This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel devices in tourism and hospitality for January 2017.
Wednesday 25 January 2017:
Ixigo rail app language expansion
- The India-based search service has expanded its range of available languages to include English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Kannada. The upgraded rail app also includes a taxi booking function and bus tickets.
Taj Hotels unveils new app
- The hotel group's application will allow guests to make bookings, manage their reservation and loyalty membership, as well as secure deals for Taj Holidays. The app, available on both Android and iOS-powered devices, covers the 100-strong portfolio of properties in destinations including India, UK, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Friday 20 January 2017:TripIt upgrades app
- The travel management system's new Navigator service allows users to search for options across many forms of transport, including estimate costs (for vehicles) and travel times. The version for both Android and iOS-powered devices includes a new user navigation and the ability to merge multiple accounts.
Amadeus alarmed with
React Mobile- Reach Mobile's panic button technology will be integrated into the Amadeus Service Optomisation Solutions mobile apps, HotSOS and HotSOS Housekeeping. The mvoe follows the introduction in some jurisdictions of mandatory staff alert systems to be included in hotels.
Tuesday 17 January 2017:Ixigo upgrades flights app
- The India-based travel search service has released the latest version of its app for bvoth Android and iOS devices, giving travellers a new navigation and user experience. The app also has new calendar, fare alert and flight tracking tools.
MyCheck secures mobile patent
- The patent for the mobile payment platform provider covers a point-of-sale integration system and method of allowing customers to perform self-checkout processes.
Monday 16 January 2017:Luthansa and Austrian Airlines go online on-board
- The two carriers will soon give web access to passengers on all intra-European routes, joining those of long-haul flights. The Lufthansa Group-owned airlines will also begin testing a free wifi service to passengers, initially involving five aircraft
Friday 13 January 2017:EVA gets Pepper
- Eva Air has unveiled two Pepper robots at Taipei's international Airport. The interactive robots have a number of capabilities including boarding pass scanning, providing departure details and weather updates as well as, plays games, dances and shakes hands. Pepper speaks Chinese with English and Japanese coming in March.
Bradley International updates with
BizTweet- The Connecticut Airport Authority is offering flight updates to passengers via Twitter following a partnreship with TIC. Travellers can register for the BizTweet service via the airport's Twitter page as well as its departure and arrival pages on the website. TIC provides a similar service to Dubai International Airport, Melbourne Airport and London City Airport.
Thursday 12 January 2017:Hotels.com on Apple TV
- Expedia Inc-owned Hotels.com has designed an app for trip planning via the home television. The service allows users to search for destinations and types of trips, with the ability to save options for later booking on the Hotels.com platforms for desktop and mobile.
Tuesday 10 January 2017:iCarHireInsurance gets snappy on app
- The travel service provider's new mobile app includes a Snap service so that renters can automatically obtain a date and time-stamped image of their vehicle when it is collected. Travellers use a mobile device's camera to place the auditable image on the website and refer back to in the event of disputes.
Monday 9 January 2017:Kayak on Google Home
- The metasearch service is now available on Google's voice-activated search device, allowing users to find information on air tickets, hotels, flight status and destination ideas based on budget. The service is currently only available in English.
Thursday 5 January 2017:Banff gets the Chimani treatment
- The Canadian National Park is celebrating its 150th birthday with a new mobile app, developed by Chimani for Android and iOS devices. The app includes interactive guides and maps, lodging, hike and attractions information, photo galleries and check-in tools for services.
Wednesday 4 January 2017:ChatSim to open 24 airport retail stores
- The mobile chat service, which gives users unlimited access to WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger et al), will launch outlets in Italian airports during 2017 and others over the course of the next three years in major hubs such as London, New York, Hong Kong and Frankfurt.
Helsinki Airport accepts Alipay
- The first group of retail outlets is now accepting the mobile payment option at the airport. Helsinki Airport joins Munich and Frankfurt in providing the service. Finavia, the airport operator, adds Alipay to other services for Chinese travellers such as its Chinese-speaking guides and its WeChat and Weibo social media accounts.
NB: Travel devices image via Shutterstock.