Back to Air Transport IT Review - Issue 1, May 2010

Context is everything, everywhere!

Delivering context-aware information that anticipates the needs of mobile end-users − based on time, location, or network type, for example − has the potential to transform the air transport industry.

Impacting the bottom line

According to Gartner, 50% of all workers at the airport - some 2.5 million of them - could benefit from workforce mobility. So what's the attraction?

Industry insights point to the potential of mobile workforce solutions to offer profound business improvements and value, such as:

Reduction of fuel costs and staff movement.
Improved flexibility and ability to manage disruptions.
Increased revenue and enhanced customer service.

More than that, there is a clear link to impacting the bottom line. But there is still a gap to be filled between the functional needs of workers in the field and the solutions designed for them by IT departments. The result? In short − wasted resources, as workers return to paper and voice-based communications instead of adopting more efficient mobile technologies.

Filling the gap

Filling that gap is context awareness. The maximum benefits of workforce mobility will only be achieved by implementing context-aware applications − everywhere − across all areas of the airport's operations.

Imagine how business processes would be transformed if the power of context were brought to end-users via their mobile devices. Duty managers, for example, would only see the information pertinent to their impending departure.

Maintenance engineers would only see the instructions for the task at hand. Like the duty managers they would not have to scroll through multiple menus to search for the information required to complete the job. Clearly, implemented across all areas of operations, the potential of context-aware workforce mobility is truly transformative.

Transforming the passenger experience

But of course, mobility is not confined to airport workforces. It also offers exciting new opportunities for airlines and airports to inform, empower, serve and sell to customers. For passengers, meanwhile, they are empowered to manage their travel experience proactively on the move, rather than from a fixed location.

Context-aware mobile applications merge both perspectives, providing a more personal experience for passengers and a more powerful marketing tool for airlines and airports.

Already, passengers can stay connected in-flight using their laptops and mobile devices - with Mobile OnAir and Internet OnAir, which enable them to send and receive e-mails, text messages and phone calls, and they can surf the Web.

Step change in mobility

Added to that, with a focus on innovation in passenger mobility, SITA has worked with Malaysia Airlines to develop and deliver the airline's new mobile platform flymas.mobi. The initiative achieves a step change in passenger mobility, with ground-breaking mobile functionality for airline passengers (see boxes below).

As context-aware mobile technology continues to evolve, SITA and its partners will remain at the forefront of the industry, using innovation and collaboration to harness the full potential of this exciting technology.

Context-aware workforce mobility

In partnership with Appear Networks, SITA is already creating innovative solutions for context-aware workforce mobility. Our standard solution is available in all SITA-equipped airports and provides:

Shorter deployment time across hub and outstations.
Lower integration and training costs (plug 'n play).
No specific hardware to deploy and maintain.
No upfront investment.
Lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
One device for all applications per agent (vs one device per application per agent).
Functionality tailored specifically to meet ATI needs.

How do context-aware applications work? Read our white papers - including 'Managing The Mobile Workforce', 'Transforming airline operations at airports with handheld devices' and 'How mobile technology will enhance passenger travel,' available at www.sita.aero/whitepapers.

New frontiers for travellers

With Malaysia Airlines' flymas.mobi - developed with SITA Lab - the passenger experience of the journey enters a completely new realm. It means that:

Fourteen million passengers can now use their mobile devices to book, pay, check in and board.
Malaysia Airlines can also harness the capabilities of smart phones by offering passengers context-aware services using geolocation.
Passengers can connect to social media sites such as Facebook, TripIt and DoppIr, enabling them to inform friends and colleagues of their travel plans.
Passengers can even use flymas.mobi to check the status of delayed bags via SITA's WorldTracer, the industry-standard, fully automated system for tracing mishandled baggage, used by more than 440 airlines and ground-handling companies worldwide.
All major operating systems and manufacturers are supported by flymas.mobi, including Blackberry, iPhone, Android Google phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile.