Technology boosts the travel industry
Apr 08, 2010
COMPUTERS and mobile phones are a common sight in many people’s homes and offices. What many people may not have thought of is the way these gadgets have changed the way we work and move. A case in point is in the travel industry.
By Timothy Ijala
COMPUTERS and mobile phones are a common sight in many people’s homes and offices. What many people may not have thought of is the way these gadgets have changed the way we work and move. A case in point is in the travel industry.
Ten years ago, you had to go to an airline or travel company to pay for your paper ticket and having one was a requirement if you were going to be allowed to board an aircraft.
Today, however, things are very different. You can book your flight, pay for your ticket, select your seat and in some cases check-in from the comfort of your office or home, as long as you have a computer with Internet access.
While this has saved the passenger the possibility of losing a ticket and maybe having to pay a hefty fine before getting another one, it has also saved the airline industry millions of dollars.
According to the International Air Transport Association electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) is saving the industry $3b per year.
It costs $1 to issue an electronic ticket as opposed to $10 to issue a paper ticket. Travel agents have benefited in that they no longer need to have ticket stock and the risk of these getting lost. The environment has also benefited because less paper is used, which means less trees are cut down.
Technology changed the way business is conducted in the travel industry. Before tour companies made brochures which were used to advertise the company’s services locally and internationally.
Now with the presence of the worldwide web, it is possible to reach markets anywhere in the globe at minimal cost, day and night. It also means that a company can be operational 24 hours a day. The use of social media like Facebook means you can get clients reactions to your services immediately.
The other question that arises is whether in certain instances people even need to travel. With the availability of technology like web and video conferencing, it is now possible to hold meetings and close business deals with anyone, anywhere in the world without having to leave the office building, thus saving companies thousands of dollars in travel expenses.
This is by no means the limit of use of technology in the travel industry. The development of the iPhone and now the iPad means that travel reservations and business can be carried out on the move. You can now have an office on the move.
In the US, technology has now been developed, which allows passengers to check in using an iris scan instead of a passport. Each passenger will have an image of one of their eye’s iris stored in a computer.
On arrival at check-in instead of showing their passport, they will go into a kiosk where in a very short time a camera will check that the pattern of their iris matches computer records. If not, a barrier will automatically open. This is known as biometrics and is used both to speed up passenger check-in and for security reasons.
In Sweden, passengers on Scandinavian Airlines can now check-in using their fingerprints.
Passengers who opt for the new biometric check-in system will scan their index finger as they drop off their baggage, and again at the gate.
The two fingerprints are compared to confirm a passenger’s identity, and no other ID is required.
The writer is a travel consultant
COMPUTERS and mobile phones are a common sight in many people’s homes and offices. What many people may not have thought of is the way these gadgets have changed the way we work and move. A case in point is in the travel industry.
Ten years ago, you had to go to an airline or travel company to pay for your paper ticket and having one was a requirement if you were going to be allowed to board an aircraft.
Today, however, things are very different. You can book your flight, pay for your ticket, select your seat and in some cases check-in from the comfort of your office or home, as long as you have a computer with Internet access.
While this has saved the passenger the possibility of losing a ticket and maybe having to pay a hefty fine before getting another one, it has also saved the airline industry millions of dollars.
According to the International Air Transport Association electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) is saving the industry $3b per year.
It costs $1 to issue an electronic ticket as opposed to $10 to issue a paper ticket. Travel agents have benefited in that they no longer need to have ticket stock and the risk of these getting lost. The environment has also benefited because less paper is used, which means less trees are cut down.
Technology changed the way business is conducted in the travel industry. Before tour companies made brochures which were used to advertise the company’s services locally and internationally.
Now with the presence of the worldwide web, it is possible to reach markets anywhere in the globe at minimal cost, day and night. It also means that a company can be operational 24 hours a day. The use of social media like Facebook means you can get clients reactions to your services immediately.
The other question that arises is whether in certain instances people even need to travel. With the availability of technology like web and video conferencing, it is now possible to hold meetings and close business deals with anyone, anywhere in the world without having to leave the office building, thus saving companies thousands of dollars in travel expenses.
This is by no means the limit of use of technology in the travel industry. The development of the iPhone and now the iPad means that travel reservations and business can be carried out on the move. You can now have an office on the move.
In the US, technology has now been developed, which allows passengers to check in using an iris scan instead of a passport. Each passenger will have an image of one of their eye’s iris stored in a computer.
On arrival at check-in instead of showing their passport, they will go into a kiosk where in a very short time a camera will check that the pattern of their iris matches computer records. If not, a barrier will automatically open. This is known as biometrics and is used both to speed up passenger check-in and for security reasons.
In Sweden, passengers on Scandinavian Airlines can now check-in using their fingerprints.
Passengers who opt for the new biometric check-in system will scan their index finger as they drop off their baggage, and again at the gate.
The two fingerprints are compared to confirm a passenger’s identity, and no other ID is required.
The writer is a travel consultant