Passengers are moving closer to wide spread paperless check-in thanks to the work of Continental and a handful of other airline carriers. We look forward to downloading boarding passes to our mobile device and using that as our ticket. No more crumpled kiosk slips jammed in our pockets.

As the NY Times reports today, “First came the kiosk, a strange addition to airport terminals when Continental Airlines began offering it as a check-in option in 1995. It was followed by Web check-in, introduced by Alaska Airlines in 1999. Now, with 80 percent of passengers using these self-service options, the next step is electronic boarding passes, which essentially turn the hand-held devices and mobile phones of travelers into their boarding passes.“

/// Read today’s Daily Headlines

+ Heathrow makes its Debut [Read via USA Today]

“Heathrow Airport, Americans’ major gateway to Europe, is about to offer first-class conditions to 40% of the nearly 68 million travelers suffering through the much-maligned hub each year.”

+ TSA’s Black Diamond heads to Boston tomorrow [Read via Gadling]

“A quick recap: Black Diamond applies the basic delineations of ski trails to security lines, with the green line for travel newbies, the intermediate line for more frequent travelers and the black diamond line for “travel experts,” whoever those are. The thinking is that if people correctly choose the appropriate line, the entire security process will go quicker.”

+ Budget Travel outlines Art Hotels [Read via CNN]

Budget Travel provides a quick look at various art hotels from around the world. “Artists and other creative types are having their way with hotel rooms—and they’re thinking way outside the box.” The selections are interesting. As brands look to collaborate with artist more and more, the concept of an art hotel can be either really beautiful or… a product of a business maneuver.