boarding pass at their leisure while still on the ship.

They then place their luggage outside their cabin the evening before they disembark. It is collected by the crew and stored in a safe room until the ship arrives in port where the luggage is transported in sealed trucks directly to the airport.

'When the passengers don’t have to worry about their luggage or take time standing in line at the check-in desk in the airport, they have more time for sightseeing in the city and can go directly to security when they arrive at the airport. This will contribute to developing CMP’s and the airport’s image, and extend the leading position we already have with shipping companies and passengers,' Møller Pedersen said.

Starting in early August passengers aboard Emerald Princess and Eurodam got the option of checking in for their flight home with SAS before arriving in Copenhagen. The two ships have continued to offer the service for the rest of the season.

From 2015, the option will be extended to more lines and more airlines with a common software platform, and the plan is that the bulk of the major cruise operators will take up the offer, CMP said.