Technology gets off to a flying start

NOT long ago, electronic ticketing and self-service check-in were being hailed as new, wonder technologies that would revolutionise business travel.

Now these are old hat and newer innovations are taking their place.

While certain aspects of business travel remain depressingly constant - poor quality airline coffee, flight delays and sticky hotel soap - technology is moving at a rapid pace. Online bookings have been available for some time but now airlines are allowing passengers to check-in through the internet.

British Airways offers online check-in to all passengers through its web site (www.ba.com). Executive Club members can also check in via WAP-enabled phones (wap.

britishairways.com) and receive notifications of flight times.

Fergus Boyd, BA manager of technology and innovation, said that eventually, boarding-pass information might be stored in a passenger's mobile phone.

"WAP phones can already hold bar codes and so this might be the way forward. It is also better security as it is harder to counterfeit than a paper ticket," he says.

Meanwhile, biometric technology is being employed to increase airport security and speed up the departure and arrivals process. Iris scanning has been introduced at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to speed up border controls.

Under a scheme called Privium, pre-registered passengers skip queues at manual passport checks and go through turnstiles in seconds, just by looking into a camera. Similar technology is now being tested at Heathrow arrivals, using 2,000 pre-enrolled US passengers with BA and Virgin Atlantic.

According to IATA's Thomas Windmuller, every airport worldwide is now looking at some form of biometric identification technology. "Eventually this will be extended to check-in, lounge access and departure gates," he said.

Once on board, passengers will soon be able to check their emails and browse the internet from the comfort of their seat. Singapore Airlines and Air Canada have already tested the technology and most major airlines were due to install this service on long-haul flights by the end of this year, but some are waiting for better market conditions.

In order to stay connected, executives have to travel equipped with a mobile phone, laptop and a PDA plus the mass of wires and plugs required to use them. Until now, the emphasis has been on making these mobile communication devices smaller, lighter and more powerful.

In the future, the focus is on how they will converge and become fully mobile and wireless, allowing travellers to access their emails, the internet, their company's server and any other information from anywhere at any time.

US airlines are already using LAN technology to provide wireless airport lounges, where passengers with laptops can access the internet without plugging in. BA tested the technology at its JFK lounge in December but said until communications legislation is changed in Britain (possibly later this year), it cannot offer the service here.

Meanwhile, GPRS phones are replacing GMS with faster, smoother (and cheaper) WAP c o n n e c t i v i t y.

Instead of having to dial up for WAP services, with GPRS your stocks and shares information appears as soon as your phone is switched on, and at four times the speed.

The next stage, 3G, will be even faster and will ultimately provide travellers with a combined computer, camera, videocamera, stereo and radio, all in a mobile phone that can be used anywhere in the world. Although still in its early stages, 3G technology is expected to be widely available within two years.

Meanwhile, phones are already becoming increasingly multifunctional. With Nokia's 9210 Communicator, for example, you can send and receive emails, use Microsoft Word, update Excel spreadsheets, display powerpoint presentations and even transfer digital photographs.

The Benefon Esc! dual-band mobile phone (0870 899 5555) has a fax, modem and a GPS satellite receiver that lets those at home (and the boss) pinpoint your location.

Most of the latest mobile phones also have location-based services which mean that, with permission, third parties could monitor your whereabouts.

"If you are in Terminal 3 and need to be in Terminal 1, we would be able to notify you," said BA's Boyd.

The provision of such services depends on commercial pressures and demands from travellers but, rest assured, the technology is ready.

It is only a matter of time.

Copyright 2002
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