Airlines get smart

The 14th annual SITA/Airline Business IT Trends Survey shows that mobile services for passengers are a top investment priority over the next three years for 93% of airlines.
More than half of airlines already sell tickets via mobile devices and by 2015, 89% plan to do so.

But the real transformation is not just in the area of sales. This year's survey shows that airlines are using mobile apps right across the business. By 2015, almost nine out of ten carriers plan to have the following core services available via mobile: flight search, check-in, boarding passes, ticket purchase, flight status notification and ancillary services, with customer complaint handling and missing baggage management following closely.

Nine out of ten airlines are investing in social media over the next three years. Some 57% believe social media can play a significant role in promoting sales, with 39% stressing its value in customer service. Four out of ten promote flights via social media already and almost 90% plan to do so by 2015. Both social media and mobile open the door for a more personalized service, and 78% of airlines in this year's survey already have, or plan to have, personalized sales offerings via their direct channels.

Over the last number of years, the SITA/Airline Business annual survey has shown the migration to mobile but the results this year show an absolute commitment from the airlines to a mobile future.

"Passengers have an insatiable appetite to have more control, more personalisation. Data needs to be personalised customised, timely and relevant,” says SITA market insight director,Nigel Pickford.