Inflight Service

JetBlue Bets An Apple Each Way Keeps Customers Happy

JetBlue will become the first US airline to accept Apple Pay„¢ mobile transactions for purchases of in-flight goodies such as snacks and amenities. Starting mid-February, on JetBlue flights from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Apple iPhone® 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch„¢-toting passengers can buy EatUp snack boxes, Ã la carte food from the airline’s EatUp Café, premium beverages, onboard amenities and upgrades to Even More Space seating.

“Customers want an easy and fast transaction when they decide to make an on-board purchase so that they can get back to enjoying their flight,” said Marty St. George, senior vice-president, commercial, JetBlue.

JetBlue will equip more than 3,500 in-flight crew members with iPad minis, fitted into NFC-enabled cases. Each iPad will be loaded with a custom iOS app – The Inflight Service Assistant – which lets crew access flight manifest data, easily identify TrueBlue and Mosaic loyalty members by name and even know when to offer special birthday wishes. Crew will also have the latest flight, aircraft configuration and safety information on the handy device.

“By giving crew-members thoughtful ways to use technology, we can support an even more personalized onboard experience with a perfect partnership of high tech and high touch,” said Joanna Geraghty, executive vice-president, customer experience, JetBlue.

Later this year, the airline will add Apple Pay options to its mobile iOS app.

As St. George sees it, this gamble on Apple is a safe bet, giving JetBlue more opportunities to connect with customers and improve the passenger experience. “The sky is definitely no limit when it comes to mobile payments with Apple Pay,” he said.

“The PTWG will now be focusing on educating the membership on future payment technologies including NFC (Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and others).” -Rich Salter, Lumexis Corporation

Spanish budget carrier, Vueling, became the world’s first carrier to introduce Near Field Communication (NFC) and Scanning payment systems through its mobile app this December, though it hedged its bets with a platform which will accommodate Android OS, Apple iOS, and introduced a wearable boarding pass with Sony’s Smartwatch 2.

At APEX TEC this past November, industry experts gathered to discuss the role which contactless mobile payment solutions will play in the industry. They explained the implementation and security issues that airlines must consider as they prepare for tomorrow’s payment options today and shared the steps the APEX Payment Technology Working Group (PTWG) is taking to address the impact that the shift will have on our industry.

At the time, the working group was looking to get an extension on the liability changeover date given the complexity of the switch for airlines however, after surveying the major US carriers they were “not sufficiently interested in it to warrant expending the resources to get an extension,” explains Rich Salter, chief technical officer, Lumexis Corportation and member of the APEX PTWG. “The PTWG will now be focusing on educating the membership on future payment technologies including NFC (Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and others).”