London City Airport introduces Facebook Messenger to check flight information

London City Airport is the first airport in the UK to enable passengers to use Facebook Messenger to find out the latest real-time information about their flight.

Following a short trial period, from today any passenger who has Facebook Messenger on their device can send their flight number on the day of travel to the LCY Flight Info Facebook page and receive personalised flight information.

The automated messages provide up-to-the-minute information on flight status, including departure and arrival time and boarding gate numbers, removing the need to constantly check flight information screens. Both departing passengers and those waiting for passengers to arrive can get the information relevant to them.

The new Facebook Messenger functionality coincides with the latest passenger analysis for the first quarter of 2016, which found that for the first time ever the proportion of under-35 passengers reached 35% at London City Airport. It is expected that millennial travellers will be among the first to use the service.

Alison FitzGerald, Chief Information Officer at London City Airport, said:

“The majority of our passengers are connected to social media and many of these are business travellers, so it makes perfect sense to offer flight updates directly to their smartphones via Facebook Messenger. We already offer free Wi-Fi and a check-in time of 20 minutes or less, and this is another way of ensuring a hassle-free, personalised customer experience.”

Last week it was announced that there are 1 billion active users worldwide of Facebook Messenger, and this new integration joins an existing personalised Twitter update service @LCYFlightInfo, which is also provided by BizTweet and developed by TIC (Technology Integration Consultancy). In the first 12 months since it was introduced in June 2015, Twitter flight information was used by 13,568 registered users.

The airport is located in the heart of East London, a growing technology hub, and the new Facebook Messenger service joins several innovations which simplify and enhance the passenger experience. These include AirPortr, a personal luggage transfer service which collects bags from customers and delivers them straight to their final destination, and Crowd Vision, which provides analysis of real-time passenger movements through the airport via live-feed video, ensuring that transit through the terminal is as quick as possible.

The automated Twitter and Facebook updates pages sit in parallel to the airport’s main Facebook page and @LondonCityAir Twitter page which are the primary points of reference for customer information, engagement and news.