Mobile technology has been at the forefront of the technical revolution for the past few years, and with the introduction of smartphones to the mix, increased usability and potential has opened the floodgates for innovation and change even in the most staid of industries.
In fact, Gartner predicts that the prevalence of mobile enterprise apps will grow 500% by 2014 – and it’s easy to see why. These days, one in five of the world’s population own a smartphone, leaving brands and content creators clambering to engage on-the-go audiences.
So in what ways are they achieving this goal?
Holiday Search
90% of people admit that they will use multiple screens sequentially to complete online tasks over a period of time. This basically means that more and more people are picking up mobile devices to complete tasks on the web.
Whilst the uptake of PCs and laptops is declining, mobile browsing is increasing at an exponential rate. Coupled with the fact that the sheer amount of online content available means consumers are more time-poor than ever before, mobile optimised content that can be accessed on-the-go is now a must for brands. It’s for this reason that independent holiday retail apps like Appi Holidays have begun to appear on the market.
A step up from independent holiday search sites, this dedicated (free!) app allows its users to cross reference holidays from a selection of partnering tour operators based on a vast range of criteria. This technology aims to prevent a small nucleus of tour operators monopolising the market and level the playing field for smaller operators offering good deals to compete.
Streamlining the Passenger Journey
In the age of technology, consumer behaviour is changing. People want (and expect) to be able to complete tasks on mobile devices to save themselves time and money. Part of this is the relatively new concept of web self-service. Basically, consumers are increasingly requesting that brands give them the ability to ‘help themselves’ through mobile apps – and it’s no different for aviation.
The airline industry has been embracing this for years, with online check-in available pretty much across the board. In more recent years, mobile check-in has been developed, with some carriers allowing passengers to specify meal options and seating allocation depending on the flight.
According to a report by air transport IT specialists, SITA, by 2015, passenger interaction for customer service will be carried out through both mobile and social channels to cater for the 98% of passengers that want flight updates to their phone and 65% through social media channels.
And as customer interaction becomes more automated, over 50% of airports and airlines have plans to implement transfer and self-boarding kiosks, whilst 31% believe social media will become a dominant customer service channel.
And it’s not just the passenger experience that’s set to become revolutionised by mobile technology…
Tracking Apps
Looking at overflying planes and wondering where its passengers are jetting off to is actually pretty outdated when you consider that developers are now creating apps like Flightradar24.
Powered by technology known as ADS-B, this revolutionary app has the ability to track approximately 60% of all passenger aircraft as they travel across the world. This particular app has enjoyed increased popularity in recent times, with over 2 million app downloads, as consumers take an interest in aviation.
And it’s not difficult to see why. Users of the innovative app can identify overflying planes by holding their mobile device to the sky, search for individual flights and watch them travel in real-time, and even access comprehensive information (route, aircraft type, speed and altitude), amongst a wealth of other impressive features. In fact, so effective is this technology, that its ‘aeronautical evidence’ has been used to catch out fibbing Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak.
Apps for Pilots
And proving that the market for aviation apps doesn’t end with consumers, ForeFlight is a flight planning tool designed for use by individual pilots. This comprehensive management tool saves pilots from endless paper charts and plates, and allows them to quickly and easily check weather, fuel burn and ETAs from one screen.
It’s clear that mobile technology is transforming every branch of aviation, from ensuring customer satisfaction to providing detailed, mission critical information to independent pilots. And whilst the industry is sure to innovate and transform in the future, for the next few years at least, there’s no doubt that apps will have a key part to play in air travel.
