Study confirms rise of smartphones in travel

Airport check-in will become the exception rather than the rule within 10 years as terminals and airlines boost connectivity with smartphones, a study from Amadeus and The Futures Company suggests.

Chaos to collaboration

Airport check-in will become the exception rather than the rule within 10 years as terminals and airlines boost connectivity with smartphones, a study from  Amadeus and The Futures Company suggests.

The report is looking at the future but it already lags behind the present. Singapore Airlines have already stopped kiosk check-in at Changi Airport as passengers prefer online and mobile check-in.

The report says airlines will develop “intelligent” tickets that update people on delays and tags that track individual bags around the world. Computer-game and “augmented-reality” technology could be used to enhance airport transit, and terminal shops will tap digital spending records to help lure transiting passengers, it says.

The key thread running through this report is that travel will become more collaborative over the next decade, both in terms of how people travel, and how travel providers work together with travellers. This collaboration will help reduce the stress, uncertainty and chaos that is present today, due partly to the onset of mass tourism.

Key findings
  • The next generation of experience: Travel is increasingly about depth rather than breadth of experience. Technologies such as augmented reality, gamification mechanisms and smart mobile devices will transform the travel experience
  • Automatic transit: Checking-in could become the exception rather than the norm, with the rise of faster and more efficient identity management systems. Chips, biometrics, long range fingerprinting and near field communications (NFC) can be deployed in a more integrated way to fast-forward how people move around
  • Payment with memory: All data on payments made before and during a trip will be integrated, acting as a digital memory of expenditure and activity for individuals, groups and travel industry operators. Intelligent passenger records, ‘digital breadcrumbs’ and contactless technologies could be used to personalise and bundle services delivering higher value and more profitable relationships
  • Intelligent recommendation: As technologies make it easier for people to tag and review all aspects of travel experiences, travellers will be more influenced by peer groups and expert curators. The prospect of personal travel guides and mobile tour representatives will give travellers the tools they need to enrich their experience
  • Taking the stress out of travel: The wellbeing agenda and changing demographics will place greater emphasis on removing travel stress. Intelligent luggage tags and tickets will give greater reassurance whilst m-Health (mobile-Health) applications will allow travellers to manage and monitor their health and wellbeing as if they were at home
  • The business tourist: Continued emphasis on work-life balance and wellbeing at work may see the rise of the business tourist which will demand speed and efficiency as well as a home-away-from-home

 

Read the press release and download the report from Amadeus.