Mobile Aadhaar can now be used to enter airports
The Hindu Passengers entering airport premises need to produce any one of the ten identity proofs listed by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). File Photo
New Delhi, Oct 28:
Mobile Aadhaar can be used as an identity proof to enter airports, while identification documents will not be required for minors accompanied by parents, according to a circular issued by aviation security agency BCAS.
Passengers entering airport premises need to produce any one of the ten identity proofs listed by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in its latest communication, which include passport, voter ID card, Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar, PAN card and driving licence.
“In order to ensure that a bonafide passenger is travelling on a valid ticket issued in his/her name as well as to avoid any controversy/argument with the security staff, any of the following photo identity documents shall be carried in original,” according to the BCAS circular issued on October 26.
A passbook issued by a nationalised bank, pension card, disability photo identification and service photo ID card of central/state government, PSU, local bodies and private limited company will also be acceptable.
Differently-abled persons will have to produce a disability photo ID or a medical certificate. Students also have the option to furnish a photo identity card issued by a government institute.
The order, however, exempts a minor accompanied by a parent or a guardian from producing an identity proof. “There shall not be any requirement of identity proof in respect of infant/minor accompanied by their parents/guardian who is a bonafide passenger having a valid identity proof,” the order adds.
If a passenger is not able to furnish one of the ten documents, then there is also an option to provide an identity certificate issued by a group A gazetted officer of central/ state government.
For international passenger the requirement of producing a passport and an air ticket will continue.
source : https://tinyurl.com/y7lcw7kc
The Cyber Security for Airports Summit 2017
The Cyber Security for Airports Summit 2017 paves the way as the platform for Airports and Aviation Authorities to tackle Cyber Security issues.
Singapore – The World’s Leading Cyber Security for Airports Summit 2017 organised by Equip Global successfully ended on 13th October 2017 after a 4-Day intensive programme of workshops and plenary sessions that provides a platform to address and explore Issues, Trends, Technologies, Attack Propagation and Threats of Cyber Security facing the Airport Industry while also providing insights from case studies of successful Defensive Methodologies, Strategies, Frameworks and Cyber Resilience.
Attending delegates included airports based in Asia such as but not limited to Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Philippines, Indonesia, as well as several top airports in the Middle East. On top of, renowned ethical hackers and security companies were also present to share their views, technologies and latest updates to cyber security. Not forgetting the event highlight, that delegates could also hear debates, rebuttals and more experience sharing directly from discussions in the 45-minutes Multiple-Expert Panel Sessions happening in the Main Summit.
The event is a dreamland for cyber security professionals and experts, being co-located with a second Cyber Security for Maritime Summit 2017 held on the same period that together, makes the Popular Cyber Security for Transport Summit Series. Knowledge exchanges, networkings and memorable sessions were aplenty throughout as namecards could be seen exchanging among delegates as well as informal photo-takings in between sessions.
When interviewed, Mr. GS Bawa, Summit Chairperson who was also presently Airport Economist and Former General Manager, Public Relations as Head of the Department for Airports Authority of India mentioned; “Cyber Security For Airports Summit 2017; was an event which was cherished by all, be it delegates, experts and professionals from the field who visited the event as guests or speakers from across the Globe. The spectrum of coverage of the subject and the conduct of two separate Summits for Airport and Maritime was a truly Professional Act. Holding this event in the backdrop of series of events already going through in the city was a task in itself and that the mentioned events had been under discussions and debate with the people I interacted. These demonstrate the Echo and the Ripple Effect of such a vibrant Summit!”
Inspired to build on the knowledge platform for the industry, Equip Global looks to again organise the Cyber Security for Airports Summit next year to deliver the cutting edge business intelligence to the world’s leading businesses, governments and institutions. Be sure to check out their website for more industry conferences and trainings! http://www.equip-global.com/.
About Equip Global:
Equip Global is the trusted global provider of business intelligence through conferences and trainings to the world’s leading businesses, governments and institutions.
Their mission is to create solution-driven conferences and trainings which will equip clients with practical knowledge and valuable connections that drive tangible and sustainable bottom-line results in their businesses.
source : https://tinyurl.com/y72nhdhx
5 key findings from the 2017 Global Passenger survey
Find out what passengers want most for the future of air travel!
Go to IATA for more info: http://www.iata.org/publications/stor…
Thanks for watching!
Customer-focused strategy
Finnair reaping the rewards of its Asia-centric, customer-focused strategy.
Thanks to the advantage provided by the geographic location of its Helsinki hub, which provides the shortest flight times between Europe and many destinations in Asia, Finnair’s traffic between the two continents continues to grow at an impressive rate. In September 2017 traffic on the airline’s Asia routes increased by 21.5% compared to the equivalent month in 2016.
To encourage and support this growth, Finnair has invested in a number of initiatives aimed at Asian travellers, particularly those from China.
For example, earlier this year the carrier became the first in the world to introduce Alipay as a form of payment on-board. After an initial trial on the route between Helsinki and Shanghai, Alipay is now available on all of its flights to Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Shanghai.
Speaking to FTE, Juha Järvinen, Finnair’s Chief Commercial Officer, revealed “on our Chinese routes the retail sales have doubled” since the adoption of the China-based payment platform. He explained: “Lots of Chinese travellers love to shop. They can be very critical on the ticket prices but when they are on the trip they are very happy to spend, and to spend on luxury goods as well as souvenirs to bring back to their friends and family.”
Järvinen also pointed out that passengers can pay for purchases at Helsinki Airport using Alipay, and suggested that making the payment method available throughout the journey has proved to be a big success.
Finnair, which was the first European airline to take delivery of the Airbus A350, has a well-deserved reputation as an innovator. It offers in-flight Wi-Fi on its long-haul fleet and is in the process of equipping its short-haul aircraft with a connectivity service. In addition, its on-board Nordic Sky Wi-Fi Portal allows passengers to shop and purchase products and tours using their own smartphones and tablets.
Artificial intelligence and virtual reality on Finnair’s watch list
So, which technologies are currently high up on Järvinen’s watch list? “Artificial intelligence is definitely something that we’re trying to now look into, for example in our data capabilities,” he revealed. Just last month Finnair launched its new artificially intelligent chatbot on Facebook’s Messenger platform, providing a complementary way to answer passengers’ frequently asked questions.
Another technology of interest is virtual reality (VR). “I wonder, could we bring virtual reality to the in-flight or the airport experience?” Järvinen pondered. “We believe virtual reality will impact the in-flight experience and then artificial intelligence will impact on our data capabilities, so those I would say are the two areas (of focus).”
Empowering staff members to provide the best possible level of service is also of importance, and Finnair is currently in the process of equipping all staff – both on the ground and on-board aircraft – with iPhones. “The reason for this is we want to make sure we can reach all of our employees using our apps, but also because it’s good for frontline personnel, so they can assist passengers on-board using their own device to check passenger details, etc.,” said Järvinen, who is also Vice President of the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).
“We believe that in order to transform a company you also need to provide the tools and the vehicles to do it. The iPhone is a major investment for us for over 5,000 people. We believe it’s an investment for the people and also it will enable them to meet the customer requirements. We believe technology is at the core of the things we need to do in order to improve, and passengers now expect that.”
The response to Finnair’s customer-centric approach certainly seems to be paying off. Total passenger numbers during the first nine months of 2017 increased by 8.2% year-on-year to almost 9 million, and traffic on the Asia routes showed an even more impressive 15.1% increase.
As passenger numbers continue to rise, Finnair plans to do everything in its power to improve the travel experience, especially for its all-important Asian customers.
source : https://tinyurl.com/y7myzyak
Britain doesn’t want to pay for Brexit. Is Travel Retail any different?
Britain doesn’t want to pay for Brexit. Is Travel Retail any different?
By: Ivor Smith • Founder: www.dutyfreeonarrival.com
Does Travel Retail know what GDS means and what does a GDS think Travel Retail is?
The answer is simple, yet very complicated. Travel Retail to us, or at least those reading this blog, means the retailing of “Duty Free” related products in airports, on airlines or other travel mediums, like Cruises.
To a GDS, it means the selling (mainly) of bits of paper, or the digital PDF version, such as an airline ticket and all the associated Ancillary Revenues. These Airline revenues are now as long as your arm; seats, baggage, priority boarding, lounge access. You can even find and option for Oxygen and Firearms. Firearms, what’s that all about?
Oh, I forgot to explain GDS! (Global Distribution System).
Well, every time we book a flight, someone has to process this transaction by offering you the Airline, routing, prices, options and conditions. You might book through a Travel Agent, online or physical, or direct with the Airline. But, one way or another there is a GDS or a Booking Engine involved somewhere along the line. It is quite rare now for us to go to the airport ticket desk to buy a ticket like we used to do. It is now getting even rarer for us to pop down the High Street to a Travel Agent.
GDS are mostly “Commission Agents”, earning a buck or two on each transaction. Which, when grossed up for all those flyers, is a lot of money. Without going into some of the perennial wars that have evolved between GDS’s and their Airline partners, they figure in your travel life from the start of your journey and beyond. In fact, they can also figure in everything you need, such as Hotels, Car Hire, Catering, Lounges and Airport Fast-Track. A GDS thinks that “Travel Retail” means the Merchandising of all those bits of virtual paper. What it doesn’t think, is that “Travel Retail” means that selling of all those physical Luxury Goods to the Travellers of the Globe.
Amazingly, what GDSs don’t figure in or “Merchandise”, is your wish for that duty-free Chanel No 1, those Marlboros or that JW Black on the rocks, sipped at sunset from that exotic resort hotel you also bought from them!
Amadeus and their Subsidiary, Navitaire are the largest of the GDSs, servicing multiple Airlines, be they Traditional Legacy or the modern day LCCs.
Here is what Amadeus publish as their Global Ancillary product offer for their Partners….
source : https://tinyurl.com/yaelpne4
Fly By Digital offers Middle East travel players roadmap to become digital retailers
Fly By Digital offers Middle East travel players roadmap….
We’ve achieved a lot during our 30 year journey.
Now, we are looking towards the future to identify upcoming trends. In this spirit, Amadeus Gulf – which includes the UAE, Oman, and Bahrain – is happy to launch the second Fly By Digital event.
This special event offers travel industry professionals the opportunity to understand how to build a digital travel business from the ground up. We are gathering the best digital and travel experts to share their insights on how to bring travel businesses online. Since its debut last year, Fly By Digital has already become the gold standard in the Middle East and North Africa region for those who wish to follow the digital trends that will impact travel.
Fly By Digital will bring together the world’s leading experts to explain how to build the right strategies, attract the right people, and shape a digital presence that is rewarded. We will have experts from Musafir, Google, Emaar Hospitality Group’s digital strategy department, Emirates’ digital analytics business, the leading online payment service provider in the region Payfort, and Alibaba’s business development team, among others. The event will feature a number of activities geared towards the activation of ideas as well as seminars and discussions.
At the same time, we will be launching a new Middle East online travel study by PhocusWright. This comprehensive study suggests that the growing online travel market space can be further leveraged by travel players in the region. It found that online penetration in the Middle East continues to grow and is expected to reach 41% in 2021, up from 29% in 2016 thanks to the online growth of airlines and hotels. What’s certain from the study, is that companies need to be able to build digital capabilities across their organisation to better serve their customers in the ways they want. This starts with capturing data and putting it to work in the travel chain.
Don’t miss our Fly By Digital event taking place from 25th – 26th October at the Rixos Premium, Jumeriah Beach Residence, Dubai, UAE.
source: https://tinyurl.com/yah2fcvo
3D printed terrazzo floors for amsterdam’s shiphol airport
3D printed terrazzo floors for amsterdam’s shiphol airport by aectual and DUS architects.
showcasing at dutch design week 2017, aectual uses 3D printing technologies to fabricate completely customizable and sustainable floors. the bespoke designs use recycled bio-plastic material to create the frameworks and then a mixture of recycled granite or marble to fill in the remaining spaces. suitable for projects of all sizes, the system has already been used to craft the bespoke floor at loft’s flagship store in tokyo, japan, and currently installing its latest one at amsterdam’s schiphol airport in november 2017.
3D printed floors for amsterdam’s shiphol airport by aectual
all images courtesy of aectual
officially launching their product at dutch design week 2017, aectual employ huge robots, with six-axis movement, to print as they move from side to side on rails. this allows them to fabricate the framework of the designs from small to large scale sizes, all at just a few centimeters in height. the constructions are then moved onsite where terrazzo material – the granite or marble composite – is filled into the empty spaces and then polished off. the results are tailor-made floors that not only display the personalities of the client, but also their story and further bespoke branding.
with the mission to bring tailor-made architecture to the masses, the 3D printing technology was developed in-house by aectual and will be used to 3D print the DUS architects design at the shiphol airport.
‘the extruder is mounted on a robot arm, itself mounted on a track. the maximum print areas of the several printers available are 2x2x4 meters, 8x2x2m or 2x2x2m. the 3D printer can deposit between 1 – 15 kg/hr of material. using an automated material feeding system, the printer can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.‘ says hans vermeulen, CEO of aectual.
source : https://tinyurl.com/yak9oksw