A new boarding pass system has been launched this week, according to The Transportation Security Administration and Continental Administration. It is a first for the U.S., following Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, some of which implemented this system as long as three years ago.

The passengers will receive a code on their cell phone or PDA which will become their boarding pass. The technology used for these codes is different from the one used on the barcodes we all know. Considering the amount of information stored, a new 2D technology will be used to create a complex pattern of squares, capable of storing much more information, such as the passenger’s name and flight information.

According to Air Canada spokesman John Reber, “the customers love the new service” and the number of passengers using the paperless boarding method has doubled almost every week since Canada first started the program.

The new method of boarding pass has some limitations though:  the passenger will still need to show photo identification, it can be used only by passengers who travel alone (at least for the time being, but according to Continental executive Mark Bergsrud, an upgrade that will include multiple passengers on a barcode will soon follow), and the phone or PDA’s battery must be charged, or else the passenger will have to get a boarding pass before getting on the plane.

According to the airlines officials, forging the barcodes will now be more difficult than the paper boarding passes and it will also reduce the number of paper losses. Implementing the new system, called The Paperless Boarding Program, will be made gradually, starting with the Bush Continental Airport in Houston for the first three months.

The International Airport Association estimated that more than 90 airlines are using this system, and according to IATA this is a worldwide trend toward more self-service kiosks and electronic ticketing.