Airports and airlines that want to win the hearts, minds and loyalty of business travelers should be prepared to provide a firehose of information on the go. A new report shows today's business travelers have high expectations for receiving and acting on flight information through their mobile devices when they take to the air.
That means airports and airlines need to move beyond showing static information and push relevant information, timely updates and key functionality that empowers their customers to make better decisions on the fly.
Almost all travelers (93.6 percent) want flight information pushed to mobile devices before takeoff, according to a survey of more than 2,600 travelers conducted by FlightView, a provider of real-time flight information. Furthermore, nearly 75 percent want a mobile alert when their flight is boarding, and 57 percent want mobile alerts on seat upgrade options.
[Lost Your Smartphone? Check the Airport]
Most travelers today have a connected device in hand, FlightView says. More than 80 percent of those surveyed use a smartphone in-flight, and more than 35 percent use a tablet or laptop.
If airports and airlines send it, business travelers are prepared to receive and respond to it. As travel technology quickly evolves, travelers expect to move beyond getting day-of-travel information on their mobile devices to taking action on these devices.
More than 35 percent of travelers want to use their mobile devices to purchase ticket upgrades, book ground transportation and view coupons and specials for airport shops and restaurants. In addition to conducting sales transactions, 66.5 percent of travelers want the capability via a mobile device to rebook on another flight, and 65.9 percent want to be able to view terminal maps.
"Mobile and self-service are the future of the travel industry," said Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView. "Innovative offerings that were nice to have five years ago are now critical to staying competitive in today’s market. Airports and airlines that effectively use mobile adoption to their advantage will see the greatest rewards in both customer loyalty and ancillary revenue."
This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to Laptopmag.com. Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith and BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
