THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE I 39
'Touch-free' travel of the future THE REVIEW ›› TECHNOLOGY
A REPORT released by Inter- Continental Hotels Group (IHG) in March highlighted a new breed of guests who are happy to travel independently and free from human involvement, writes Linda Fox. The new breed, dubbed ‘the
invisible traveller’, rely on the tools and resources available to them such as mobile devices and their related applications for electronic boarding passes. Such technology also eases passage through gates at airports and check-in kiosks and online concierge services at hotels. The report suggests these people are already opting for this touch-free travel experience and there are other signs that the trend is set to continue. SITA, the aviation technology specialist, has also published a report – Flying into the Future – which shows some of the ways that travel will be changed by technology in the next few years. The report identifies four major
trends which are shaping how we travel and how mobile and social developments are impacting the experience of business travellers. For starters, airlines and airports
expect web and mobile to become the top two sales channels by the end of 2015. Currently, mobile represents about two per cent of overall airline sales and this is predicted to rise to seven per cent in three years time. Add in ticket sales via kiosks
and social networks and the seven per cent jumps to 12 per cent of tickets expected to be sold via a combination of mobile, social kiosks by the end of 2015.
In fact, 14 per cent of airports
and 13 per cent of airlines believe social media will be an important channel for sales in its own right in three years time. Airlines are also gearing up
to enable passengers to take more control with 90 per cent of carriers expected to have a mobile check-in option by 2015, compared to 50 per cent now. Passengers are expected to
take advantage of the develop- ment of barcode technology and near field communications (NFC) to make their journey through the airport smoother. According to the report, a number of airlines are already trialling schemes such as Japan Airlines' Touch & Go mobile application, which uses NFC to allow passengers to pass through boarding gates. The third trend is around how much more mobile other travel
“Airlines are gearing up to enable passengers to take more control with 90 per cent of carriers expected to have a mobile check-in option by 2015”
elements such as customer service are likely to become with nine out of ten airlines and airports planning to offer flight status alerts via apps. Some airports, meanwhile, are
already offering a more rounded service by bringing together a range of services under one app, including the ability to book airport parking, receive flight updates and gate information, and access terminal maps. Airlines also plan to put data
to much better use with more than 80 per cent of airlines and airports planning to invest in 'business intelligence solutions'. The hope is that the technology will enable them to capture richer data that can be used to improve the customer experience. This seamless, do-it-yourself
and on-the-go approach will impact corporate travel manage- ment with many in the community already talking about Managed Travel 2.0. But it need not be a negative impact. Experts say there’s no evidence to show mobile is leading to increased leakage from travel policies, but there is debate around the frustration of business travellers and how the whole travel experience could be improved. Technology companies are
already working to strike a balance between travel managers and travellers so that policy controls are still in place and data is still captured, but travellers are given a greater degree of flexibility.
60 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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