AVIATION


incentives to switch time or date, thereby alleviating overbooking and “bumping”.


Hangar 51 is not a new concept. Since 2016 New York- based budget carrier Jetblue, for example, has invested in 18 start-ups via a Silicon Valley subsidiary Jetblue Technology Ventures.


One start-up that has chosen a different funding route is Seatfrog (see panel, p81), which has created an app that enables customers to upgrade their class of train travel up to 15 minutes before departure. The London-based company is in talks with airlines aiming to do the same with airline seats.


FUTURE INNOVATION It can sometimes feel like technology only serves as a disrupter and, in some cases, an irritation in everyday life; but as much as your smartphone can be annoying and your internet connection a source of frustration, let’s not forget the useful and sometimes fun side of technology.


Checking to see what an airline’s cabins look like used to mean flying on it, but virtual reality is about to change that. Emirates claims to be the first carrier to introduce web-based virtual reality (VR) on its digital platform, with 3-D 360-degree seat and cabin models of its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. If VR headsets are not your thing, anyone with a mobile can examine a seat before making a choice with the 3-D seat map using the carrier’s website or app. Another Emirates’ innovation has neatly overcome the problem of the lack of windows in first class


53% to increase


strikes and capacity


shortages due to


in 2018 are expected


Total delay minutes


suites that are situated in the middle of its A380s. Instead of the real thing, three window-shaped screens show real-time images from cameras filming the aircraft’s progress. The airline believes these are so realistic that in future, there may be no need for windows in aircraft at all. Emirates president Sir Tim Clark argues that removing windows can make aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient, because having them means fuselages have to be reinforced. While safety experts debate whether this would impede an evacuation, it is worth remembering that the first London Underground trains were windowless, but passenger reaction soon changed that.


Etihad is also moving into the VR world and carried out a trial in its premium lounges in Abu Dhabi last spring. VR noise-cancelling headsets were used to bring HD-quality personal cinema in 2-D and 3-D, meaning that a long layover in the lounge may seem a lot shorter in future. For airlines, apps are the latest must-haves, with two of the most recent being British Airways’ Reward App and Etihad’s WhatsApp Business app. The latter enables premium passengers to connect with the airline’s agents at Abu Dhabi airport and to receive messages, including flight reminders. Useful as these apps may be for the traveller, it


does not take much imagination as a buyer or TMC to appreciate the data-harvesting possibilities for the airlines and the direct marketing opportunities that these innovations will bring.


IN OUR MOST LIKELY SCENARIO,


THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH CAPACITY FOR FLIGHTS OR PASSENGERS


Schiphol airport, Amsterdam


86 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 buyingbusinesstravel.com


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