British Airways has revealed that use of its Apple Watch app rose by 386% between June and October, and the airline is responding by introducing new scanners to allow Watch owners a faster way of dropping any hold bags, reports Advance.
Customers will be able to slide their wrists under the new ‘Scan and Go’ devices to scan their boarding pass, print their own bag tags and speed through the airport. A total of 136 of the new gadgets are being installed at check in desks across Heathrow’s Terminal 3 and 5, and will be ready for use on 15 December.
The scanners can also be used with the smartphone app.
BA’s app provides access to real-time flight status, gate information, a countdown to the departure time and the weather at their destination, as well as displaying a QR code that can be used at both Security and the gate.
The airline is planning an update to the iPad version which includes Highlife entertainment listings, allowing customers to peruse the in-flight movies prior to boarding.
As someone who still mostly views my Apple Watch as a gimmick, I have to admit that airline apps do make a good case for the device, making viewing alerts and directions as easy as glancing at the time. American Airlines, BA and EasyJet were among the front-runners in offering Apple Watch apps, and now Lufthansa has joined the party too, reports Forbes.
Use your watch as a boarding pass and have your essential flight information displayed on your wrist. It reminds passengers of their flight the day prior to their departure, provides continuous updates about the status of the flight and displays the boarding time, terminal, gate and seat number. Just like a timer, it enables passengers to see – down to the very minute – how long is left until their scheduled boarding time
The app is currently available only to members of Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program, Miles & More, with a general rollout expected later in the year.
We knew from a previous announcement last year that British Airways has been working on integrating Passbook integration for its digital boarding passes, much like American Airlines and a long list of other major airlines have done already. Today the airline has officially rolled out an update to its iPhone app that adds the ability to add digital boarding passes to Passbook.
It also confirmed that it will be enhancing the feature further my mid-June with direct links to the Passbook boarding passes on the iPhone’s lock screen:
By mid June we’ll be enhancing Passbook boarding passes by adding direct links to them from your iPhone’s lock screen as you’re ready to fly. This will make it even easier for you to access your boarding pass on the move. We’ll send you a message via the app as soon as these are enabled.
On top of the convenience of having your BA boarding pass alongside your other Passbook passes and cards, Passbook also allows users to sync boarding passes across devices via iCloud and receive time and location-based reminders that display the boarding pass at the time of your flight or upon arriving at the terminal.
BA notes that, “From now on, all new boarding passes will be presented in Passbook.”
Square Register version 2.5:Square is rolling out Passbook compatible gift cards for local businesses that users of the Square Wallet iPhone app can purchase and share with friends. To welcome the new feature, Square’s Register app also gets an update with the ability to accept the new gift cards via Square Wallet, Passbook, or QR code, as well as iPhone 5 support:
– Accept gift cards for your business from Square Wallet, Passbook and printed QR codes.
– iPhone 5 support and various improvements.
Instagram: Instagram has released a pretty big update to its app this afternoon, adding a revamped camera and camera roll access. Additionally, there are new grids for easy photo taking, new filter access page, and the addition of Foursquare data.
British Airways version 4.0: A big update to the BA iPhone app brings a completely redesigned UI that provides easy access to upcoming flights from the My Flights screen, as well as improvements for retrieving bookings and alternative boarding pass options. The updated app is also now fully iPhone 5 and iOS 6 compatible.
We’ve completely redesigned the app to make it easier to access all your upcoming flights and to address a number of issues
Snapheal version 2.1: Snapheal for Mac received an update today that includes a new and improved UI, a new crop tool, a “new algorithm for image retouch and adjust,” and much more:
– Brand new look and improved user experience, including 1 click to erase objects, faster selection, better way to save and share images, etc.
– New crop tool
– New algorithm for image retouch and adjust: faster performance, better color processing
– Enhanced lasso tool
– Improved algorithms for erasing multiple objects
– New clone&stamp tool, with better customization of brush opacity and softness
Instamac version 1.1:The recently launched Instamac Instagram client for Mac receives a ton of UI refinements, full Retina display support for Retina MacBook Pros, improved slideshow features, and more.
-We’ve spent a lot of time going through each and every user interface element to make Instamac the most elegant Instagram Client for the Mac.
