British Airways to Expand Apple Watch Support

The next time you decide to travel through Heathrow Airport in London, you can expect to see Apple Watch barcode scanners aimed at making the check-in process much easier.

On Tuesday, British Airways announced its plans for installing a new “Scan and Go” device at both Terminals 3 and 5. The new scanners will eliminated the new to twist and turn your arm as you try and line up the barcode on your wrist due its ability to be handheld.

Additional features of the British Airways Apple Watch app include real time flight info, such as countdown timer as well as gate changes. Of course, the scanners will also work on the smartphone.

“When we saw the dramatic rise in the number of people using the app on their Apple Watches, we knew we needed to create new features in the terminal which would make the experience even better for them,” said Kevin McQuillan, who’s in charge of the British Airways mobile app.

British Airways says that between June and October, the company saw Apple Watch usage increase by 386%, suggesting that the Apple Watch is becoming more popular, especially for those who travel frequently.

I’ve used my Apple Watch traveling many times and have found it extremely useful when carrying luggage. It may sound minor, but not having to take out my phone to get flight info is pretty nice. I continue to be optimistic that it’s a lot of small things that will make the Apple Watch popular, not some big feature. Of course, we’re only in the first inning here so time will tell if I end up right or not.