The
airline industry could save £300m a year using
passengers' mobile phones to reduce the impact of flight
delays.
Research from
airline IT provider SITA and Cambridge University shows mobile
phones could be used as passenger tracking devices and could hold
boarding passes, baggage tracking information and payment data.
This would reduce paperwork and check-in procedures.
The research also suggested mobile devices could be used to
store visa and
biometric information.
The report - distributed at this week's
SITA Air Transport IT Summit in Brussels - shows
location-based technology in mobile phones could be used to
send passengers messages instructing them to move to changing
gates. This would improve turnaround times and reduce delays.
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 added, "Our research shows 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.
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