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again neither was the iPhone. Apple has now sold an amazing 700 million smartphones.
“It’s only a matter of time until Apple
Watches are as ubiquitous as iPhones, and with an app store of its own. “The Apple Watch is going to impact on a number of sectors as thousands of brands establish a presence. “Perhaps aware that it missed a beat with initial opportunities in mobile, the travel industry has been quick to embrace the Apple Watch.” A report by online travel marketing
platform Sojern said Watch underlines how travel firms must adopt strategies for screens of all shapes and sizes. “For more than a decade, industry pundits have been predicting the year of mobile, but they’ve largely missed the point. Focusing on the device alone is tantamount to tunnel vision,” the report said. “Consumers have become device- promiscuous, so the real opportunity of mobile is the ability to continue the conversation with a prospective customer – more exciting than merely optimising marketing for a very small screen.” The Apple Watch works in tandem with a user’s iPhone, and this is expected to be the source of its popularity. How travel agents and operators will exploit the Apple Watch remains unclear, but early examples include Starwood’s W Hotel chain which will use it for check-in and even room access. EasyJet’s app will provide personalised flight information and a boarding pass. James Millett, easyJet’s head of digital, said: “We constantly look for new ways to improve the travel experiences of our passengers and providing up-to-date information on the latest technology such as Apple Watch is key to this.” TripAdvisor plans to exploit the new ‘Glances’ feature on the watch that allows users to see relevant updates from their favourite apps with a simple swipe. It will also give users walking
directions, allow them to save their favourite restaurants, attractions and hotels or search for nearby options.
Hotels.com will use Apple Watch to notify customers of hotel bookings as well as to give access to booking details.
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travelweekly.co.uk — 16 April 2015
travelweeklybusiness
UK AIRPORTS RELEASE FLURRYOF FIGURES SHOWINGRISE IN PASSENGER NUMBERS
Lee Hayhurst
UK airports announced a spate of record passenger numbers and consecutive month-on-month increases last week. Gatwick and Heathrow, which are vying
for the green light to build a new runway, revealed record March numbers. Meanwhile, Glasgow and Stansted announced impressive growth figures, while Manchester revealed it had broken its all-time record for a financial year. The flurry of announcements showed:
• Heathrow handled a record 5.95 million passengers in March – 3.4% more than last year;
• Gatwick’s traffic rose 9.2% to almost three million, representing the busiest March in its 57-year history and 25th consecutive month of growth;
Stansted was boosted by a rise in domestic traffic, while Gatwick’s greatest increase was in the European scheduled sector (up 21.1%), with long-haul 7.4% up. Heathrow said it had benefited from good
• Stansted handled more than 1.67 million people in March – a 24% rise on 2014 and a 10th consecutive month of double- digit growth;
• Manchester airport handled a record 22.3 million passengers in 2014-15 – a 7.5% year-on-year rise. In March 2015, traffic was almost 10% up on 2014;
growth connecting emerging markets such as Mexico, China, the Middle East and Asia. The average number of seats on aircraft at Heathrow rose 1.6% to 206, while load factors rose 1.6 percentage points to 73.3%. Passengers per aircraft were up 3.2% to 151. Manchester airport managing director
• Glasgow airport recorded a 25th consecutive month of growth in March. The 14% increase took passenger numbers to more than 606,000.
GATWICK MAKES MORE PLEDGES TO WIN EXPANSION
Gatwick has warned its growth is not assured and called on political parties to act swiftly after the election to “unlock the capacity challenges for the southeast”. Chief executive Stewart Wingate said:
“Expanding Gatwick would promote competition in the airport sector and keep travel affordable at a time of economic recovery.
“The figures speak for themselves – we need to build a second runway to realise our potential and to maximise the nation’s connectivity to the rest of the world. “Let us deliver against our promise to build a new runway sooner, at lower cost,
Ken O’Toole hailed its performance as “magnificent”. “With Manchester airport having spare
runway capacity, we can offer customers and airlines an alternative to travelling via a congested London airport,” he said.
and without the environmental obstacles that Heathrow would face.” Gatwick expects to handle more than 40 million passengers next year – a decade earlier than predicted by the Department for Transport in 2013. Having faced criticism over its plans for regional flying, Gatwick pledged to spend £20 million supporting UK connectivity, as well as match fund marketing of new routes with regional tourism associations. ❯ Letters, page 32
Stewart Wingate
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