Continental Introduces E-Ticketing in Liberia

Continental Airlines has installed six automatic e-ticketing booths in its new terminal at the DanielOduberInternationalAirport in Liberia, capital of the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

“Costa Rica is a place that has had a flood of tourism,” said Carlos Granados, sales manager for Continental. “This (technology) is in many cities in the United States. This is one of the first airports in Latin America to use (it).”

The booths allow travelers to print out their boarding passes with the swipe of a credit card. The touch-screen display asks users a series of questions, allowing them to specify their exact needs in their native language.

“It makes for better customer service,” explained Guillermo Vílquez, terminal manager for Continental at the airport.

“The vast majority of travelers from Liberia are foreigners … The number-one advantage is the diversity of language. The number-two advantage is the ease it presents.”

“If a passenger loses his ticket, he can just go to the booth,” Granados said. The technology will also help with security, as it can tell if a passport has been modified when it is swiped to confirm a flyer’s identity.

Since Delta Airlines began flights from DanielOduberInternationalAirport (TT, March 3, 2004), the facility has seen a series of changes to accommodate the growing influx of tourists to the booming Guanacaste province.

“DanielOduberAirport needs to be a world-class airport,” Vílquez said. “With this airport, not only does the image of Guanacaste get better, the image of Costa Rica gets better.”