Travellers using Virgin Atlantic flights in London Heathrow airport are set to receive a new, more personalized experience, as the airline is piloting an iBeacon-powered program designed to ease passage and save time and money.
Using iBeacon’s microlocation functionality, Virgin Atlantic’s new initiative will automatically surface relevant information for passengers using iOS devices depending on their location in the airport. The airline partnered with iBeacon hardware firm Estimote for the physical infrastructure, while a custom pass in Apple’s Passbook application provides the on-device interface.
In one example, passengers in Upper Class–Virgin Atlantic’s name for its combination business class and first class cabin–can have their boarding pass automatically brought on-screen as they approach a security checkpoint. This feature could save travelers a significant amount of time and frustration as they would no longer need to keep track of a paper boarding pass or search through their device for an electronic version.
Virgin Atlantic also hopes to use iBeacons to help passengers once they are waiting for their flight. Passing by a Moneycorp currency exchange counter, for instance, would surface a special 0% commission discount offer unavailable to other travelers.
Apple’s iBeacon has seen rapid adoption since its introduction last year. The technology’s ability to locate devices with a high degree of accuracy, especially inside buildings, has sparked a wave of creative uses.