Lufthansa partners launch of Samsung Wallet app.
The Lufthansa app has landed the MobileTech Award 2013 after clinching first place for apps in the “Productivity & Business” category with the votes from a jury of prominent mobile experts. With the accolade, conferred for the second time, the MobileTech Conference in Munich singles out exceptional apps from German-speaking countries. In contention for the award were apps, which have been newly launched or constitute significant updates in recent months.
In a comment on the award, the jury said the Lufthansa app stood out for its functional design and ease-of-use in operation. Moreover, the jury noted, the iPhone version is one of the first business apps to utilize the Passbook from Apple for electronic storage of tickets and boarding passes. “This award is an excellent show of recognition for our digital commitment and demonstrates anew that Lufthansa is a foremost trendsetter in the area of mobile services dedicated to the flight experience”, said a delighted Jens Bischof, who is responsible for Sales and Revenue Management on the Lufthansa German Airlines Board. “It is also for us an enormous incentive to further expand our mobile services for customers and thereby set ourselves clearly apart from the competition.”
Earlier this year, Lufthansa not only gave its mobile services a new look by comprehensively redesigning the apps for iPhones and Android Smartphones, but enhanced them with additional, practical functions. All the key services are now directly available on the new and functionally designed start screen. App users are, moreover, immediately informed by push alerts about sudden changes in their flight booking, such as a different departure gate, and can store personalized data from travel documents in the app. Since last September, an interface to Passbook from Apple also enables iPhone users to save and retrieve their travel documents, all in one place.
Lufthansa has also demonstrated its pace-setting role with applications on Samsung devices. The airline is one of the partners of the South Korean company at the launch of the Samsung Wallet app, which allows smartphone user to store tickets, vouchers or similar documents on their mobile device. Soon users will be able to save, for example, their boarding pass after checking in with the new app. It will then be automatically sorted chronologically to make it immediately available when the user needs it.
The Lufthansa app enables customers to access important information and services related to their flight so as to make flight bookings, key up on departure and arrival times, check-in online and obtain their mobile boarding pass. More than five million users have downloaded this app since its launch in 2008.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
