Research shows mobile phones have the potential to save the
airline industry £300m a year in dealing with and reducing flight
delays.
Research from airline IT provider SITA and Cambridge University
shows that mobile phones could be transformed into indispensable
air travel tools within five years.
If
mobile phones were used as passenger tracking devices, they
could save cash-strapped airlines up to £300m a year on reducing
flight delays.
As personal travel folders, mobile phones have the potential to
hold boarding passes, baggage tracking information and
payment data, making travel truly paperless and location
independent, says the research.
There is also the future possibility that they could be used to
store visa and biometric information.
The report, distributed at this week's SITA Air Transport IT
Summit in Brussels, shows that location-based technology in mobile
phones could be used to track passengers, enabling them to be sent
messages instructing them to move to changing gates more
efficiently, improving turnaround times and reducing delays.
With mobile phones becoming increasingly sophisticated, airlines
should get ready to take advantage. Jim Peters, chief technology
officer at SITA, said, "These 'digital travellers' will have
on-demand access to a range of mobile-enabled services, such as
real time flight updates, self-service booking, check-in and
boarding, and mobile payments.
"Some of these services are already available to passengers. For
example, in Norway, Japan and Germany, paperless travel is a
reality on some routes."
He said, "Our research shows that these mobile services will be
available to all travellers worldwide over the next five years. In
fact, by the end of 2010, 67% of airlines plan to offer mobile
check-in. By then, 82% of airlines also plan to offer notification
services on mobiles."
The report also demonstrates other areas where the air transport
industry can gain from adopting these technologies.
Using mobiles as tracking devices, airports can not only move
passengers more efficiently, but also market revenue-earning
services.
During a recent trial at Manchester Airport, redemption of
vouchers sent to passengers' mobile phones resulted in 45% higher
spending than among other shoppers.