Improving communication during periods of mass disruption at airports

During periods of mass disruption the number one complaint from airline passengers is: "The airline / airport didn't keep me informed".

In the digital age, when the mobile phone is one of four essential items carried by passengers (the others being keys, money, and travel documents) it makes sense to embrace this technology to improve passenger communication and aid disruption management.

If airlines provided mobile flight information as standard, then for the most part passenger's would receive reassurance that their flight is on time and perhaps a reminder when it is time to board.

But, during periods of disruption the mobile phone becomes the primary passenger communication tool ... with the flexibility to send text messages containing different instructions for passengers who are at the airport (e.g. please assemble in area A and await further instructions) than for those who have not yet arrived (e.g. please do not travel to the airport ....).

Compare this to the current situation, where airline staff typically update passengers by printing out the latest information, creating 1,000s of photocopies (consuming a small forest of trees in the process), and then distributing the information by hand.

Unfortunately, by the time this information reaches passengers it is often out of date. But, with the mobile, operations teams can direct messages to groups of passengers in real-time, providing a little more control at a difficult time.