Mobile technology gains momentum for travel


Interest in mobile technology is increasing as operators and airlines explore the potential of the medium for travel purchases.

O2 product manager for travel Nancy Lyndhurst said large travel players such as Cathay Pacific, Accor Hotels and KLM are already showing success with mobile technology.

She also drew on the experience of Japan where one major airline generates 5% of sales through mobile technology while a leading travel agent in the country sees one booking on mobile technology for every five bookings on the fixed internet.

Despite the growing interest in the medium Lyndhurst said mobile technology would not replace the internet.

"Mobile is content snacking. It's there to give us the information when we are not near the internet."

Lyndhurst also provided some statistics on UK usage with about 25 million people browsing on their mobiles.

"There are about 60,000 users a day looking at train times on their telephones. Lastminute had someone book a £3,000 holiday through their telephone. The key point is that people are interested and they are looking at it. It's so easy and you can be so targeted with it."

She also commented that transaction rates were still low because of the perceived security issue and because mobile phone transactions have been the reserve of the younger generation up to now.

Internet Advertising Bureau chief executive Guy Phillipson added that navigation was also still a problem but that the medium is well set up for payments because of people purchasing ringtones.

02 runs runs the i-mode platform which includes travel customers such as lastminute.com and Handy Traveller.
Source: Travelmole.com