'Get ready to board now': easyJet to send passengers 'helpful' texts about when to open passports to avoid delays at airport
There are a lot of things about travel that can be confusing, but opening a passport and showing a boarding pass are not among them.
However, easyJet has decided that customers need support in completing these simple actions and is introducing a mobile phone service that will take passengers through each step of the airport process.
The budget airline is trialling a new technology across Luton, Gatwick and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports, with special beacons placed at strategic points to send helpful messages to customers at what it calls 'critical points' of the journey.
App happy: The new addition to the easyJet app will send 'helpful' notifications to passengers at the airport
As customers approach bag drop, they will be advised to open their boarding pass at the right time so it is ready to be scanned and further beacons will send messages to travellers when it is time to present their passport.
The bizarre new instructions will be sent to registered passengers' mobile phones as they pass each strategic 'beacon' placed in the airports.
Any passenger who has downloaded the easyJet app can expect 'helpful' notifications each time they pass the Bluetooth transmitters dotted around the airport.
'Present boarding pass now': The prompts sent to mobile phones are designed to help the airport process run smoothly
And if the trial, which will take place throughout the busy summer season, is successful, customers can expect to receive messages at more European airports telling them when to open their passports and show their boarding pass.
Peter Duffy, commercial director for easyJet, said: 'This is another example of how easyJet is innovating to make travel easier for passengers across Europe.
'By becoming the first airline to trial iBeacons across Europe we can help speed up the airport journey and provide assistance to our passengers making it even easier to fly with easyJet.'
Mr Duffy added: 'We are trialling the use of iBeacons at three of our busiest airports and if they prove popular we will roll them out across Europe.
Helpful hints: The app will be activated by 'beacons' placed around the airport
'Customers travelling through London Luton, London Gatwick or Paris Charles de Gaulle with an Apple iPhone and easyJet app can benefit from the technology from this week, enhancing the in-airport experience when interacting with our beacons in the trial this summer.'
The new technology is already used by retailers and sports venues to send information to app users as they approach certain areas, alerting them to
Perhaps more usefully, easyJet already uses Flight Tracker technology in its app to keep customers up to date with the latest information on their flights.
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