Getting Amped Over Apps
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of tomsun
If you have a smart phone or PDA, take advantage of the explosion in travel-related mobile apps technology. Carriers like Southwest and JetBlue allow you to check in to your flight from your phone and get up-to-the-minute flight information. Third-party apps, like Need A Flight, help with last-minute rescheduling, while TripIt organizes your flight and hotel reservations into easy to use folders.
Get High With Wi-Fi
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Wander Lima
Many air carriers are now offering in-flight WiFi service for travelers looking to surf the web while flying the friendly skies. The technology is still not available on all flights, but carriers like GoGo are offering paid-internet access on domestic flights for Delta, American, AirTran and Virgin. JetBlue is also piloting a system that allows users to exchange email messages and SMS, while Lufthansa is piloting a system that could work over oceans for intercontinental flights.
Video Killed the iPod Star
More and more airlines are installing individual television monitors at each passenger seat to keep travelers entertained. Since its launch in 2001, JetBlue has given fliers access to 37 channels of live television on DirectTV, while U.S. Airways is planning to launch its own platform in HD with On-Demand movies and television programs. Delta Airlines currently offers interactive video games on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft, including a trivia game where passengers can battle the wits of other fliers.
Breeze Through Customs
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Daniel Lobo
Passports will soon be able to store more data using Radio Frequency Identification chips (RFID). The International Civic Aviation Organization created the guidelines for e-passports in 2003, and now more countries are beginning to issue RFID-embedded passports, including the United States. A chip, not larger than a strand of hair, can store both passport identification and biometrics, like fingerprints and photos. It should make it easier for travelers to pass through customs and improve the overall efficiency of the security flow.
Lift The Prints
Only 2 percent of airports use a fingerprint scan technology to ID passengers, but in five years, nearly one-third of all airports will have implemented a fingerprint identification system, according to a report by the 2008 Airport IT Trends Survey. Scandinavian Airlines currently offers passengers the chance to scan their fingerprints when checking in luggage and later use a fingerprint instead of a tag to retrieve the item at baggage claim.
