A mobile application that will enable airline staff to get real-time information about airport operations and respond to customers' needs with greater efficiency has been developed by a Dubai-based airline.
Journey Manager, an application designed by Emirates in cooperation with Samsung and Etisalat equips the airport staff to check flight status, gate assignments, requests for seat-change and provide other real-time updates.
"The size and scale of our operations at the airport can be a challenge, especially during peak times where we can see up to 140 departures and arrivals in a four hour window," said Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services.
"That is why we have always looked at ways to use technology and automation to improve the customer journey as well as empower our staff whose jobs means they are constantly on the move across the airport terminal," he said.
The technology that is modelled on the recently launched Samsung Note 4 can be used to check the status of inbound and outbound flights, assist transit passengers and provide up-to-date information on gate assignments, thus reducing the need of people to queue up.
"Up to 20,000 transit passengers go through transfers desks during peak times in a six-hour period, with 40 per cent of these customers queueing to get information about which gates their next flights depart from.
"By scanning a passenger's boarding pass using the application, the staff can readily provide customers the most up-to-date information on gate assignments, reducing the need for people to queue," Mattar said.
The official noted that "most of these functions were done through transactions behind a desktop and the information retrieved from printed reports, which only captured status updates at the time of printing".
Emirates will roll out the Mobile Journey Manager among its 2400-strong airport staff, making it accessible at all customer touch points including check-in, re-booking flights, and requests for seat change.
