‘Tis the Season to be Traveling
The holiday season is in full swing, which means more people are traveling at this time of the year than usual to visit family and loved ones. In fact, traveling during the holidays is up 23 percent when compared to the average for the rest of the year. That is 23 percent more passengers that take to the skies, roads, and tracks during Christmas and New Year.
With this significant increase comes an increased amount of stress as passengers face larger crowds, delayed or cancelled flights, and traffic. However, the rise of mobile technology has given rise to the connected traveler. Travelers are now able to complete all steps of the traveler’s journey from a mobile device, including booking airline tickets, lodging, and entertainment.
During the holidays especially, communication between vendor and passenger is crucial. Passengers want to know if their flight is delayed as early as possible to plan to fill their wait time. Fortunately, many airlines have enabled text and email communications to provide real-time updates on flight delays, gate changes, and cancellations to keep their passengers informed. It’s one less thing for travelers to worry about, removing stress and ambiguity.
Another stressor during the holidays is wait times. Whether it’s getting to your gate earlier than your departure, or being caught in a delay, sometimes there is a lot of time to kill. So, what do you do with all that time? With communication already happening between airlines and passengers, it can go one step further. Passengers can receive personalized offers from retailers in the airport for ways to pass the time. This can be a coupon for a coffee, or a discount on a massage, or even a restaurant suggestion. All these recommendations can help make travelers’ experience better and pass the time much faster.
Along with wait times, the holiday season brings a large amount of travelers to travel hubs such as train stations and airports. It’s crucial to keep the crowd flow under control, planning for fluctuations and adapting to travel needs. Through sensors and IoT, airports are able to sense, stream, and map crowd flow. They are able to evaluate areas such as security, terminals, transportation, and retail shops to know and anticipate high areas of traffic. This real-time information helps direct the flow of the crowds to avoid long lines and help everyone maneuver smoothly.
While passengers are traveling both domestically and internationally this holiday season, some places are always popular holiday destinations. Identifying these patterns are crucial for airlines, hotels, and trains to prepare for the demand accordingly. Understanding this information helps staff react faster to improve operational efficiency, identify revenue opportunities, and engage with customers. As a result, there is an increased number of flights to these destinations and an increased number of hotel rooms available, all offered at the best price possible.
The journey to see loved ones may be one that seems daunting, but mobile technology has made it much more stress-free than in the past. Where in the past it was just the traveler, today it’s the connected traveler. Today’s connected traveler wants to be kept up-to-date with the latest information and be given personalized offers to excite and delight their travel experience. And with the stress of holiday travel, a positive travel experience can set the tone for the whole season.
From all of us at TIBCO, we’d like to wish you a happy holiday and a seamless traveling experience if you’re traveling!
Check out how our technology can help travel service providers with the delivery of a connected journey.