1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Some argue that AI in travel technology represents a threatening competition to the human workforce as it is able to make processes automated, quicker and at much lower costs. In air travel there are three major categories in which AI affects the industry: robots, machine learning and ChatBots.
Robots
In mid-february 2018, Munich Airport became Germany's first airport to try out Josie Pepper - a humanoid robot equipped with artificial intelligence. The robotic helper welcomes travelers, speaks English and is well-equipped to answer questions about directions to a duty-free shop or a departure gate, flight operations, restaurants and shops.
Robots can also be found at UK airports. Glasgow airport is testing a robot called Gladys to provide passenger information. Robots are also reported to have been used at Indianapolis Airport in the US, Edmonton Airport in Canada and at the Roma Fiumicino airport in Italy.
[VIDEO] Meet Josie Pepper: Check out for error fares!
2. Internet of Things (IoT)
The use of IoT initiatives in travel technology has been adopted for resolving the issue of lost luggage, which is causing a lot of stress to passengers as well as a lot of costs to the air travel industry. IATA has therefore adopted a resolution which requires airlines and airports to adopt IoT tools to reduce baggage mishandling. Thanks to sensor-based baggage solutions, you’ll receive a push notification when your bag is loaded, when it arrives and where it is being transferred to. Lufthansa’s passengers can already use this latest travel technology to track their baggage via a link found on their mobile boarding pass in the Lufthansa app.
Another example of the adoption of internet of things can be experienced at the London City Airport, which allows security checkpoints to communicate with each other, and then to send a notification to a traveler’s mobile device with estimated wait times and delays. Internet technology solutions are being introduced also at Gatwick airport.
Internet of things at the Gatwick airport: http://bit.ly/2MYv8QQ
3. Virtual reality (VR)
Virtual reality is a powerful tool, adopted by the travel technology to offer inspiration as an extremely powerful selling tool. It takes you on virtual journeys in a complete immersive way. Airports use it to offer passengers the experience of the airport, helping them to locate information desks, check-in, security, shops, lounges, gates, boarding, transfers…
Airline companies use virtual reality to demonstrate an aircraft cabin and to demonstrate their Business Lounges ... Qantas Airways is the world’s first airline to introduce virtual reality headsets in 2015 on their Airbus A380 flights in the first-class cabin. The airline has since expanded its usage of virtual reality in their travel technology by creating a mobile application available across multiple platforms for travelers to experience Australian destinations on and off an aircraft. Lufthansa has a dedicated mobile application on the iOS or Android platforms with unique 360-degree content that introduces different cabin classes, airplanes and travel destinations served by the Lufthansa Group. Singapore Airlines also created a website with embedded virtual reality tours of its cabins in 2016.
Singapore Airlines VR: http://bit.ly/2odYjBA
Quantas VR app: http://bit.ly/2BP7bax
Lufthansa VR app: http://bit.ly/2wiH0E0
4. Wearable devices
Wearable devices have also been introduced in the travel technologies. A great example is provided by Air New Zealand which is testing Google Pixel Buds, which enables their crew members live translation of 40 languages via the Google Pixel smartphone. This improves their customer experience on board of the aircraft and make the journey even more pleasant.
Discover how it works: https://youtu.be/x--9CJ1PlYc
The experience of travelling by plane is far less pleasant if there are delays. Read the following 3 tips how to protect yourself against the negative consequences of flight delays.
5. Self-driving cars
Travel technology aims to improve our overall mobility, on the ground and in the air. Brussels Airport has given the go-ahead for the introduction a self-driving electric buses on the airport campus. After the summer of 2019, tests without passengers will begin at the test site in Utrecht, while the shuttle bus should arrive at the Brussels Airport at the beginning of 2020 for further tests.
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