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Archive Category: Airports

Google to enhance the airport experience with indoor map navigation

Google has shared that now Google Maps for Android enables users to figure out where they are and see where they might want to go when they’re indoors.

The development has emerged as the company announced the next generation of Google Maps for Android, which is first to get indoor Google Maps.

“With Google Maps’ “My Location” feature, which shows your location as a blue dot, you can see where you are on the map to avoid walking the wrong direction on city streets, or to get your bearings if you’re hiking an unfamiliar trail. Google Maps also displays additional details, such as places, landmarks and geographical features, to give you context about what’s nearby,” wrote Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps on a company’s blog.

“When you’re inside an airport, shopping mall or retail store, a common way to figure out where you are is to look for a freestanding map directory or ask an employee for help. Starting today, with the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, that directory is brought to the palm of your hands, helping you determine where you are, what floor you're on, and where to go indoors.”

Detailed floor plans automatically appear when you’re viewing the map and zoomed in on a building where indoor map data is available. The “blue dot” icon indicates your location within several meters, and when you move up or down a level in a building with multiple floors, the interface will automatically update to display which floor you’re on.

Google initially partnered with some of the largest retailers, airports and transit stations in the U.S. and Japan, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Narita International (NRT), among others.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, too, confirmed that it has tied up with Google to become one of the first airports in the world to give Android phone users access to indoor maps in Google Maps.

Airport’s aviation general manager Louis Miller said, “To us, good way-finding means the customer never has to ask for directions and easily can find a restaurant, a gate or the nearest restroom.”

Users of Android devices will need to update the Google Maps application in order to access these indoor maps, but no updates will be required after that one-time installation to get new or updated indoor maps.

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Farelogix launches online baggage calculator

Farelogix has launched iflybags.com, a new interactive, online baggage calculator. The offering, which is using patent-pending technology, focuses on providing instant access to the most up-to-date airline checked baggage allowances and fees based on the specific traveller, number and weight of planned checked bags/items, and airline-itinerary specific information.

iflybags accesses baggage data from more than 300 of the world’s airlines.

The objective is to ensure that no traveller arrives at an airport without knowing what their checked baggage allowance and fees will be, stated the company.

The user simply enters basic itinerary and bag details into the iflybags website, and it instantly calculates baggage allowances and fees for travellers.

iflybags will also evaluate, optimise, and present the best combination of checked bags for multiple travellers on a single itinerary, taking into account traveller frequent flyer status. For example, if one traveller in a family of four has frequent flyer status and benefits from reduced checked bagged fees, iflybags will recommend that traveller check more bags than the others to save money.

“While the majority of airlines today charge for checked bags, baggage allowances and fees differ by airline and often create confusion for travellers. What we’re doing with iflybags is taking the confusion and frustration out of finding out how much baggage travellers are able to take with them on a flight and the related costs,” shared Jim Davidson, CEO of Farelogix.

To ensure travellers have access to the most up-to-date baggage allowance and fee information, iflybags is updated every hour.

iflybags uses industry-standard data from the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO), the world's leader in the collection and distribution of airline fare and fare-related data, to calculate baggage allowances and fees.

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Making interline billing and settlement a standardised electronic process

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched Simplified Interline Settlement (SIS) which removes paper documents from the airline industry’s interline billing and settlement process.

When fully implemented in 2013, SIS is expected to:

• Eliminate paper invoice creation and distribution between airlines
• Provide annual cost savings to the industry of $450-700 million through the elimination of paper, mail charges, courier fees, lost documents, internal paper handling, and system and process efficiencies
• Provide environmental benefits through the elimination of paper documentation and the need to transport it

The Association highlighted that around 160 tonnes of invoices and supporting documents are shipped among airlines around the world each year to support the industry’s interline billing and settlement process. In addition, activities such as invoicing and dispute handling are still largely paper-driven, involving substantial manual effort.

With SIS, a carrier will submit a single electronic billing file that will be converted into an invoice and a settlement file, sent to the billed airline, and cleared and settled through the IATA Clearing House (ICH). This avoids duplication and improves efficiencies. The solution is tightly integrated into a single platform called Integrated Settlement (IS). All 350 ICH members will benefit from the new service for the $50 billion annually that is processed in the system.

“SIS will modernise the industry’s back office and make interline billing and settlement a fast, standardised electronic process that will bring efficiencies and reduced costs to the entire industry,” said Aleksander Popovich, IATA’s SVP, Industry Distribution and Financial Services.

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American Airlines Vacations revamps travel agency and consumer vacation websites

EzRez Software, Inc., a provider of online travel packaging and merchandising solutions, has signed an  agreement with American Airlines Vacations for the carrier's revamped travel agency and consumer vacation websites.

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Business travelers lift Virgin Atlantic’s financial performance

Virgin Atlantic has managed a pretax profit of 41.6 million pounds ($76.1 million) on record annual sales of 1.91 billion.

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Atlanta Airport expands Wi-Fi, cell phone coverage

There's the old saying that whether you go to heaven or hell, you will have to change planes in Atlanta. Soon, at the world's busiest airport, you will have improved cell phone coverage and greatly expanded access to the Internet on Wi-Fi connections

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this week announced the details of a $5.4 million multi-faceted contract with SITA for wireless and management services. SITA's system for Atlanta includes the design and implementation of an airport-wide Wi-Fi and cellular wireless network, as well as management of the airport's new fiber, cellular and Wi-Fi network for a period of one year.

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Hong Kong airport picks RFID baggage tracking

HONG KONG -- As one of the busiest airports in the world, Hong Kong International Airport annually has about 35 million passengers and handles three million tons of air cargo. Last month, it was named the world's best airport by SkyTrax (UK) and received a special recognition award from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This week, not resting with its top rankings, the airport announced that to "improve customer satisfaction" a baggage tracking infrastructure using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) will be installed.

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Minneapolis airport expands neutral host Wi-Fi

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two years ago, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was one of the world's first airports to offer public access to neutral host Wi-Fi. The wireless Internet service to travelers has now been expanded to include the Humphrey Terminal, through an agreement between the Metropolitan Airports Commission and wireless service provider Concourse Communications Group.

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Travelers say TSA airport screening is not working

SAN DIEGO -- The Transportation Security Agency has a problem with the traveling public's perception of airport security screeners, and this is hurting business for the airlines. An on-going survey of airline passengers shows that while most screeners are seen as professional and polite, there is considerable inconsistency in practices and procedures from one airport to the next. Worse than just being a hassle, most passengers believe the screening does little to improve security.

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Detroit Airport now has Wi-Fi network access

DETROIT -- By this time next year, it will not be news that a major airport is providing travelers with high-speed wireless access to the airport. This is remarkable because it was just a couple of years that the first airport in the world installed a Wi-Fi network.

The latest major airport to announce the availability of wireless Internet access Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) at the the state-of-the-art McNamara Terminal / Northwest WorldGateway. Through the Christmas and New Year's holiday, Wi-Fi access will be available and free of charge to travelers flying through Detroit's McNamara Terminal.

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