Nowadays all airports in the world do have computerized systems for checking passports etc., but how did airports operate before there were any computerized systems?

MiCharlie124

I don't know the answer to this question, but I remember back when I first flew (1967-68), when you checked in, they had a drawing of the aircraft, and each seat was represented by a sticker. You chose what seat you wanted, they removed the sticker from the drawing (now showing the seat to be taken) and they stuck the sticker on your ticket/boarding pass. I always wondered why Southwest didn't do this instead of the cattle call they have with no assigned seats. Sep 14 09, 7:57 AM

Datsmeharse

Prior to computerization and passport standardization, descriptions and names of persons of interest were disseminated by various means (telephone, wire, telex, hand-carried by airline, etc) to both airline ticket counters and Immigration Desks at each airport, who would work in concert with national/local police and/or an organization such as Interpol to trace criminals. Sometimes a person's passport would be checked against a list of numbers (similar to how credit cards used to be checked) though mostly it was done by name, or descriptions similar to wanted posters were handed out and posted to which officials could refer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport#History Also prior to computerization, certain countries like USA and Canada arranged for immigraton "pre-clearance" of airline passengers prior to travel between the two. The airline industry pushed for this because they were, and still are, responsible to return passengers back home if the passenger is refused admission to the destination country. The airlines are also subject to fines for repeated violations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._border_preclearance To answer MiCharlie: Pre-reserved seating was a new feature in the early computer reservation era. Southwest never participated fully in the major travel reservations systems due to the high cost involved -- their flights back then were all short-haul, so dealing with the reservation fees/boarding passes etc. was considered an unecessary expense for passengers flying such a short distance. Also, the quick-turnaround system that Southwest employed, to maximize their planes use, actually worked faster when people just "boarded and chose a seat". It's also no small reason that the airlines that used to control the major computer reservations systems (American and United foremost) were trying to force low-cost carriers like Southwest out of business by various means, so unlike numerous carriers such as New York Air, Kiwi, etc. who tried to compete on the same level and failed, Southwest survived by adopting 'different' strategies. Their different business choices can't really be questioned, as they typically avoided big losses in the 80's and 90's, often one of the few carriers to do so. They still have one of the quickest turnaround times for a carrier. They have though instituted new boarding systems in the past few years, and a new system this month in fact, where non-business passengers can pay 10 dollars to receive a "high B" priority place in line, which allows them to board immediately after the business travelers and full fare passengers ("A priority), and before anyone who does not pay the fee. Sep 14 09, 10:22 AM