Category Archives: Technology

Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) have agreed to a strategic collaboration for an initial ten-year period that will enable airlines, aircraft manufacturers and passengers to benefit from the combined expertise of the two companies that have been at the forefront of technology and innovation for nearly four decades. Under the terms of the agreement, Inmarsat will become Panasonic’s exclusive provider of Ka-band IFC for commercial aviation and panasonic will now be able to offer Inmarsat’s high-speed, broadband connectivity service, GX Aviation, powered by Global Xpress. Panasonic will continue to invest in its own network and, with GX Aviation as a primary offering for new business, will be perfectly positioned to serve both its current and future customers. In addition, Inmarsat will now be able to offer Panasonic’s market-leading portfolio of services and NEXT solutions to Inmarsat’s commercial aviation customers. The collaboration presents a unique opportunity to leverage Inmarsat’s proven track record of high-quality and innovative global mobile connectivity, and Panasonic’s market-leading in-flight entertainment, digital services and connectivity solutions. Looking forward, Inmarsat and Panasonic will also collaborate on the development of a next generation GX Aviation terminal, as well as new connectivity-enabled services, data analytics and technology to improve overall end-to-end performance. By delivering this step-change in aviation services capability, airlines will have access to new and better solutions that address widely recognized industry challenges of capacity, coverage and compatibility. This will give greater quality, consistency of experience and more choice to airlines and their passengers in the IFC market, which by some estimates could exceed $100 billion by 2035. Rupert Pearce, Chief Executive Officer, Inmarsat, said, “Our highly complementary collaboration with Panasonic combines the unique expertise and proven capabilities …

BYHOURS has officially launched in Manama, enabling users to select the desired check-in time to hotel rooms at any time during the day. The platform allows users to book hotel rooms in sets of three, six or twelve-hour timeslots. BYHOURS offers such flexibility in hotel stays in more than 3000 hotels in 25 countries across Europe, Latin America and the GCC region. This start-up is the first to introduce the concept of micro-stays and a pay-per-use finance scheme in the international travel and hospitality industry. It is aimed at international business travellers’ in-between meetings and for travellers spending time in cities for short layovers.

Emirates is gearing up to launch the world’s first “biometric path” that will offer its customers a smooth and truly seamless airport journey at the airline’s hub in Dubai International airport. Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can soon check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The latest biometric equipment has already been installed at Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International airport. It can be found at select check-in counters, at the Emirates Lounge in Concourse B for premium passengers, and at select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked.  Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates, said, “Guided by our chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates continuously innovates and strives to improve our day-to-day business. After extensive research and evaluation of numerous technologies and new approaches to enhance our passenger journey, we are now satisfied with the preliminary work we have carried out and are ready to commence live trials of the world’s first biometric path at Emirates Terminal 3. These ground-breaking initiatives are a result of close collaboration with our stakeholders – particularly GDRFA who have been instrumental in the programme to bring the biometric path to fruition.” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Almarri, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai,  said, “We are pleased to roll-out these new initiatives at Terminal 3 in collaboration with Emirates and our airport stakeholders. The Smart Tunnel tests are running smoothly, and we are now preparing to mobilise the other biometric systems at the other areas …

Travelport has become the first GDS operator to manage the live booking of flights using the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) technical standard. The first transaction was made by a British agency, Meon Valley Travel, on October 19 for a short-haul low-cost flight from London to Milan issued by a major European carrier. The new capability allows bookings to be made for any services on the airline without incurring a surcharge. Travelport’s new NDC capability is enabled using similar XML connections to those Travelport already deploys with APIs for over 20 low-cost carriers. The company published a roadmap for its initial range of NDC products in February, having been the first GDS operator in December 2017 to acquire Level 3 certification from IATA as an aggregator. It will also be followed by a series of product enhancements, including a version for online agents in 2019. Gordon Wilson, President and CEO, Travelport, said: “We are delighted to have taken a lead in bringing the NDC era to life. It has required an extraordinary amount of skill and expertise to make this happen and I want to thank my own colleagues at Travelport as well as our partners. We are still at the earliest stages of NDC deployment. Its evolution will continue to take time as we learn from the practical experience of its first use. Meanwhile, we continue to offer a comprehensive global travel commerce platform capable of handling mass volumes of searchable and bookable content at speed for the world’s travel providers and agents.”

Oman Air has introduced a new WhatsApp service which enables its guests to communicate instantly. Clients who opt for this service can now receive their booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes, flight status updates, in addition to other requested information, directly through the messaging app. The service offers secure, efficient and personalised customer interaction between the airline and the customer, with no third-party interference. Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air, said, “Oman Air is increasingly using technology to boost its operations and make the travel experience more stress-free for its guests. This move once again demonstrates our continued commitment to offer our guests with added value and an enhanced travel experience.” Dr Khalid Abdulwahab Al Balushi, Senior Manager, Call Centers, commented, “This Business solution will enable us to reach out to more passengers as it is one of the most popular messaging applications worldwide. The new service will go a long way towards enhancing the customer experience for today’s always-connected customers. Furthermore, the WhatsApp feature is in line with the Oman Air’s journey to digitalisation.”

Gordon Wilson, the President and CEO of Travelport, highlighted the developments in technology shaping the travel industry. Speaking in Atlanta at The Beat Live, Wilson spoke about how indirect channels are embracing IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) API. He announced that Travelport is on schedule to launch its first version of this capability into a production environment this quarter. He expressed caution about NDC on issues such as the relative speed of response compared to the fast and accurate response times provided today in the indirect channel and the different interpretations among airlines of the NDC API. This, he said, could push up the cost to serve and time to implement. Wilson cited the progress already made in enabling airlines to merchandise their content to travel agency and corporate travel channels, the speed at which new airline products can be introduced, and the capabilities allowing airlines to make personalised or tailored offers.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has been named the best government entity in the emirate for the provision of ‘Smart Services’ by Abu Dhabi’s Smart Solutions and Services Authority (ADSSSA). The Institutional Maturity Index, which is rated by ADSSSA, assessed 24 of DCT Abu Dhabi’s ‘Smart Services’, with DCT Abu Dhabi’s Innovation and Smart Technologies Department scoring record maturity levels, topping 37 other government entities in the emirate. Representing DCT Abu Dhabi, Nawal Rashid Al Hassani, Executive Director, Strategy and Planning Sector, received the award during a ceremony organised by ADSSSA. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Available around-the -clock, our ‘smart services’ have helped to streamline DCT’s application-processing operations and elevate customer satisfaction, offering transparency and easy access for customers to contact us via smart phones anytime, anywhere. Striving to improve our online services and making them part of our daily operations, we have launched many important initiatives to develop our service system locally and globally.”  

All over the United Arab Emirates, various programmes are being held to celebrate United nations world tourism day that falls on September 27, 2018. In light of the celebration, His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), said, “The Authority highlights the positive impact of modern digital technologies in creating a meaningful tourism experience for our visitors. Mobile applications have facilitated and enhanced tourism activities within the emirate, allowing tourists to have easy access to services. We are continuously working with stakeholders to tap the vast potentials of the digital transformation within our various initiatives and programmes to further drive growth in the tourism sector.” Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Director, Health Tourism Department, Dubai Health Authority, said, “The recent issuance of the Law No. (8) of 2018, ahead of the World Tourism Day on September 27, strengthens the Dubai Health Authority’s role in enabling healthcare to significantly contribute towards achieving Dubai’s tourism goals. Resonating with this year’s theme ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation,’ the new law will enable us to accelerate the integration of latest innovations and technologies into Dubai’s healthcare sector to further enhance its competitiveness and transparency.” Keeping his focus on attracting more tourists to the emirate, Dr Cedwyn Fernandes, Director and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University Dubai, said, “Tourism plays a huge role in the UAE’s development and growth. The latest government initiatives such as VAT refund and transit visa provisions aim to attract even more travellers to the region. We are excited about welcoming our esteemed panel for a discussion on the future of digital transformation in tourism.”

Travelport has been recognised as the Best Technology Partner to the travel and hospitality industry in the Middle East for the second consecutive year at Arabian Travel Awards 2018. The company also scooped the Best Travel Technology Provider award, a category formerly called Best Global Distribution System, which Travelport also won in 2017. The ceremony took place recently at JW Marriott Hotel in Deira, Dubai. Arabian Travel Awards is an annual event designed to support, promote and develop the Middle East travel and hospitality industry by identifying and rewarding excellence, and inspiring its practitioners to continuously raise the standards of their product and service offering. Winners are selected based on a unique system of jury, judgement and online voting by industry professionals. In other categories, Cozmo Travel won Fastest Growing Travel Management Company and Al Naboodah Travel won the Best General Sales Agent (GSA) award. Matthew Powell, Managing Director, Travelport, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, said, “We are proud of the work we have done over the last 12 months. Our travel commerce platform is faster, our merchandising and analytics solutions are more powerful, and our mobile applications like Trip Assist, are even more dynamic and in tune with the needs of today’s hyper-connected travellers. We are delighted this work has been recognised by the industry. We will continue to work tirelessly to lead the change we want to see for the benefit of our customers and travellers.”

Tripfez and Media Prima Digital have launched a new Umrah package booking feature on Raudhah app. Raudhah’s 250,000-plus existing users and Muslim travellers can now search for flights and hotels for Umrah travel according to multiple criteria, including date of travel and the number of travellers in their group. Online Travel Agents can also access the API connection, enabling them to access and digitally package Umrah travel more easily. “Raudhah app feature marks an exciting development in the Islamic travel and marketing space, with two dynamic Malaysian-headquartered companies working together to pioneer the digital distribution of Umrah packages, which until now, has been a traditional, non-digital business,” said Faeez Fadhlillah, Founder & CEO, Tripfez.” He further added, “Our collaboration with Media Prima Digital will not only make things easier for Muslim travellers, but also facilitate the future growth of the Umrah travel sector, catering to pent-up demand for digital Umrah solutions, which today is driven by tech-savvy Muslim Millennials. At the same time, we are giving third-parties access to the API connection, enabling them to access the direct feeds to create and sell Umrah packages more efficiently and effectively.” Raudhah- the brainchild of Media Prima Digital- has 14 features and is designed to cater to the religious needs of Muslims in Malaysia and around the world. Talking about the achievement, Rafiq Razali, CEO, Media Prima Digital, said, “We are thrilled to introduce the Umrah feature into the Raudhah app in this latest update. Performing Umrah is now much easier with the advancement in technology and we look forward to embracing it as we take a digital-first approach as an organisation,” said.