ETW Staff – Mumbai
Emirates has launched its latest mobile application to enable the airline’s team of airport staff to get real-time information that will enable them to respond to customers’ needs with greater efficiency. Developed by Emirates in cooperation with Samsung and Etisalat, Journey Manager runs on the recently launched Samsung Note 4.
Mohammed H Mattar, divisional senior vice president, airport services, Emirates, said, “Emirates has always been in the forefront of innovation, and our aim is to continue delivering excellent and more personalised service to our customers. The size and scale of our operations at the airport can be a challenge, especially during peak times where we can see up to 140 departures and arrivals in a four hour window. That is why we have always looked at ways to use technology and automation to improve the customer journey as well as empower our staff whose jobs means they are constantly on the move across the airport terminal. Emirates is again leading the way by using the latest mobile technology in our airport operations. We are proud to have launched the Mobile Journey Manager application on the Samsung Note 4 devices on the same day these devices were released in the market.”
Emirates’ managers and supervisors using the application now have increased operational awareness. At a glance they are able to check the status of both inbound and outbound flights, which helps them to assess potential areas of concern and better manage operations, especially in the event of a disruption.
Emirates airport staff use Journey Manager at the transfers area to assist transit passengers. Up to 20,000 transit passengers go through transfers desks during peak times in a six-hour period, with 40 per cent of these customers queuing to get information about which gates their next flights depart from. By scanning a passenger’s boarding pass using the device, staff can readily provide customers the most up-to-date information on gate assignments – thus significantly reducing the need for people to queue. Transfer staff are also using the app to check on delayed flights or where passengers have short connection times. The application allows staff to identify these passengers and pass on the information to the gate supervisor at the connecting flight. For passengers who have missed their connections, staff again can simply scan the boarding pass to see what flight re-bookings have been made and direct them accordingly.
According to Mattar, “Before Journey Manager – most of these functions were done through transactions behind a desktop, and information retrieved from printed reports, which only capture status updates at the time that they were printed. With the ability to quickly scan a passenger’s boarding pass and access ‘live’ flight information – our staff are able to find on time solutions and make decisions with more confidence knowing they have the most up-to-date information right at their fingertips.”