SITA and flight disruptions

The growth of mobile technology continues to be one of the big stories in the industry. This year’s SITA Airline IT Trends Survey, published at the annual Air Transport Summit, has confirmed that airlines are positive to invest in mobile technologies to better manage flight disruptions. 

Once totally owned by the world’s largest airlines, today SITA is a major IT international organisation also incorporating the many organisations that make up the industry. The Summit attracts major personalities in the industry highlighted this year by Tony Tyler, Director General of IATA.

Flight disruptions, or irregular operations (IROPs), continue to cause problems, with most delays caused by extreme weather conditions. As the survey reveals, airlines are striving to find ways of managing this disruption, investing in better communications, improving staff awareness and dealing with passenger recovery and re-bookings better.

The initial focus is on real-time mobile communication to passengers and staff now offered by just over half of the airlines surveyed.  More than one third of airlines currently use social media to keep passengers informed, and 80% plan to do so by 2017.  Currently, just 14% of airlines let passengers use kiosks to manage their flight changes caused by disruption, but this is set to rocket to 63% by 2017.  www.sita.aero

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