New Apple-IBM App Could Improve Pre-Flight PaxEx
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Apple and IBM have envisioned a way for airport staff to work more efficiently while improving the pre-flight passenger experience that would see future check-in clerks, flight attendants and pilots, connected to an Apple mobile device.
The announcement of Passenger Care, the latest in a series of apps developed for the airline industry, was made earlier this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It also included made-for-business apps in the financial and retail sectors.
“Travelers need assistance on the go, yet customer service agents remain tethered to their counters,” their website explains. So Apple and IBM, collaboratively known as IBM MobileFirst, envisioned a way to allow check-in clerks to assist customers beyond the counter, as well as provide staff with data to help them make more informed decisions.
In total, there are three MobileFirst apps available to the airline industry:
Passenger Care gives on-ground staff access to passenger profiles and up-to-the-minute information on weather conditions and gate changes, with the ability to communicate and coordinate tasks with other staff.
Passenger+ gives flight attendants access to passenger profiles, allows them to book new flights for delayed passengers and report maintenance or equipment issues while in-air to maximize productivity.
Plan Flight helps pilots determine how much fuel they need by comparing current and historical data on taxi times and weather patterns while keeping in constant communication with on-ground flight operations.
The apps are described as beautiful, simple and easy. They combine Apple’s strength in designing intuitive user experiences with IBM’s stronghold on business technology.
Air Canada is one of the first to adopt the apps, but is reported as using only the fuel-planning app. “Additional features to our flight attendants’ current app are under development, although it is too early to say which ones will get the go ahead or when,” Air Canada’s spokesperson explains.