Overview
- Virgin Australia is rolling out the new setup this week at Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Mackay and the Sunshine Coast, with Melbourne, Adelaide, Launceston and the Gold Coast to follow later this year.
- The system lets checked-in guests scan a boarding pass once to print a tag and drop the bag, using cameras and barcodes to identify luggage without a second rescan.
- The app now gives Velocity Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus members same-day flight changes without calling, and upgrade bidding is being added in-app.
- Virgin cites a one-week Mackay trial showing up to a 50% cut in processing time and says about 80% of customers already use online or mobile check-in.
- The airline says desk staff will move into roaming support roles, while the Australian Services Union plans to seek job-security assurances as airports adopt more self-service technology.