This paper proposes a mobile based application that can serve as a companion for travelers. The proliferation of powerful devices and technologies has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Internet and mobile devices have connected people in a way that were never possible before.

1. www.niit-tech.com
Significance of Mobile Computing
in the Airline Industry
Rajesh Ravichandran
NIIT Technologies White Paper

2. CONTENTS
Introduction
3
Flag Pole
3
Friends' Map
3
Rising Demand for Mobile Applications
4
Critical Functional Issues
4
Shaping a Mobile Future – Stormy Sky and a Silver Lining
4
• Planning a trip
4
• Adding/Editing a Trip Location
4
Quick View – Work Flow Model
4
The Road Ahead
5
About the Author
6
NIIT Technologies
6

3. TRANSPORTATION
TRAVEL
CARGO
PACKAGING
TRANSPORTATION
TOUR
GUIDE TRAVEL TRAVEL
TRANSPORTATION
CARGO CARGO
LOGISTICS
TRAVEL
JOURNEY
GUIDE
TRANSPORTATION CARGO
JOURNEY
CARGO
GUIDE
LOGISTICS
TRAVEL
Introduction
In today’s increasingly challenging business environment, it is vital
for enterprises and individuals' are to be connected seamlessly.
• Flag useful information available on the network. After collecting
a certain number of flags, they can enjoy a great deal of offers
and privilege discounts on flight tickets, car rentals and hotels.
The proliferation of powerful devices and technologies has opened
up a whole new world of possibilities. Internet and mobile devices
have connected people in a way that were never possible before.
Enterprises should now aim at using these powerful devices
Flag Pole can also use the highest ranked locations to suggest the
most popular preplanned itinerary while planning a trip.
sensibly to generate more revenue and provide increased
Friends' Map
customer satisfaction. In comparison with other industries, the
When a traveler starts using the application, a location based list of
airline industry stands to benefit a lot more by the effective usage
friends is displayed as a map. The list is populated by accessing
of mobile technology and devices.
Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn accounts of the people. Frequent
travelers can find a valuable personal assistant in Friends Map as it
According to a recent interesting statistic revealed by the Bureau of
helps them check on their friends present at the place of visit.
Transportation Statistics (BTS), the total number of aircraft revenue
departures performed during Jan 2010 was 63,000 and during Jul
Friends Map is a simple to use map viewing application with
2011, it was a whopping 82,000. Another survey conducted by the
intuitive one-touch interface. It guides the users through all the
BTS reveals that "The U.S. airlines carried 58.9 million scheduled
hassles of planning and booking tickets.
domestic and international passengers in December 2011, 0.6
percent more domestic passengers and 0.3 percent more
international passengers than in December 2010. Increase in
passenger travel has thus resulted in a system wide increase of 0.5
percent from December 2010." This statistical information conveys
that the number of travelers flying across the world is increasing at
a rapid pace. Improving their overall travel experience is a
necessity rather than a luxury.
This paper proposes a mobile based application that can serve as
a companion for travelers.
Rising Demand for
Mobile Applications
Three forces – technology convergence, ease of use and
24X7availability – are driving the demand for mobile devices. Access
to information anywhere and anytime for real-time decision making
has empowered consumers to use mobile devices in multiple ways.
A comprehensive analysis of the travel industry has revealed that
there are not manytravel companion applications/devices to guide
people during their travel. Travelers (especially international tourists
Flag Pole
and business travelers) across the globe need a self-learning,
Flag Pole creates a closed network of app users. Users can:
interactive app, (hereafter referred to as Paper Plane) that can
• Post ideas related to unseen places in the city.
serve as a one stop shop for booking tickets, budgeting, receiving
• Develop itineraries and share them with other users.
hot spots to visit, and a free cookie flag pole system.
3

4. Critical Functional Issues
Planning a trip
Critical challenges faced by the airline industry to execute
To understand this concept, let us consider an example. Say, a
comprehensive and effective mobile strategy are:
traveler wishes to go from Delhi, India to Paris, France with a fixed
• Address the entire travel cycle
• Consistent user interface
• Robust architecture to support high volumes of data
• Availability of application on multiple platforms
budget in mind, he would specify an amount (total budget), the
desired location (Paris) and the travelling time (say 6 days). Paper
Plane would then recommend • Travel methods (airline along with the booking options, local
transport like ferries, buses or trains after reaching Paris),
• Places to visit (apart from famous destinations such as Eiffel
Shaping a Mobile Future –
Stormy Sky and a Silver Lining
The mobile revolution presents both opportunities and challenges
Tower or Louvre de museum, based on Flag Pole destinations),
• Restaurants and hotels (for direct booking). The app will offer
“preplanned” itineraries based on the user’s budget or the ability
to pick individual locations of interest.
for the airline industry. It is driving the industry towards creating an
environment with heightened expectations for instant information
and knowledge.
Adding/Editing a Trip Location
If a user wishes to change the location, find a different mode of
transport or a place to visit while travelling, he/she can choose
The concept of Paper Plane provides travelers with innovative
services through mobile web apps that enhance the overall user
experience. First time Paper Plane users enter basic information
from a query of preloaded locations or can enter a budget that will
suggest places to visit. Real-time updates give users the flexibility
to acquire real-time information and make adjustments on-the-fly.
such as budget limit and desired location. Once the required
information has been entered, Paper Plane provides users with the
shortest commute route, recommended places to stay (within the
specified budget), and the ‘must see places’. On subsequent
usage, the smart app provides its users with a pre-planned
itinerary, a list of popular tourist destinations, places to stay etc. all
within the recorded budget. The “preplanned” itineraries provided
to the user are based on the following three things:
i. Most popular locations using a “Flag Pole” system
ii. Artificial Intelligence (AI) determined
Quick View – Work Flow Model
Some of the key challenges faced by the travel industry before
implementing dynamic packaging are:
• Travelers manually visited multiple independent web sites or
travel agencies to plan their trips or vacations
• Customers spent long periods of time to register on multiple sites
or finding out the best agency available in the market
iii. Budget optimized
• Enter Destination, time, budget (in local currency)
Friendly UI
• Review and book your preferred airline and hotel
Paper Plane works on adaptive algorithm that uses Artificial
Intelligence technology. This algorithm changes its behavior
based on the resources available. The app thus, continuously
monitors the usage and helps users in estimating the budget for
Budget Planner
with AI
the current travel.
Paper Plane intends to work in two modes: Planning a trip or
adding/editing a trip location.
Flag Pole with
an eye
• Get intuitive suggestions for flight, hotel, places to visit,
restaurants, and others
• Get suggested based on your overall budget for the trip
• Enter locations you feel would be better to visit and win
exciting prizes
• Use a map to knoe which friend is around you
4

5. The Road Ahead
Across the globe mobile technology is transforming the future of air
travel. Mobility is no longer an option, but rather a critical business
requirement to unlock productivity and achieve competitive
advantage. To achieve this vision, airlines have to invest in mobile
applications by partnering with specific mobile manufacturers and
then popularize them.
Organizations that delay embracing the inevitable proliferation of
such applications may find themselves hamstrung by inflexible
legacy systems. By taking a measured path, companies around the
world can charge a nominal fee for using the Paper Plane
application. They can also advertise through their own websites,
social media forums, and travel agencies. This will not only
encourage the airline industry to provide a complete travel
experience but will also make traveling enjoyable.
5

6. About the Author
Rajesh Ravichandran is Business Analyst at NIIT Technologies Ltd. He has over 5 years of
experience in the airline industry. His expertise includes airline business know-how with
specialization in passenger solutions and services; complex business analysis; requirement
gathering and gap analysis.
About NIIT Technologies
NIIT Technologies is a leading IT solutions organization, servicing customers in North America,
Europe, Asia and Australia. It offers services in Application Development and Maintenance,
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