There is no denying the fact that technology forms the backbone of modern aviation. From helping to fly planes, to making sure that the right bags are loaded on the right aircraft and you get the seat that you want on a flight, there is hardly any activity that is not backed by technology.

Indeed, technology has become so pervasive today that flyers are now increasingly experiencing it in their flying process. So much so, air travellers are using technology not only for entering an airport, checking in and boarding a flight but also much before all this, as technology is also helping them decide how to travel, and when to travel.

Given that technology upgrades quickly, there are more changes lined up as well.

It’ll be a Digi Yatra

Come February, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports will be ready to roll out the Digi Yatra experience, which will see passengers registered under the scheme bid farewell to a physical verification of documents to enter the airport and board their aircraft. These airports will be followed by the Airports Authority of India-run Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune and Vijayawada airports, which too will roll out the same programme in April.

To provide a seamless experience, right from entering the airport up to boarding the aircraft, Digi Yatra will have a centralised registration system for passengers. Passengers can get a Digi Yatra ID by sharing minimum details like name, e-mail ID, mobile number and details of one approved identity proof where the Aadhaar ID is not mandatory.

This Digi Yatra ID will be shared by passengers while booking a ticket. Airlines will share the passenger data and Digi Yatra ID with the departure airport. A passenger who has created the Digi Yatra ID has to undergo a one-time verification at the departure airport during his/her first travel. In case a passenger opted for Aadhaar-based verification, the identity will be verified online.

A successfully registered passenger can go directly to the entry point e-gate of the airport and scan the barcode/QR code of the ticket/boarding pass. A camera will capture the face for comparing it with the Digi Yatra ID photo. On successful verification of the travel details and facial matching, the e-gate will open. The system will also generate a token combining the face of the passenger with the PNR of the ticket, so that at subsequent check points, the ticket details will be available on face recognition.

AirportConnect platform

But this is not all, there’s more. AAI is also using the SITA AirportConnect Open platform, which is a common-use passenger processing platform that allows airports to maximise the use of check-in counters and gates. The programme started in 2008 with 13 airports and has now been extended to 41 airports.

SITA’s AirportConnect Open system enables airlines to use any agent desk, gate position or self-service kiosk for passenger check-in, bag drop and for reconnecting with passengers who are on-board.

“It facilitates standard communications between all the peripherals required for passenger processing. These include printers, passport readers, boarding card readers and bag tag printers and supports self-boarding gates and self-bag drop,” says a SITA spokesperson.

Will my bag fit in there?

When it comes to technology and the companies working on it, no change is small. Hence, technology is also helping passengers find out whether the bags that they are carrying can be taken on board the aircraft or they will have to be checked in.

KAYAK has launched its newly developed Augmented Reality (AR) Baggage Measurement Tool which helps travellers figure out whether or not their bag will fit in the overhead bin, before arriving at the airport.

To measure the carry-on luggage, all that the traveller has to do is open a flight search in the KAYAK app and click “new bag measurement tool”. “The passenger will then be prompted to scan the floor as this helps calibrate measurements and then to move the camera around the bag to capture its size,” the company says, adding that “the tool will alert a traveller about the bag’s exact measurements (length, width and height), so he knows whether it can be brought on a flight as a carry-on, or if it needs to be checked in.”

My itinerary, as I like it

Of course, all this happens once you have decided when to travel and where to travel.

But then, here too, technology can also be used to decide your travel itinerary if you, for example, use Amadeus Video Solutions. Amadeus is constantly thinking of the traveller experience and how that is changing, says Champa Magesh, Vice-President, Asia Pacific Retail Travel Channels, Amadeus.

“Say, you are a millennial and you are watching a video on your favourite surfers on YouTube. You are probably thinking, ‘I must go there’. The best value for our value sellers and travel providers is that moment when a consumer is thinking, ‘I must go to that beach to surf’. This is the time to sell them appropriate services.”

So, thanks to Amadeus Video Solutions, there will be a pop-up if you have been on the video for a certain time or there are things you have done while watching the video, which tell the system that you are interested and engaged. “When that happens, it will trigger a pop-up and say, ‘click here to book a trip to Bondi Beach for two days at this time’,” says Champa.

Making the use of technology more encompassing and taking it beyond flyers is also happening — as it is helping large corporations take care of their employees during a crisis or emergency when they are travelling.

An app allows corporations to track their employees in case of a terrorist attack, gate change or aircraft delays.

“These are things that we are beginning to start making available in India. It is popular globally,” she says.

With all this already happening, your guess about what will happen next is as good as ours.

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