Feature: Mobile Technology
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apps of airlines, hotel groups, car rental companies and rail providers. And then there is a mass of travel utility apps, some free, others – such as satellite navigation systems – costing up to £70, that can make any casual traveller’s life easier. Apps offering currency exchange, translation facilities, maps and local transport information all appear in the ‘popular’ pages of the main sources of apps, such as BlackBerry’s AppWorld, Apple’s iTunes, the Android Market and the Windows Phone Marketplace. Finally, there’s a growing range of apps on
offer from business travel suppliers that allow users to manage and amend travel itineraries within the bounds of their company travel policy. But opinions range on what use all of these are to business travel buyers and travellers
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Travel suppliers have been launching mobile-optimised websites and applications for smartphones left, right and centre, but how much use are they as part of a managed travel programme?
THE pace of change in the mobile technology market, and particularly within the travel industry, is such that a vast swathe of new ‘apps’ are made available every month to the ranks of smartphone-toting business travellers. In the last few weeks alone, Heathrow Express, Priority Pass and serviced apartment providers Silverdoor and BridgeStreet have issued new or updated apps, and the trend appears to be permeating the whole business travel sector. There are the official – and normally free –
themselves. Some argue that they can be counterproductive to the smooth running of a corporate travel programme and company policy; others say they can actually make a difference in terms of time efficiency and controlling costs. A recent report from Egencia reflected the split. “Both optimism and apprehension permeate the conversation around mobile devices in relation to managed travel,” it stated. “On the one hand, travellers – and some travel managers – are enthusiastic about the current and potential capabilities these powerful tools can provide right in the traveller’s hand. But when it comes to managing travel booking channels and data security, however, many travel managers – and their companies – take a pass on the mobile travel bandwagon.” That is certainly the case for one travel buyer
who, when quizzed on the potential of the technology, said mobile devices are not currently part of the picture for their company. “The area is not an issue for us,” they declared. A typical supplier app, such as that of a hotel group, will include a search facility that enables users to find and view product across their entire inventory, or to locate the nearest location using the device's built-in GPS technology. Some apps
will also display real-time availability and enable users to make an enquiry or booking, often through a customer account. The latest releases from Heathrow and Premier
Inn, both free to download, are good examples. The former enables users to pay and book for tickets in less than 30 seconds, with users sub- sequently receiving a reference number and 2D barcode that can be scanned by onboard staff in place of a regular ticket. Premier Inn, meanwhile, has generated revenue of over £1million through its app in the three months since launching, which has now been downloaded to over 250,000 smartphones across the UK and Ireland. Many suppliers, such as the airline bmi, also
offer stripped-back versions of their websites that are enhanced for viewing on a mobile device. Enter
www.flybmi.com/mobile in the browser of your mobile phone – or even your desktop computer – and you’ll notice the difference. In April it claimed to have become the first British airline to enable users to book and pay for flights on smartphones, and follows on from its success in pioneering mobile boarding passes in the UK (see panel). “Over the last year, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of customers accessing
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