HYDERABAD, July 29, 2016: SpiceJet, the country’s favourite budget
carrier, today raised the bar of customer comfort and convenience with the effective
integration of technology into its services. Shri. Ashok Gajapathi Raju –
Hon’ble Union Minister for Civil Aviation today inaugurated the Smart Check In
facility at GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd
In a first-of-its-kind initiative by any airline in the country, the carrier announced
the launch of Smart Check-in facility using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and NFC (Near
Field Communication) technologies. This feature is available for all SpiceJet customers
who have booked their tickets through the SpiceJet Mobile App. The most interesting
feature about this application is that the customer does not require to carry the
itinerary printouts nor has to Key-in the PNR number to initiate Check in. The service
has been initially introduced at Hyderabad Airport in close coordination with GMR
Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) and will soon be available in all airports
supporting e-boarding facility.
The airline has set a new benchmark in the country by launching a slew of
customer-friendly and innovative products and services using latest technology. This is
set to relieve customers from standing in long queues, thus further enhancing their
travel experience and offering a seamless journey.
Near Field Communication enables passengers to receive their boarding pass on their
smartphone when they check-in through NFC-enabled smartphones with SpiceJet’s mobile
app. Customers who have booked their tickets using the mobile app will have to simply
open the app and touch the mobile device on the NFC Check-in Poster available at the
airport to retrieve their mobile boarding pass on their smartphones.
Customers can also avail a touchless beacon based check-in to receive their boarding
pass on the smartphone. Customers who have booked their tickets through the SpiceJet
mobile app will receive an alert as they walk towards the SpiceJet Check-in area
provided their Bluetooth and SpiceJet Mobile App are activated. Post acknowledgement of
the notification, the customer will immediately receive the boarding pass on their
smartphone.
Mr Ajay Singh – CMD, SpiceJet Ltd. said, “Customer convenience is of
utmost importance to us and we have always strived to enhance customer experience with
the integration of the latest technology. Indian market being fixated on price and
schedule, the mobile first approach, with more service centric features has
revolutionised the customer experience on ground and SpiceJet is committed to avail the
latest the industry has to offer, nurturing the travel experience of our end
customers.”
Ms Glory Nelson – Sr Vice President – IT SpiceJet Ltd. said
‘’Identifying the customers without them even entering the PNR reference will be of
great help to all frequent travellers and will be surely appreciated by our customers.
Knocking off the long queues for the boarding pass will further improve operational
efficiency along with improving our customer experience at the airport.”
Taking pride in becoming the first India airport to partner SpiceJet in commencing this
‘smart check-in facility’, Mr. SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said, “we
congratulate SpiceJet for introducing their innovative smart check-in facility and
thank them for choosing Hyderabad Airport for this initiative. As an airport operator,
we always encourage and explore newer ways to improve passenger processing. We are the
first airport in India to implement end-to-end E-boarding process and soon coming with
other digital interfaces for passengers. Our focus on digitization at the airport is in
line with the honourable Prime Minister’s dream of Digital India.”
Near Field Communication or NFC enables short range communication between compatible
devices where as Beacon (Bluetooth Low Energy) transmits low-power signal to nearby
Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, including smartphones. Beacons broadcast short-range
signals that can be detected by mobile applications on mobile devices in close
proximity.
|