Technology Goes Beyond Booking: How to Put it to Use
By Amy Ziff, Editor-at-Large
February 11, 2003
As with everything else the Internet has touched, shopping for and buying travel is a lot different than it was just a few years ago. Is it easier, or harder? That typically depends on who you talk with. But one thing’s for certain, the Internet has given shoppers more choice and control by making products and prices readily available. It seems like anything you want is just a click away.
But, it’s not just the Internet that’s made traveling different. Other technology has changed the way we all go about traveling. At the airports, the car-rental counters, even some hotel lobbies, we are all getting used to increasingly common interaction with computers, voice activation, text messaging, and automated self-service computers.
We’ve all tackled (or tried to tackle) new technology--getting our money from ATMs, cooking using microwave ovens, programming our VCRs, using voice mail and answering machines, and operating cell phones. And the first time we did those things, it seemed like an oddity. But we all realize after the fact that you don't need to be a technological wizard to reap the benefits of modernity and progress. Sometimes we even find ourselves looking forward to the ease the future promises.
Here are some ways to harness the technology in order to save time and money, beyond just booking:
- To get through the check-in line faster, use the e-kiosks for check-in and obtaining a boarding pass where possible. e-kiosks are being implemented widely and allow you to speed your way to security. These handy machines also allow you to confirm or change your seat assignment, put in your reward number, upgrade, and print a receipt!
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Another way to cut down on your airport time is virtual check-in, which is allowed by some but not all carriers. It enables you to check in online from work or home. Print your boarding pass from home or the office and arrive at the airport prepared. Online check-in is generally allowed up to 12 hours before a plane departs.
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Ease your hunger--and save time at the airport restaurant, too--by purchasing food online so that it is ready and waiting for you at the airport. See when these services will come to your city at http://www.carryoncuisine.com/.
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To make sure you know the latest on your flight situation, sign up with your online travel service to have flight updates and arrival and departure delays sent to your PDA (personal digital assistant, like a Palm Pilot) or telephone. You even can have the information sent to the individual who’s picking you up, as they may need it more than you do!
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Airports and hotels are getting into the high-speed wireless game. Rolling out this year, you'll find airports offering wireless Internet connections to make use of downtime while waiting for a flight. Locations include Denver, Philadelphia, Dallas Fort Worth, Austin, San Jose, and Seattle. Marriott is among the hotel groups offering the capability in many hotel lobbies. Other companies also have designs to make it available in rooms.
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More cutting-edge hotels already have "smart" rooms with doors that automatically double-lock behind you, lights that turn on and off when you enter or exit the room, and heating and cooling systems that are body activated.
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Amtrak, although slow to the Internet, has begun a program making tickets and specials available through your PDA.
And, the future is full of even more ways to make travel easier through technology: Wireless technology on board planes for passenger use and National biometric ID cards that will allow frequent travelers to move more quickly through the airport process. So even if you’re still toying with that VCR--like I am--technology can get you out of the airport, and onto your trip, a lot faster.
Related Links
Read more tips by Editor-at-Large Amy Ziff:
The Foodless Flight: What To Do
Getting Away For Romance or Just Getting Away?
Tips From a Recovered Apprehensive Flyer
Winter Travel Study Revealed
Cruising Over the Idea of a Cruise
Not All Travel Packages Are Created Equal
New Airport Security
To Ski or Not to Ski? A Deal May Be the Answer.
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