15 July 2008

Mobile phone technology potential still untapped

A survey conducted by Amadeus has revealed that corporate travel managers are aware that mobile tecnnology is the future of business travel yet few have done anything about it.

The travel technology company interviewed 72 travel managers across the world for its Upwardly Mobile survey, 100% of whom said that the Ã¢â¬Åâœtracking and communication of travellers for security purposesÃ¢â¬~ was the major advantage of mobile phones.

Some 98% said the mobile was an important tool to tell travelling staff of security alerts in times of crisis and 92% said they liked the fact that the technology allowed travellers to get GPS directions. A further 88% said they appreciated that mobiles could now allow staff to make and amend travel plans on the move, boosting compliance levels.

But despite this the report says that only Ã¢â¬Åâœa handfulÃ¢â¬~ of travel managers interviewed had implemented mobile phone technology into their travel programmes.

Vice president of the Business Solutions Group at Amadeus Asia Pacific said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœRecognised as an indispensable tool in the corporate world today, mobile devices represent an ideal platform for communication within the travel industry. The study has clearly illustrated that mobile technology represents the next step forward in travel technology.Ã¢â¬~

By Dinah Hatch