SITA, the IT provider to the air transport industry, has worked with Microsoft to deliver a Windows 10 universal app - SITA AirsideApp - a sophisticated mobile application that transforms ground operations at airports. This app, which fully digitizes processes, works on phones and tablets and can also be used with wearable computing devices for efficient hands-free operations. Microsoft and SITA jointly developed AirsideApp to replace the current paper-based and slow manual processes by integrating the multiple airline, airport and ground handler systems used during ground operations. The app collects and shares information in real time and presents an easy-to-use interface on Windows 10 mobile devices and tablets for ground agents. In addition, notifications and status updates can be provided on the Microsoft Band allowing for hands-free updates on the go. SITA's mobile app is in use today at a leading Asian airline and at airports in Asia and the Middle East where it has been shown to reduce administration time to process forms and manuals by as much as 30% and increase the accuracy of time-stamped activity recording by up to 25%. SITA AirsideApp is part of SITA's showcase of technology at the 2016 Air Transport IT Summit taking place on May 24-26 in Barcelona. Craig Dewar, Sr. Director, Windows Commercial Product Marketing, Microsoft, said: "Microsoft has collaborated with SITA to develop this mobile solution because of SITA's unique expertise across airline, airport and ground-handling operations. SITA's understanding of the business processes enabled our joint design teams to deliver an app that takes advantage of the latest mobile and wearable technology and Windows 10 to provide an agile and efficient way of working at airports worldwide." SITA AirsideApp allows seamless integration with the variety of back-end systems in use at airports, including departure control systems, flight information, roster and inventory management and third party services. The app's integration to these various data sources combined with mobile precision timing ensures contextual and relevant data are displayed to ground agents based on their individual work activities. Dan Ebbinghaus, Senior Vice President, Communications and Infrastructure, SITA, said: "SITA and Microsoft have focused development on improving the workflow for ground staff at airports. By moving from paper-based checklists and operations, SITA AirsideApp eliminatesfragmented processes and enables workforce collaboration. This agile way of working means it is easier to make the right decision quickly every time." SITA AirsideApp opens the possibility to digitize additional ground processes from any location, on any mobile device. It enables real-time monitoring of events and processes from teams and third parties. All activity recorded and collected by mobile users, such as fuelling, cleaning, catering deliveries, gate openings and passenger check-in, are displayed for supervisors on a clear business intelligence dashboard. In addition, by enabling better information sharing and communication across mobile users it improves collaboration across various groups to provide better real-time visibility of event and improve disruption management. AirsideApp can also support mobile point-of-sales allowing agents to easily sell ancillary services such as lounge access, seat upgrades, excess bag charges or duty-free orders. This can be done on the spot without the hassle of paper-based operations and inventory reconciliation. SITA AirsideApp is a cloud-based mobility solution designed to be easily customized and integrated within individual and unique customer ecosystems. It is backed by SITA's global services team of more than 2,000 IT service professionals and field engineers on the ground at airports. Together they proactively monitor SITA application and network services 24/7, identifying and resolving issues before they have an impact. — SG
