Дата: 19-08-20 09:36Ten ways APIs can revolutionise aviation post-coronavirusOne of the most exciting sources of growth in the travel industry today is the increased use of travel Application Programming Interface (API). APIs enable business agility and inter-connectedness and are integral to improving customer experiences as well as internal operations. However, according to Mohamed Amin, head of data and APIs at SITA, the aviation industry has yet to take full advantage of the potential of APIs and lags behind other industries such as Telecoms and Fintech. The air transport industry has changed beyond all recognition over the past few months and will continue to do so amid the ongoing threat from COVID-19. Airports are still unusually quiet in many places and many airlines fear they may not recover their losses from seeing thousands of planes grounded. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY The knock-on effect is already causing huge job losses with fears of greater future potential redundancies, including at major airlines, travel companies and ground handlers globally. This is according to Amin, who says that while some holidaying passengers and business travellers are gradually returning to airports, many others are still unsure when they will fly again. “It is clear that a return to normal is still very far off,” he says. “In fact, the old normal will likely never return. As the entire industry reels from the fallout of coronavirus, this once-in-a-lifetime crisis offers everyone in travel the chance to examine new opportunities for increased digital transformation, cultural change and technological innovation.” See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY Amin adds that much of this could well come via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). “APIs specify how software components should interact in standard ways – enabling software developers to access and process data from a wide range of sources relatively quickly and easily,” he says. “This information is then used to provide deeper insight and reporting as it can be displayed in easy-to-read dashboards, to power smartphone apps or be analysed with artificial intelligence and machine learning to find patterns and make predictions. “It also connects applications and services together to allow greater collaboration between new partners or competitors who were previously data-siloed. “Telecommunications and finance are more advanced than aviation when it comes to API usage. This is a massive wasted opportunity. Our industry is tremendously data-heavy but there is still a reluctance to share this information with each other, even though the industry realises the importance of this data. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY With this in mind, Amin outlines ten ways in which he believes APIs can benefit aviation and revolutionise how airports and airlines, as well as suppliers and passengers can work together to help air travel recover in a post-COVID world. 1. Data from multiple sources… in an instant 2. Waiting times will be reduced APIs have the potential to dramatically reduce this by allowing everyone working across the industry to learn where the jams are, what gaps exist and how time can be saved in all touchpoints of the passenger journey. By collating data related to external providers such as hotels, taxi firms and airline lounges means that travellers can be offered new solutions to minimise disruption. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY 3. Reduced costs and increased productivity It also has the potential to allow airports and airlines to save time, increase capacity and make the most of a variety of resources from staffing to ground handlers to security operators. Aviation is also exploring a number of use cases around efficiency and seamless passenger journey for consumer functions like mobile boarding passes to web services for businesses. 4. Unparalleled industry collaboration See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY 5. Better decision-making and planning Better informed decision-making could prove vital at a time when the aviation industry is going through such unprecedented change. APIs can decrease processing times and help to accommodate differing levels of traffic – or at times like now, focus more limited resources and staffing into the most important areas. 6. The next-generation of app development First-hand feedback is then crucial to improving the quality of the API data, with continual work done to adapt or enhance these models so that the data flowing through them is as relevant and accurate as it can be in real time. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY 7. An end to outdated legacy systems This is the pre-internet telex format that industry members still use and it has a lot of limitations including the small size of a message, the types of data being transmitted and the limited set of allowed characters. APIs can help transport messaging to more modern standards. 8. Increased reach and revenues They allow the industry to reach global customers, increase efficiency through better supplier information and ultimately allow passengers to learn from their travel habits and change them too – making their journeys and experiences more enjoyable and efficient. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY 9.
Artificial intelligence will drive transformation Reliable and accurate algorithms will go on to make smart and accurate predictions, for example by studying historic flight information for a route and detailing far in advance where delays or cancellations will occur based on weather conditions, air traffic, the availability of runway slots and more – bringing fewer errors and wastage as well as a decreased carbon footprint. See also - ALL NEWS FOR THE DAY 10. Happier passengers mean return business This can also be taken on a few more steps in the chain to the hotel they are staying in, their transfers to and from an airport and their reasons for a stay. Currently, these are fragmented. Each stakeholder knows what is happening but is not yet joining up with the others in that chain to be in a position to share the data for the wider good of the passenger – and ultimately for each of their own businesses to ensure greater satisfaction and repeat bookings. As travel begins to increase again after the pandemic has passed, this sort of joined-up thinking will be vital to its recovery, provided passenger data is handled securely and APIs adhere to strict privacy and ethical standards. Джерело інформації: Журнал "Все о космосе" |
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