British Airways Asks for FlyerTalk’s Help to Test App

Airline solicits assistance from frequent flyer community.

British Airways is wasting no time taking advantage of the new iOS 8 features. In addition to announcing new features for their iPhone app, the airline is also soliciting frequent flyers to serve as beta testers.

Business Traveler reports that with the launch of iOS 8, British Airways will add push notifications as an update to the application. The notices would let passengers know when gates are open for British Airways flights in terminals three and five at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), as well as when airplanes are boarding.

In addition, British Airway also intends to incorporate iBeacon technology into their lounges. In screenshots shared with Business Traveler, the plan for iBeacon includes welcoming guests to their lounges, as well as flights information delivered direct to the home screen.

“These [are] thoughtful features – from alerting customers to gate announcements, to wi-fi passwords — that truly add value,” Drew Crawley, British Airways’ chief commercial officer, told Business Traveler. “The potential to optimize mobile and digital technology is endless, but requires a careful balance of adding value without bombarding customers.”

In order to make sure the roll-out runs correctly, British Airways has begun recruiting frequent flyers to participate in a beta program ahead of the launch. In a post on FlyerTalk, project managers have requested the assistance of Executive Club members using iPhones with either iOS 7 or iOS 8, and are flying between September 29 and October 17 this year. The focus is to test gate messages from the airline to passengers.

The updates are scheduled to go out to the public in October. Business Traveler reports that the upgrade will only be available to those using iOS 8. In the meantime, British Airways is hopeful to receive useful feedback from flyers to make the launch seamless as possible.

[Photo: iStock]