Self-service machines have become more common place and allow travellers to book and print travel tickets rather than waiting in a queue for a member of staff to carry out this transaction. This is hugely beneficial for travellers with time pressures and helps make the journey more effortless and relaxing.
With the introduction of the Internet, travellers flocked online to book travel as this provided a new channel for accessing high volumes of information and to easily compare pricing making the process quicker, more informative and convenient compared to visiting the nearest travel office or speaking to someone on the phone. Mobile technology complements this even further by making it even easier and more convenient for consumers to book travel as they can do so from anywhere, at anytime.
It is therefore not that surprising to discover that mobile travel bookings are expected to reach $26 billion by 2014 as more companies begin to cater for mobile customers searching for travel options online via a mobile device. Travellers are also becoming more accustomed to searching online using their mobile and travel apps to find the best prices, deals and information. For example, the Skyscanner mobile app quickly identifies all available flights enabling travellers to find the best flight available and book their flight on their mobile.
Airlines are becoming heavily involved in using mobile to streamline journeys and improve efficiencies allowing them to not only save money but also deliver better customer service. A SITA survey found that 100% of airlines surveyed intend to offer mobile check-in and flight status alerts by 2015. Travellers can now legitimately queue jump using mobile check-ins reducing the number of staff required and time spent waiting around leading to quicker journey times and more happy travellers. Flight status updates received to travellers' mobiles alert them immediately of any changes to their flights, removing the need to speak to a member of staff and allow them to adjust plans if necessary. Additionally, mobile boarding passes are also being adopted by airlines such as Ryanair to provide a secure way for travellers to store ticket information and remove the hassle of printing boarding passes.
However, a more recent SITA survey found that although more than 90% of airline passengers are using technology to ease the travel process, only a small percentage use their smartphones to help them when travelling. They found that although travellers have mobile services available to them, as 76% owned a smartphone, most did not use them due to worries over usability and limitations of the device.
It would seem that self-service travellers are not yet taking over. Although there are undoubtedly benefits for both transport companies and the traveller to use mobile services, there are still some concerns about usability which need to be addressed. SITA recommend that companies focus on making it as easy as possible for travellers to adopt and use mobile services and we expect if this is carried out, self-service travellers will increase in numbers.
Discover more about how travel apps can make a difference or read our Transport section to find out more. As part of our mobile communications portfolio for enterprises, we are now supporting Apple Passbook for boarding passes, tickets and coupons.
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