Tech upgrades for business travel
Monday, July 30, 2012
According to a recent survey featured in Business News Daily, many business travelers agree it is time for airlines and airports to "get on board with advanced travel technology." Business travelers are becoming increasingly dependent on staying connected, whether from the comfort of their corporate suites, in the taxi on the way to the airport or even in the skies above while in flight. Corporate travelers are calling for tech upgrades.
The survey was conducted by travel information provider, FlightView, in an effort to gauge travelers' expectations when it comes to technology. Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView, said, "Business travelers, pressed or time, want to access new tools and technologies that make traveling easier and more efficient."
The biggest call for change comes in the category of in-flight Wi-Fi. While business travelers may be entirely satisfied with their tech amenities of their corporate furnished apartments, that is not often the case with air travel. The survey revealed that only 28 percent of business travelers are satisfied with in-flight Wi-Fi offered by airlines and only 32 percent are happy with the Wi-Fi offered in airports.
Another recent report in Memphis Business Journal revealed that in today's travel world, paper airplane tickets are quickly becoming extinct, joining other tools that once seemed necessary for business travel such as fax machines, dual-time watches and world-band radios. As the world becomes increasingly mobile, the demand for tech upgrades will continue to rise.
Of the 2,600 travelers surveyed, 80 percent indicated that they would have used mobile boarding passes if the option had been available to them. Also revealed was that more than 94 percent of travelers want their flight statuses sent to their phones, 63 percent of business travelers want to receive mobile updates about opportunities to upgrade and 70 percent want to get a mobile notice when their flight has begun boarding.
Benjamin continued to comment, "Every time an airport or airline rolls out a new offering, it raises travelers' expectations, which, in turn, puts pressure on others in the industry to quickly adopt and integrate new technologies."
The No. 1 source of frustration for business travelers stems from receiving conflicting flight information when their flight has been delayed or canceled, which could produce significant problems for today's busy corporate traveler. A close second frustration for business travelers is when there are no updates available for new departure times or if the updates they receive are inaccurate.