The very concept of an app is that it is a sort of "walled garden" on your smartphone. Something where the developer of the app — be that an online retailer, a social network or an airline — can keep you all to themselves unlike in the relative Wild West of the internet.
It is therefore surprising to see a new initiative from the airline alliance oneworld which will smash the walls of those apps.
Oneworld says, "The alliances' member airlines will progressively from this year offer the ability, via their own individual apps or websites, for customers taking connecting flights on any oneworld alliance partner to check in, obtain their e-boarding pass, receive information and updates on their flight and track their baggage."
In other words users of any member's app or website will shortly be able to access seat selection, the ability to pay for additional baggage and airport lounge and priority lanes information for other members' flights.
The need for multiple apps will decrease. Having rich data on different carriers on one platform will improve access to data and expedite its collection.
At present a British Airways frequent flyer must download the American Airlines app if they want a boarding pass on an AA flight between Dallas and El Paso. This might not be the case for much longer.
Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways are the first carriers whose passengers can use either app and/or website to check-in and receive boarding passes for connecting flights on either airline. As other member carriers are added to the platform, the ability to access services on more oneworld flights will increase sharply.
How will this affect corporate travel?
Most frequent business travellers will have more than 20 travel apps on their devices so any initiative to reduce them is welcome.
Is it the same story for travel managers?
Travel buyers might be really cheered up by another reference in another oneworld announcement this month: "A fresh approach to corporate sales, enabling oneworld to respond much faster to requests for airline contracts...Dozens of the world's biggest multinational corporations have signed corporate accounts with the alliance rather than a series of individual airline deals."
Will the new shared platform finally reduce the number of RFPs, negotiations, deals and contracts?
Probably not because technology cannot trump the law and ultimately an air alliance does not have anti-trust immunity even if some of its members, eg BA, Iberia, Finnair, American over the Atlantic, do. Global deals with oneworld can only be on terms and conditions and are otherwise an envelope containing different commercials — the only commercials that can be combined are those involving carriers that are joint businesses and therefore immunised.
Technology will allow travellers to have a more joined up experience but national rules about ownership and competition have always modified many of the ambitions of the aviation industry.
This technology initiative may expedite the buyers' negotiation processes but there will still be multiple negotiations to undertake.