Airline IT departments are set to invest in business intelligence (BI) and mobile solutions over the next three years, in an effort to personalise passengers' air travel experience.
That's according to SITA's fifteenth annual Airline Business IT Trends Survey, the results of which have been revealed at the Air Transport Summit in Brussels, where Computing is in attendance.
Every airline surveyed by SITA revealed they are planning to invest in BI solutions to enable them to know more about their customers, thus supplying better information for decision making and improving services. That 100 per cent figure is an increase on last year when 20 per cent of airlines had no intention in investing in BI at all.
Currently, only nine per cent of airlines rate data quality as being good enough to meet all of their requirements, while just seven per cent have achieved a standard of data integration from across the company that they find acceptable.
"All airlines are investing in business intelligence to improve their operations and boost revenues," said SITA CEO Francesco Violante at the launch of the report. "We see a strong desire to increase revenues using techniques borrowed from the retail industry, including personalisation. Nearly three quarters of airlines rate business intelligence for sales and marketing as a high priority.
"The airlines' investment plans show the future of the industry is smarter, more mobile and more personal."
Mobile continues to be one of the top priorities for airline IT departments, with 97 per cent now investing – or planning to invest – in this area over the next three years in an effort to provide customers with a more efficient experience while boosting revenues.
By 2016, nine out of 10 airlines surveyed plan to sell plane tickets via mobile phones, which will see mobile ticket revenue amount to $70bn (£44.8bn). This would represent 10 per cent of total sales, up from only three per cent as it stands.
When it comes to mobile applications, check-in apps are already available from 61 per cent of airlines, allowing users to check-in using their smartphones, while just over half currently provide the option of mobile boarding passes, with this set to rise to more than 80 per cent by 2016.
According to the SITA research, the main challenge airlines have with mobile technology is its pace of development, which many IT departments are struggling to keep up with.
"Mobile's dominant role is clear. Airlines continue to focus on services available via the airline website, such as flight search and check-in," said Violante.
"But in an effort to differentiate passenger services, a new battleground of mobile functionality is emerging. The result will be a much deeper integration of personalised mobile services at every step of the journey for passengers on the move."
