According to recent research, within the next five years, airline delays could possibly be dramatically reduced and save the airline industry around £300 million a year. So what is this magical thing which enables this to happen? Passenger’s mobile phones.

The research provided by airline IT provider SITA and Cambridge University seems to claim that passenger’s mobile phones potentially could used as tracking devices and inform them of gate changes and thus reduce the number of delayed flights by late arriving travellers.

Apparently a traveller’s mobile phone could be used as a “personal travel folder” and have the potential to hold boarding passes, payment data, baggage tracking information and such, “making travel truly paperless and location independent”, states the research.

Furthermore, mobile phones could be used to store biometric and visa information. (Personally I wouldn’t want me visa and biometric info stored on my mobile, how many mobiles get lost every year?)

Chief Technology Officer at SITA, Jim Peters says: “Our research shows that mobile services will be available to all travellers worldwide over the next five years. In fact, by the end of 2010, 67% of airlines plan to offer mobile check-in. By then, 82% of airlines also plan to offer notification services on mobiles.”

All well and good, but then what advantage does the passenger receive by having all this data on their mobile phone? Yes it may speed up travelling, but what about that £300 million saving, would a share of it be passed onto the passenger in reduced ticket prices? Well we will see within the next 5 years apparently.

Source — computerweekly