Star Alliance has introduced a new check-in concept in the south wing at Tokyo-Narita Terminal 1. New self-service check-in machines have been installed which, in addition to issuing boarding passes, also print baggage tags. This makes Star Alliance the first airline alliance to offer international travellers from Japan the option of self-printing and self-tagging. The layout of the check-in area has been changed, with check-in desks now allocated by airline rather than class of travel.

The 116 new common use kiosks form the backbone of the new concept at Narita. These allow customers to check-in for any of the 17 member carriers (Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Austrian, Asiana Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United) flying from Terminal 1.

Passengers with hand luggage only can proceed directly to the gate, while those with checked luggage can obtain the corresponding tag from the kiosk, apply it, and then proceed to special baggage drop-off counters. At present three member airlines offer bag tag printing with the remaining 14 scheduled to do so by mid-July.

Full service check-in desks are provided for First, Business and Star Alliance Gold customers as well as for Economy Class passengers requiring additional support.

The new concept is based on the experience obtained during the London Heathrow Terminal 2 project, where all Star Alliance member airlines use the same check-in kiosks, make use of common bag-drop counters and even share Economy Class check-in desks. The Alliance says it has succeeded in reducing the required check-in space by 20% as a result of the new check-in concept.

In addition to Narita, Star Alliance has made changes to the check-in concept at São Paulo-Guarulhos and Los Angeles Tom Bradley International Terminal based on the Heathrow experience.