Mobile airlines, the way of the future

 Mobile futures are a top priority for airlines, according to a new study, with 97 percent of airlines investing in mobilizing the entire travel journey.
SITA’s Airlines Study 2013 found that airlines are trying to keep up with the growing technological world by providing mobile functionality on differentiated services to passengers on the move.
Currently 50 percent of airlines offer mobile flight search, tickets, check-in and boarding passes, however, over the next three years, more than 60 percent are going to offer mobile flight rebooking, missing bag reporting and bag status updates.
Additionally, the 2D bar-coded version of the magnetic strip boarding pass will become the de facto boarding pass of the future, with more than 80 percent of airline likely to offer the method by 2016, up from the current 53 percent.
Third-part travel wallets, such as the Apple Passbook, Samsung Waller and Google Now are also starting to feature, with 62 percent of airlines to provide boarding passes through other apps over the next three years, up from the current 21 percent today.
Meanwhile the adoption of mobile solutions isn’t just for passengers, with eight out of ten airlines planning to provide flight crews with electronic flight bags and automate cabin crew services by 2016.
A second wave of services will also see airlines focus on equipping crew with tablets, which up until now has been a low priority but in 2016 will jump to over 70 percent of airlines.

Sourced: etravelblackboardasia