SITA releases report on business intelligence solutions to enhance travel
ETW Staff– Mumbai
According to Smart Thinking, released by SITA, more than half of the passengers would use their mobiles for flight status, baggage status and airport directions and by 2016 majority of airlines and airports will offer these services. In total, 100 per cent of airlines and 90 per cent of airports are investing in business intelligence solutions to provide the intelligent information across their operations which these, and other services, demand.
SITA’s report describes how today the focus is on building the foundation for business intelligence but looking ahead the combination of business intelligence plus predictive analysis will help improve the passenger experience, while optimising the use of infrastructure and space at airports. In the past, airlines and airports had no choice but to react when ‘irregular’ events such as bad weather disrupted their finely-tuned schedules. Using business intelligence they will be more proactive by analysing past events and combining live data feeds from multiple sources to predict future events and take preventative action before they occur. By making the transition from reactive to proactive to preventative there are significant benefits to be gained for passengers and the industry alike.
SITA’s Smart Thinking is based on global research and incorporates additional inputs from leading airlines and airports including British Airways, Saudia, Dublin Airport Authority, London City Airport and Heathrow.
According to SITA’s paper, flight status updates are already a mainstream mobile service and will extend to the vast majority of airlines and airports by the end of 2016. By then, what today are niche services will also be well established. Bag status updates will be offered by 61 per cent of airlines; and 79 per cent of airports will provide status notifications, such as queues times through security and walking time to gate. More than three quarters will also be providing navigation/way-finding at the airport via mobile apps.
“Our research has clearly shown that the move to smartphone apps and mobile services is well underway. But many of the services that airlines and airports are planning are heavily dependent on their ability to provide more meaningful data and insight – providing passengers and staff the right information at the right time. Efforts are being made across the industry to collaborate and SITA has established the Business Intelligence Maturity Index to benchmark the progress,” said Nigel Pickford, director, Market Insight, SITA. There are ongoing efforts across the industry to establish data standards and ensure system compatibility.
