BACK TO THE FUTURE MOBILE ACCESS
The future is palm-sized The Business Travel Magazine, Issue One, Nov/Dec 2006
NINE YEARS AGO Amadeus predicted the advent of a universal access handset that would deliver a seamless travel experience. Read on to see what they said then and now
Now... Then...
By Mike Swindell, TBTM Issue One (Nov/Dec 2006) Amadeus is working on a vision of the business travel future that will reduce online booking tools to a piece of kit the size of a mobile phone that will also accomplish automated check-in for airlines, car hire companies and hotels. Marcos Isaac, director for corp-
orate and distribution channels at Amadeus e-travel, has a demon- stration video clip on his laptop which shows a traveller breezing through all stages of a business trip waving his universal access handset at various reader terminals. The video even shows the
traveller using the mobile phone lookalike to unlock and enable the ignition of his hire car and to get through his hotel room door. “Technology is becoming more
flexible and adaptable,” said Isaac. “As a technology provider we look at what it is possible to bring to the end user and through which means.” He added: “This smart mobile phone is one possibility. It is like having a remote control on the world in your hands.”
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 31
Michael Bayle, Head of Mobile, Amadeus, reflects on the company’s predictions. “It’s always hard to predict the future but, looking back at this piece, I would say we were on the right track. Compared to 2006, many products that are now indispensable didn’t exist. The iPhone and Android, for example, have accelerated the feasibility of a painless travel experience. “The fear of the unknown has all
but been eliminated with mobile: we are alerted to our flight’s delay, hire an Uber cab to the airport, flash our Passbook to board the plane, track our bags’ whereabouts, unlock our ZipCar upon arrival and enter the hotel room with our Apple watch. “Mobile is synonymous with
an enriched travel experience. Consumers are using apps to plan travel, enhance their experiences and share their experiences on social media. My prediction for the future? Booking a trip directly from a chat in Facebook is just around the corner.”
“Consumers are using apps to plan travel, enhance their experiences and share their experiences on social media”
The Verdict... 8/10
As far as crystal-ball-gazing goes, this was a fine effort from Amadeus back in 2006, and we now have most of the functionality it forecasted, if not yet widely available. We might revisit that last comment of Michael Bayle’s further down the line.
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