Running to catch a flight? You race into the airport, only to find a mammoth, slow-moving line of people waiting to check in. You’re doubtful that you’ll make the 45 minute cut off time.

If your phone has internet capability, you might have a way out of this dilemma. You can check in on the airline’s website. But without a printer, how do you obtain a boarding pass?

Soon, you won’t need one. Continental Airlines is offering a new check-in procedure to Houston travelers during a 3-month trial period. This option allows customers to check in online and have a boarding pass sent to their cell phone.

The boarding pass consists of a 2-dimensional, encrypted bar code that contains the passenger information. The bar code, visible on the cell phone screen, is read in by a ticket agent at the gate and the information is matched against the passenger’s picture ID.

So far, only passengers leaving from Houston are able to make use of the new technique. But the technology is already being used in a few countries abroad. And several other US airlines are expected to introduce the procedure soon.