DUBAI — IATA’s ONE Order initiative will mean the gradual disappearance of multiple reservation records in favour of one document and a single order number.
IATA adopted a resolution on a standard for ONE Order at its Passenger Services Conference in Dubai. Aleks Popovich, IATA’s Senior VP, Financial and Distribution Services, says ONE Order leverages the data communication advances from the New Distribution Capability (NDC). “ONE Order will eliminate the need for passengers to juggle different reference numbers and documents along their journeys,” said Popovich. “With ONE Order, the only thing that passengers will need to be instantly recognized is their order number. It will greatly simplify the passenger experience and remove one of the hassles of travel – trying to find the correct document or number when dealing with an itinerary change or a travel disruption.”
Popovich added that the fundamental objective of ONE Order is to replace multiple rigid and paper-based booking, ticketing, delivery and accounting methods with a standard order management process based on a single customer order record that includes all the data: customer details, order item(s) including the air ticket and additional products and services, payment, billing and fulfillment status information.
The role of the Resolution is to put in place the framework for the industry to work with a single order, replacing a reservation and separate accountable documents (e-ticket and electronic miscellaneous document covering things such as ancillary products) as is the case today.
Full adoption of ONE Order will be a multi-year, multi-stage process, added Popovich.
IATA’s 2016 Global Passenger Survey showed that passengers are looking for technology to improve their travel experience. Based on 6,920 responses from around the globe, the survey provided insight into what passengers want from their air travel experience. Topping the list were:
. Arriving at the airport ready to fly
. Passing through security and border control once without having to remove personal items
. Uniquely-tailored travel options – and passengers are prepared to offer their personal data to access them
. Having the same connectivity in the air as on the ground
Passengers said they want to be able to do more of the traditional airport processes ‘off airport’ by taking advantage of the latest digital self-service options. In 2016 the percentage of passengers who checked-in online and used a mobile boarding pass rather than a printed one increased from 69% in 2015 to 71%.
The survey also found that the majority of passengers are keen to see the baggage process shaken up. Some 33% of those surveyed want to self-tag their bags and 39% want to use electronic bag tags. A considerable number of passengers would like to travel to the airport ‘baggage free’: 26% want their luggage picked up from home and delivered to the airport and 24% want to be able to drop off their luggage away from the airport. And 61% of passengers expressed interest in tracking their bag throughout the journey. Airlines are facilitating this by adopting IATA’s baggage Resolution 753 which tracks bags at major journey points such as loading and unloading.
Passengers also said they want airlines and airports to offer them a more customized travel experience with 85% willing to provide more personal data to make this happen.
The survey also found that 51% of passengers, a 12% increase on 2015, would prefer to use their own devices on-board – Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – to access entertainment options.
