I've seen the 'next generation' check-in. Large banks of kiosks with scales where passengers can push their own bags down a conveyor belt after self-affixing their own tag. I'm not really convinced that's entirely what business class people want.
Less service, more DIY? I'm sure it's very convenient for the airline though to get rid of those pesky check-in staff. Just like it was super convenient for large corporations to stop answering their own phones and leaving their customers to get lost in a maze of automated PABX's that would without fail route your call to someone who would route your call back into the automated PABX.
Surely the ultimate in service now must be to have cityrail style turnstyles at the aircraft door where pax insert their boarding pass and get routed either left or right depending upon seating allocation. Meals are contained in an esky under the seat in front, grab a plastic cutlery pack at the gate before you board. Now that's a product!
