TTG Features Air Travel
EasyJet’s latest innovations are set to reduce technical delays and allow the airline to better communicate with passengers. Gary Noakes has a sneak preview
Flying ahead with mobile updates
meaning there are already fewer excuses to miss that departure. When it’s the airline’s fault that
there’s a delay or cancellation, the way it is handled is a big part of how consumers perceive a brand, and easyJet’s app is already an essential element of this. “Our customer research tells us
it’s not necessarily the delay, but the lack of information and not knowing what the options are,” says Gill Lucas, easyJet’s disruption manager. Since July, a feature of the
EasyJet’s app was launched in 2011 L 44
ast call has long gone and one passenger is nowhere to be seen, delaying the flight for
everyone else. It happens all too often, but one
airline is well on the way to developing something to alleviate the problem. It’s a little way off from being reality, but easyJet is working on mobile technology via its app that will track a passenger through the airport, remind them when they should be at their gate and direct them to it in time, avoiding a sarcastic ovation as they board. Dan Young, the airline’s digital
development manager, explained that some cooperation will be needed from airports to make this a reality, as normal GPS positioning doesn’t work indoors. A series of beacons will need to be placed around the terminal instead.
20.08.2015
mobile support portal has been to find stranded passengers a pre-paid hotel room when flights are cancelled. The service, run with travel management company Capita, includes a map of how to get to the property. All
passengers have to do is check in as normal.
“That will enable us to get an accuracy down to three to five metres,” he explains.
Perfect host If it all sounds a bit Big Brother, consider the advantages already brought by the latest version of easyJet’s Mobile Host, currently offered at Gatwick. This guides passengers step-by-step on their day of travel with airport directions, queue times, walk times and other flight reminders and updates,
Driving downloads EasyJet first released its app in
December 2011 and it has since been downloaded nearly 13 million times. Mobile channels now account for 12% of easyJet’s e-commerce bookings and 10% of its passengers use mobile boarding passes – accepted at 114 of the airline’s 138 airports. The latest 64-bit app (put simply,
it’s better than the old 32-bit version) includes widgets that offer flight status and the opportunity to amend bookings to include seat selection or
THE FUTURE IS DRONES
Drones are the latest must-have gadgets, which can be used for more beneficial ends than annoying people in the park, as airlines are finding. Fitted with high-definition
cameras, they can inspect an aircraft, reducing a task that could take days into a few hours. This is particularly useful after a lightning strike. Lightning bolts are perfectly safe, as they dissipate along the body of the aircraft, but the strike can damage the skin of the plane, meaning it has to be inspected. “What was a 10-hour minimum inspection that could go into days, we can now do in minutes,” says Ian Davies, easyJet’s head of engineering. One problem is that drones
can’t be flown outside at an airport and since they use GPS for guidance, this is an issue inside a hangar, where it doesn’t work. Instead, a laser guidance system keeps the drone a metre away from any object. The system is undergoing final
tests and once the technology is mastered, easyJet expects drone inspection to become commonplace for airlines within 18 months.
baggage. A really clever widget will also read your passport and grab the information needed to check in. An Android version of the app
will be available later in the year, but it is already offered on the Apple Watch, receiving 20,000 interactions since April.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68