London Heathrow airport's second largest carrier, bmi, has started an innovative to offer travellers the advantage of checking in online for its flights.

The new paperless boarding system allows passengers to have their boarding pass sent electronically to their cell phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). This is a great step towards paperless boarding passes that support green travel concepts of air travel.

bmi is the first British carrier to launch the new paper-free system, which will send a two-dimensional barcode boarding pass to customers' mobile phones featuring picture messaging (MMS) features.

The new service is part of the carrier's pledge to minimising the time spent at the airport and it will also help the carrier in maintaining its position as one of the most punctual carriers in UK.

bmi's managing director, Peter Spencer, said, "bmi's new paperless boarding system is a significant step forward and will offer customers the opportunity to bypass check-in processes at the airport.

Customers who check in online can have a boarding pass delivered straight to their mobile phone allowing them to proceed straight to security or to bmi's fast bag drop stations if they have luggage to check-in".

Initially, the new mobile check-in service of bmi will be offered on its services from Manchester and Edinburgh to London Heathrow airport (one-way) and from Belfast City to London Heathrow airport (return).

The airline also plans to introduce its new system to more destinations on its network soon.