App and Away!

From this month, customers using Heathrow Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 will receive 'push notifications' on smartphones informing them when their gate is open and when the aircraft is boarding, so they can enjoy the airport experience to its potential.

 

British Airways app is one of the first to take advantage of a new feature in iOS 8, the latest version of Apple's iPhone software. Customers can now find their flight status in the iPhone notification centre, so they can stay up to date without even opening the app - as featured at Apple's live event recently.

Acting on customer feedback, iPhone customers with the British Airways app will receive a personalised welcome pop up message and WiFi password when entering the Terminal 5 lounge. British Airways is the first UK airline to use iBeacon technology in its lounges, to show notifications based on location.

Drew Crawley, British Airways' chief commercial officer, said: " The potential to optimise mobile and digital technology is endless, but requires a careful balance of adding value without bombarding customers."

The British Airways iPhone app is currently the highest rated airline app available and has been downloaded more than four million times since launch. As well as iPhone devices, it's available on Android, Amazon Appstore, BlackBerry and Windows Phone models.