In the news: Amadeus’ cloud technology for Perth Airport, Ascott’s new properties in Asia, joint campaign by ANA and TripAdvisor to sell Japan
Perth Airport enhances traveller experience with Amadeus’ cloud technology
Perth Airport using cloud technolgy as part of its major redevelopment programme. (Image credit: Hin255/iStock)
Perth Airport is turning to cloud technology to improve its service to both travellers and its airline partners, as well as to drive cost saving with the implementation of Amadeus Airport Common Use Service (ACUS) .
This is made possible with the recent inking of an agreement between the two companies.
Amadeus said ACUS would improve the customer experience at Perth by increasing efficiency, and offering unprecedented modernisation such as using tablets and mobile devices for check-in and boarding.
The ACUS solution makes use of application virtualisation, allowing passenger processing systems to be accessed and deployed anywhere on demand.
Airlines can use the platform from a desktop computer, laptop or mobile device, and enables passengers to be checked-in and boarding passes to be printed from any location. Ground handlers are able to handle passenger processing for multiple airlines at the same time from any gate or terminal and from any device.
Any combination of applications can be hosted without any constraint or limitation on the actual workstation or device, added Amadeus.
Rowan Chalmers, Perth Airport’s executive general manager operations and customer experience, said the partnership would put the airport in “a more proactive, reliable and flexible position when it comes to the check-in process.”
Additionally, the airport will be able to cut passenger processing costs by more than 25% for its airline partners.
Perth Airport’s investment in technology aligns with its A$1 billion redevelopment programme, which will see the addition of new infrastructure and terminals, as well as transform the customer experience for all travellers.
For Amadeus, the agreement marks the continued expansion of its airport IT business in the Asia Pacific region, with Perth Airport as its first customer in Australia.
Its partnership with Perth Airport follows the launch of ACUS at Innsbruck Airport, and the major deal signed with The Avinor Group in June to adopt ACUS at the airports it operates in Norway.
Ascott expands footprint in Asia with new properties
Citadines Han River Seoul is the first of the new properties to open.
Ascott, the wholly owned serviced residence business unit of Singapore-based CapitalLand Limited, has signed four new contracts to manage properties in four growing Asian markets – Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.
The new management contracts will see Ascott’s stamping its mark for the first time in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and Miri (Malaysia).
The other two properties are in Binh Duong province (Vietnam) and a second serviced residence in Seoul, which is its third in South Korea.
Of the four new properties, the 149-unit Citadines Han River Seoul will be the first to welcome guests from Q1 2016. The other three – the 308-unit Citadines Punaka Yogyakarta, the 200-unit Somerset Arcadia Miri, and the 200-unit Citadines Central Binh Duong – will be ready in 2018.
Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s chief executive officer, said this year has seen the company extending its footprint to five new cities and adding about 4,700 units to its global network, almost double the units secured in the same period last year.
He revealed that Ascott is also tapping on growth opportunities in the technology space in leading a consortium to invest over S$120 million in Tujia, China’s largest online apartment sharing platform.
“Ascott will benefit from the growth of O2O (offline-to-online and online-to-offline) commerce in China. We could also benefit from outbound Chinese travellers staying in our properties outside China.”
Ascott is the first global serviced residence company to embrace smart home technologies by partnering Samsung Asia to jointly develop Internet of Things-ready smart serviced residences.
Experience Japan with ANA and TripAdvisor
Trending data helps tourists plan and book their trips to Japan.
All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has teamed up with travel site, TripAdvisor, to launch a global online campaign – Experience Japan – to drive inbound travel to Japan.
The campaign utilises trending data by TripAdvisor in 14 countries, and aims to raise traveller interest in visiting more of Japan’s regional cities. This is the first time the trending data of the travel site is utilised for an online campaign.
The Experience Japan landing page, designed specifically by TripAdvisor for ANA, enables users in each country to see what other users think are the most popular attractions, hotels, and restaurants in the city of their choice.
This dynamic content changes based on visitor numbers and review counts, and can be viewed by what is trending within the timeframes of 24 hours, seven days, or 30 days.
Users can see ANA domestic flight maps that show routes to other Japanese cities from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. They can also book a special ANA Experience Fare at ¥10,800 (US$90.50) one way.
The Experience Japan campaign runs from September 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016. It is available to TripAdvisor users in 14 countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
