History
The History of MATERNA's CUSS accomplishments
1999
IATA establishes the CUSS Management Group to define standards for self service kiosks that can be shared by multiple airlines. MATERNA becomes a member of this CUSS Management Group and enrolls as an IATA registered supplier.
2001
Based on the preliminary version 0.1 of the CUSS standard, MATERNA and Wincor Nixdorf provide self service kiosks to Luxair. These kiosks are connected to SITA’s Gabriel DCS and allows Luxair passenger’s holding
an ATB ticket to check themselves in. This installation is the first self service system worldwide that uses the evolving CUSS standard.
2002
Swedish regional airline Malmö Aviation deploys IER kiosks with MATERNA CUSS
platform and MATERNA application software to it’s main airport at Stockholm Bromma (BMA). The application connects to the AxsControl DCS of EDS (formerly Atraxis) and allows Malmö Aviation’s passengers to check in using the wide range of electronic ticket variants offered by the carrier.
2003
Only six months after contract signature, Höft & Wessel and MATERNA implement CUSS based self service kiosks for Emirates at Dubai International Airport. The application developed offers a user interface both in English and Arabic language and allows passengers holding ATB or Electronic tickets to check themselves in on the kiosk. Within the application, passengers can select their individual seats and can also check in for onward or return connections. Since the initial cutover, the application has been enhanced to provided user interfaces in six different languages and will also provide baggage acceptance mechanisms shortly.
2003
Vienna International Airport becomes the first European Airport to install a multi-airline CUSS System, initially shared by home carrier Austrian Airlines and by it’s Star Alliance Partner Lufthansa. As a world-first extension, the Vienna CUSS system enables passenger to check in their bags without any agent support. In December 2003, the City Airport Train linking downtown Vienna to the Airport is inaugurated. At the downtown train station, a total of eight kiosks allow passengers to obtain their boarding passes and to check in their bags before boarding the train to the airport, thus making their journey hassle-free and giving them additional time at the airport.
2003
IATA publishes the official version 1.0 of the CUSS Standard.
2004
Airport Köln-Bonn (CGN) becomes the first customer ordering the new Almex. Checkin kiosk from MATERNA’s hardware partner Höft & Wessel. These kiosks offer a full range of hardware options at costs that are significantly lower than earlier products. The comprehensive support package offered by MATERNA significantly helped to win this contract. To become the first airline to use the new kiosks at CGN, GermanWings signs a contract with MATERNA to develop a check-in application. This application enables passengers to identify their booking using a credit card, their passport or a booking reference number typed in. To accommodate the expected growth in passenger numbers, DBA – Germany’s thirdlargest airline - decides to move ahead by installing their own kiosks at eight German airports rather than waiting for these airports to install CUSS kiosks. Operating on a different model from legacy carriers, dba decides to issue barcoded boarding passes instead of ATB coupons.
2005
Based on a proposal from MATERNA, IATA CUSS Management Group decides to include the interfaces for Automated Baggage Acceptance into the next version (2.0) of the CUSS standard. CGN installs the first five CUSS kiosks in T1 in March
2005, an additional nine kiosks are installed in T1 and T2 in September 2005. MATERNA completes the installation of 26 CUSS compliant check-in kiosks for DBA at eight German airports. Thus enhancing the airlines passenger service at those locations. Nürnberg Airport (NUE) signs a contract with MATERNA to install six kiosks with MATERNA’s CUSS platform. MATERNA and Aviation IT specialist Lufthansa Systems enter a partnership to provide CUSS compliant software solutions to their customer bases. The first airline to benefit form this partnership becomes British carrier bmi, who refits it’s existing base of 45 kiosks
with a new software.
