Upgrade column: Easy rider - the check-in you've been waiting for

A lot of what we think of as travelling by plane is actually about the time on the ground before and after flights. Here we get a glimpse into the future from SITA's Dominique El Bez who explains how technology is set to change that experience for most of us.

For road warriors, border hoppers, globetrotters - in essence business travellers, whatever you wish to call them - life is never easy. In an industry that sees two billion passengers travel annually, disruptions are possible, sometimes even expected. For the business traveller in particular, flight delays, lost baggage and long check-in queues can only exacerbate the effects of missed family commitments and lack of sleep. With travel-related stress on the rise, it's time to look at how to change your journey for the better.

For most of its history, the air travel business has been fundamentally transportation-centric, with the main focus on logistics and infrastructure. Today, however, with passengers both demanding and expecting more, and airports and airlines increasingly concerned about customer satisfaction, air transport business processes are becoming more traveller-centric.

Advances in technology have enabled the industry to respond to these changes. Self-service check-in is already making a big difference. According to the SITA Passenger Self Service Survey 2006, three of the world's busiest airports - Atlanta, Hong Kong and London Heathrow - showed kiosk check-in is going from strength to strength.

Nearly a third of passengers use kiosk check-in frequently and 55 per cent would like to use it frequently in the future. If a passenger wants to avoid check-in queues, he can also check in online - 47 per cent of passengers surveyed at London's Heathrow say they check in online. And self-service is just the beginning.

The massive, mainstream adoption of both the internet and wireless mobile devices means passengers can now reach - and be reached - more effectively. Mobile technology provides a unique opportunity to deliver pertinent, up-to-the-minute information to passengers. If a flight is delayed, for instance, passengers can be informed via an SMS message.

Wireless and onboard connectivity will also go a long way in helping carriers inform and reassure passengers through SMS and email messages. For example, if a bag has been left behind at the departure point, it's better for the passenger to know about it before the flight lands. Likewise if a flight will land late, passengers could be notified while in the air so they can call ahead and warn any 'meeters and greeters'.

Mobile technology will further this 'anytime, anywhere' proposition. With 96 per cent of business passengers carrying a mobile device you can see why it's set to become one of the principal platforms on which passengers conduct their travel transactions. From reservation to check-in, right through their journey, mobile devices will be prevalent, allowing passengers to receive boarding passes on their mobile phones or pay for goods and services at airports, as mobile commerce, or m-commerce, takes off.

As wireless technologies become ever more sophisticated, it's possible to imagine a time when the airport itself will be able to automatically perform check-in as the passenger arrives. One big European airport expects automated check-in - where passengers are automatically checked-in via their mobile phone or other device - to account for half of all check-in by 2010.

The technologies are already here with which we can improve the quality of business travel, and many more are on the horizon. Using everything from RFID-tagged baggage to biometric scanning and onboard telephony, travellers can boost productivity and restore work/life balance.

Empower yourselves and educate your colleagues. Business travel is changing - don't miss the flight.

Dominique El Bez is senior manager portfolio marketing at SITA.