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Comment by ben1040 | Hacker News Reader

What purpose does the little "stub" serve in the year 2013, anyway, other than to make the boarding pass easily mangled?

There was that time in the not that distant past when the gate agent's pass reader was this giant console that would slurp in your boarding card -- printed on real card stock with a magstripe on the back -- and would register your name, then eject that stub from a slot in the top for you to take on your way to the jetbridge door.

Not since those machines were retired (I haven't encountered one in five or six years) have I had any airline employee tear off the stub. Why can't they do away with that?

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You need the stub for seat assignment once on the plane as it is far more convenient. It is also used on some stopovers - for example SQ1 stops in HKG on the way to SIN. All passengers have to leave the plane while it is refueled, and you have to keep the stub with you to get back on again.

If all airlines would just go the way of Southwest you wouldn't need it for seat assignments. I haven't been forced to hold on to a stub for a while now.

But from a higher-level thinking point of view, neither of the requirements you mention mean a stub is necessary. I know this is a little nitpicky, but e need to step back from things like this to realize that the entire premise of a stub is only required because of previous decisions in the system.

The only things the user actually needs is (1) a way to find a seat, and (2) a way to verify their identity to agents. The stub happened to satisfy those requirements, but they could easily be solved in different ways (like Southwest has done).

That's the biggest problem with this entire article, it's only thinking about the last step of design decisions, so it's not going to come up with very innovative results.

If all airlines would just go the way of Southwest you wouldn't need it for seat assignments.

There's too much money to be made in selling premium seating. Which Southwest also does, in case you're unaware.

Plus, with assigned seating it is possible to run simulations which will give more efficient boarding sequences.

Haha "simulations" :)

The stub is really only needed to find your seat. It is far easier to deal with than people having to dig out phones, works for all passengers and countries etc. Whenever I am on a plane several passengers end up in the wrong seats and the stubs are used to resolve the issue quickly.

On the identity side you already have to travel with identification and that can be used a lot of the time. Things can get complicated (eg being rebooked by another airline), lots of queues, many flights leaving at similar times where the stubs are helpful because people can be helped and processed a lot quicker. The stub is something that can be consistent between passengers whereas passports, drivers licenses and other forms of identification are all over the place.

They also put the baggage stickers on that during check-in, which means keeping the stub is keeping your baggage stickers. And you'll need those in case of lost luggage.

I don't know about you, but I still need to show proof of boarding if I want reimbursement from my employer. In the (thankfully rare) instances when the electronic system fails, I've seen airlines tear off the big part and keep it. They return the stub to me, which I then send to the business office after I return home.

Maybe some airlines still must tear off the main part of the pass and give you back the stub then.

I've only had them scan the boarding pass and give the whole thing back to me in its entirety.

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