FlightView Validates That Airport Web Sites Are Key to Customer Service

Tight Budgets & Resources Boost Web Use for Information Sharing

08/25/2009

BOSTON, MA (August 25, 2009) - In a recent survey conducted by FlightView, the trusted resource of real-time actionable and accurate flight information, nearly 60 percent of airport operations executives recognize that Web sites are a critical source of information to travelers - and that those sites can be doing more.

Every airport has a Web site - whether it's a page on the local government site or a fully branded site. While more than half consider their Web site to be full service, an overwhelming majority of respondents - 81 percent - agree that visual information that's actionable adds value - for both travelers and airports.

Travelers benefit and can answer their own travel inquiries:

• Has the flight left the departure city?
• Is the flight still showing as on-time?
• Is there bad weather at any point on the projected route?
• Is it time to leave for the airport?
• What terminal will the flight leave from?

Airports benefit:

• Fewer calls to the airport - travelers know the flight's status
• Shorter customer service lines at the airport - travelers know where the plane is
• Customer service staff can handle other issues - they're not bogged down with repetitive questions about a flight's status

With 48 percent reporting spikes in visitors when bad weather is predicted and 36 percent reporting high volume during peak travel times, Web sites that include weather and flight tracking maps provide what travelers want most: information they can understand and use to make confident decisions.

Giving Airports What Customers Demand

The dilemma - more than 70 percent of respondents reported that customer service accounts for less than 10 percent of the annual operations budget. Airports including Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Idaho Falls Regional Airport, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey look to FlightView as a strategic partner to provide a cost effective vehicle for delivering the most accurate real-time information to their customers - through the airport's own Web site. FlightView offers:

• Visually appealing and easy-to-read web content customized to seamlessly integrate with the airport's Web site
• Easy-to-read maps with real-time weather, air traffic and airport delay graphics
• Continuous flight updating - clear and easy for customers to interpret and use to make decisions

"Airport executives are feeling the pressure as resource tighten and travelers expect more," said Michael Benjamin, CEO at FlightView. "Web sites can improve the customer experience - especially when delays get in the way. The key is to provide information that matters, so customers can choose their own course - stay put, leave for the airport or get a bite to eat."

About FlightView

FlightView is the recognized provider of the most accurate, real-time flight information solutions for the aviation and travel industries. FlightView's Dispatch and FVXML products help aviation and travel professionals achieve superior customer service with actionable real-time information. FlightView's information displays can be seen at airport terminals and on the Web sites of the largest major airports, airline and travel companies. FlightView's software services and solutions are relied upon by the US government, the world's largest airlines, airports, aviation and travel professionals, ground transportation companies and news outlets. Founded in 1981, and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, FlightView has more than 20 years of experience in building and supporting mission critical systems for the FAA and the Volpe Center. To access real-time flight information online, visit FlightView Flight Tracker or FlightView Mobile Flight Tracker.

FlightView Contact:

Katherine Wellman
VP of Marketing
(617) 787-4200