How can Amadeus’ technology help build frictionless travel experiences for all?
Friction Removed
isan important project for us here at Amadeus, offering a unique opportunity to better understand an ever-present reality – travel friction.
By exploring deeper how travelers feel about travel frustration we are able to gain fresh insight, which is essential to understanding how we approach developing the cutting-edge solutions needed to achieve a better travel experience.
Of particular note is information on the role technology can play in addressing the challenges travelers face, while we also reaffirmed that the human touch remains vital at certain moments.
Through the airport
One of the key takeaways from the research is that every traveler experiences friction differently – every journey, and every traveler, is unique, and the challenges each of us face must be understood in this context. There can be no single solution to addressing travel friction.
With this insight in mind, however, a number of common pain points have emerged, starting with the airport experience. When researchers asked U.S. travelers which point of the journey caused the most distress, airport security, check-in, and finding their way around the terminal were rated among the top three by nearly half of respondents.
It’s clear travel friction is present at this stage of the journey. And Amadeus is working on a number of solutions designed to deliver a more seamless end-to-end passenger experience from new check-in solutions, to security and boarder control, right through to boarding and baggage retrieval.
For example, through the recent acquisition of Vision-Box, we are expanding the use of biometrics across the airport bringing greater interoperability between airports, airlines, and border control authorities. For passengers, this means checking in, opening security gates and boarding the plane with biometric information, reducing the need to repeatedly show paper documentation.
Amadeus’ self-service kiosks, which let travelers check-in, select seats, print boarding passes, and drop off luggage, help to reduce wait times and free up staff. Our congestion tracking technology also enables airports to identify bottlenecks, optimize resource allocation, and create better layouts for high-traffic areas.
These real-world solutions are gradually being implemented alongside our partners to reduce travel friction, tackling one of the most significant pain points identified by our research.
Overcoming delays
Another concern among U.S. travelers is delays, with fears that schedule changes could create a cascading effect, disrupting the entire trip. This is also an issue we take very seriously – and examined in more detail in a report –Better Together: Rethinking how to manage disruption in aviation
– earlier this year.
Along with our industry partners, we are taking steps to mitigate the impact of disruption and enable more efficient operational responses. Our solutions for airline operations include disruption management tools designed to optimize recovery, and will next year incorporate virtually instant hotel re-accommodation linked to real time availability. So, even if a plane is late, the impact on the rest of the trip is reduced.
When disruption happens, Amadeus Ticket Changer lets airlines reissue tickets quickly and handle refunds with ease, across call centers, ticket offices, and online.
Hospitality innovation
Friction Removed reveals travelers can struggle to find and book accommodations – with work needed to simplify the process. This is where the Amadeus Travel Platform comes in; here both business and leisure travelers can find content relevant to them in one single location, thanks to the launch of AmadeusLeisure Connect
.
This enables the traveler to find the best option for them, quickly and efficiently, for example with the help of a travel seller or their self-service channel.
Amadeus’ central reservations systems (CRS) - iHotelier andACRS
– also offer connectivity to all of the major channels where travelers are shopping and booking – including direct, GDS, metasearch and online travel agencies. iHotelier offers a modern e-commerce experience to simplify the shopping flow, while offering personalized promotions to create an ideal hotel stay for a guest.
Interestingly, hotel check-in was one of the areas where U.S. travelers seek more human interaction, with 43% looking for the opportunity of a personal connection.
New tools for business travelers
Business travelers point to some unique sources of travel friction, including implementing travel policies, challenges with expenses, or sourcing appropriate accommodation within their corporate travel program.
This is an area which is ripe for a more technology-first approach. Amadeus Cytric is a travel and expense management platform for corporate travelers and managers, designed to meet all business travel needs in a single, integrated online solution. The tool allows for automated processes, full visibility and control over spend.
At the same time, Amadeus Cytric Easy offers many new opportunities for collaboration through an integration in Microsoft 365. As an example, travelers can book travel, share itineraries and claim travel expenses without ever leaving Microsoft Teams, helping reduce disruption in the workday and increasing productivity.
Collaboration is key to overcoming friction
So, just as each traveler experiences friction in different ways, our solutions must be tailored too. There is no panacea that can improve each trip; this is a gradual, collaborative process, with multiple stakeholders needing to work together to overcome friction.
This means breaking down silos, where each travel provider is responsible only for an individual segment of the journey, and building an end-to-end understanding of a trip, in the same way as travelers do.
Technology is, of course, a vital part of this.
Through connecting the dots between stakeholders and ensuring the interoperability of systems across the travel ecosystem, we can enhance innovation and deliver a more seamless journey for the traveler.
As Friction Removed demonstrates, traveler insight is really valuable as we work towards making the experience of travel better for everyone. Through greater collaboration, more effective sharing of data, deeper insight into the personal preferences of each traveler and the rapid deployment of new technology, we are working each day to reduce traveler frustrations and build a more frictionless travel experience for all.
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