TransAsia Airways and Google Launch New Service: Instant Flight Information at Your Fingertips

▲ TransAsia Airways and Google jointly launch the Google Now instant flight inquiry service. (Photo / Credit: Reporter Yu Ru)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

In this smartphone-dominated era, searching for information is no longer restricted by time or place — just a simple swipe down while looking down at your phone gets you the info you need. Recognizing the business opportunities presented by the “swipe generation,” TransAsia Airways has partnered with Google starting today. Passengers who book flights with TransAsia can now check real-time flight information via Google Now.

According to the latest global smartphone user survey released in August 2013 by Google and Ipsos, 80% of Taiwanese consumers are highly dependent on their mobile phones — the highest rate in the Asia-Pacific region. Among them, 49% use their phones to search for travel-related information online.

Spotting this potential business opportunity and aiming to provide more convenient services for customers, TransAsia Airways and Google have launched an instant flight information service. Starting today, as long as passengers purchase TransAsia tickets and use Gmail as their contact email, they can access real-time flight updates anytime on their smartphones or tablets that have the Google Search app installed. Google will act as a personal flight secretary for travelers, offering services including automatic display of flight cards 24 hours before departure, a reminder six hours prior to takeoff, and automatic disappearance of notifications after landing. TransAsia Airways is also the first national airline to launch this service with Google.

TransAsia Airways spokesperson Kao Chih-hua emphasized that Google Now offers a variety of practical features, not only for flights but also for weather, maps, and more. He believes the collaboration with Google will help travelers better manage their itineraries.

%Google Now will appear below the Google app (left image). To check flight information, simply swipe open the card (right image). (Photo / Courtesy of archive photo)