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The travel industry is, at its core, a mobile industry. New innovations are allowing passenger service, marketing and other business areas of major travel companies to keep their services and messages as mobile as their consumers. Emailing, blogging, instant messaging, texting and mobile phone applications now have companies realizing that there is no reason not to be in constant contact with valued customers. How though, do you walk that fine line of keeping your customer engaged and informed without becoming a mass marketing “pain in the SMS”?
2008 industry stats provided by ComScore Research Group, reveal that across the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, close to 7 million users accessed information related to travel through mobile technology. Considering the statistics were at zero several years ago, the results are encouraging. And while the results are heavily weighted to a younger audience in the US, UK, France and Germany, users in Italy and Spain were considerably older. So the adoption of your mobile travel solution is not the issue. The ultimate success lies within your solution’s practicality, usability and the added value to your passengers’ experience.
One of the latest mobile travel solutions to hit the industry is the use of web-enabled cell phones or PDAs to be used as electronic boarding passes. American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta/Northwest and Alaska Airlines have all started using this technology throughout 21 airports across the US. Passengers are sent electronic boarding passes via email and download a barcode that then appears on their phone’s screen. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are able to scan the barcode when they check the passenger’s photo ID for clearance. The boarding pass can be in hand before the passenger even arrives at the airport which eliminates the need to stand in line or check in at a kiosk. The solution is practical, easy to use and adds significant value to the passenger. It just makes sense!
When thinking about adopting a mobile travel solution, one major advantage is to forego the emailing and move to a text messaging (SMS) solution. These days, people want information instantly and while email still remains a vital communication tool, this line of contact can get caught up in spam folders. A text message gets delivered immediately to your target’s phone; of course you need the receiver’s consent to send messages.
Keep in mind many passengers are willing to pay. Mobile culture has preconditioned users to pay for add-on applications. What is known as “micropayments”, or nominal fees are a good way to generate profits. But your solution could also be complimentary to passengers and have relevant ad space attached to it for higher conversion rates and potentially higher profitability. Either way, adding to your bottom line with these solutions is not just possible, it’s very much achievable.
So what if there was a way for your airline to offer your passengers mobile access to airline schedules, gate information, flight delay notices, location-based guides, destination-related information and exclusive offerings directly to each of your passengers, all while generating new streams of revenue? And what if it was practical, easy to use and added significant value to each of your customers?
GuestLogix is soon bringing such mobile travel functionality to each of its customers through a new OnTouch service facilitated through the GuestLogix onboard transaction platform. The new solution will have passengers sign up for the service onboard the aircraft and have airline-branded updates sent directly to their mobile phone regarding events and attractions, restaurants, and even the ability to ask a personalized travel consultant a question about one’s destination which would be answered back by a live agent. The solution is practical, easy to use and adds significant value to both the passenger and the airline.
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