Mobile Distribution Portal

Having run this website solely using a mobile phone so far ( and having just bought a laptop ), one factor I’ve realised – just as many others – is that the future is mobile.
Airline industry however is yet to fully utilize mobile technologies for its processes, and there’s a lot that can be done !
Introducing Mobile Distribution Portal .

What is it ?
Mobile Distribution Portal ( MDP ) is a concept of a fully functional mobile based distribution system for airlines. It is not just a distribution system, but also a suite that provider a range of options to make airline processes easier. Think of a GDS gone mobile along with check in, Bar-code based boarding pass, social media and advertising capabilities.

The Process

The MDP acts as a key all-in-one interface to the passenger, while minimizing costs for the airline.
The MDP could be considered as a key part of an airline’s distribution system.
The passenger can easily access the MDP from their mobile phone.

It can provide the following, and more solutions

• Flight booking, re-booking and itinerary change
• Airline timetable, flight status, and route network viewing
• Issuing Bar coded boarding passes ( BCBP ) with support for the PDF 417 standard
• Passenger Check-in
• Support for IATA FastTrack Self Boarding
• Support for IATA FastTrack Bag Recovery
• Selling airline on-board services
• Support for Social Media tools and marketing, such as Lufthansa MySkyStatus or Foursquare
• Support for displaying a route map to the orgin airport and from the destination airport to passenger’s final destination
• Support for displaying airport terminal maps
• Ability to track the location of a passenger on supported phone models, thus minimise lost passengers and even avoiding boarding delays
• Sale of airline merchandise
• Other information the airline may wish to display
• Advertising opportunities

The MDP can act as a Virtual Assistant to the passenger, and provide enormous cost savings to the airline.

For example, the passenger may travel to the airport with the fastest route shown by the MDP ( via use of free third party service, Google Maps for Mobile, check in from the MDP, show the BCBP and use Self Boarding – all using just the MDP.

If a certain passenger is late for a flight, the airline ( with the passenger’s consent ) can track his exact location, determine whether the passenger can make it on-time for the flight and if appropriate switch him to another flight.

A passenger can be equipped with just a mobile phone and complete 90% of all matters required for an air travel.

The MDP can be set as either a mobile web portal, or can be developed as a standalone application running on mobile platforms ranging from Android, iPhone, Symbian C++ to a phone with support for just Java J2ME applications.

Why ?

The MDP uses up to 90% less packet data compared to a desktop application providing the same services, thus presenting huge cost savings for the airline.
The use of MDP by a passenger eliminates a range of manual procedures by the airline, thus saving time, reducing employee costs and speeding up the processes. This removes the need for many costly manual procedures, and produces are smoother and more cost effective travel procedure.
It also fits in well with and fully extends IATA’s Simplifying the Business philosophies and provides a much faster implementation of those procedures in developing nations.
The ability to tap into Social Media and advertising opportunities provide the airline with greater marketing and revenue options.
The ability to buy on-board services and merchandise directly from the MDP and to collect them by showing a confirmation code or the BCBP makes way for not only increasing ancillary revenues, but also for further streamlining the processes.
Every user interacting with the MDP can be traced back to their identity and even the location, thus minimises fraud.
The MDP presents enormous cost and time savings for the airline.

The Benefits

Airlines : Reduced costs, increased revenue, streamlining and simplifying the processes, higher accuracy, better productivity and ability to compete with other modes of transport

Passengers : An easier, improved, simplified and smoother travel experience. Removed barriers to entry provides easier buying of additional services, and more control of the travel process, from their fingertips.

Airports : Reduces congestion, smoothes the operation, minimises delays and provides more revenue opportunities.

Risks
There are very low risks with the MDP as compared to a regular travel process. In case the passenger loses his mobile phone, where all of his verification details are in, if the airline implements a user account system, like Google Accounts or Nokia Accounts, the user can simply use a friend’s phone to access the service and retrieve his unique verification details and BCBP.

The MDP can be either run by an individual airline, an airport, an airline alliance or even a current GDS provider as an extension of their services.

The technology is already here, and is ready for implementation. All in all, the Mobile Distribution Portal provides a very cost effective and future-proof solution to airline processes with a very low cost, huge cost savings and an increased revenue.

What is your opinion ?

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