Smart Dubai and Dubai Airports announced the launch of a new ‘Travel’ feature on the DubaiNow application at GITEX Technology Week 2019, taking place from October 6-10 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The DubaiNow application provides a single, centralised source for service with fast, seamless, and paperless services that allow Dubai residents to execute government service transactions via smartphone. The new service adds an entirely new sector to the app, in an effort to facilitate the travel experience for the emirate’s citizens, residents, and visitors, and utilise smart technologies to improve people’s wellbeing and ensure their happiness.

“Smart Dubai has a mission to enhance government services and support the transition towards smart systems, in line with the Dubai Paperless Strategy, which seeks to render all government transactions digital by 2021, and transform the emirate into the happiest and smartest city in the world,” said Smart Dubai’s director general Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr. “With that in mind, we are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to collaborate with other government, semi-government, or private entities to launch new services on the DubaiNow application, and make people’s lives easier and happier.”

“Travel is an important industry for Dubai, which has established itself as a world-leading travel and logistics hub,” Dr Bishr added. “Our collaboration with Dubai Airports today brings an entirely new sector onto the app. Once again, we are embracing advanced technologies and channelling them towards helping people conduct their transactions faster.”

Lloyd Gozzett, vice president of Customer Success at Dubai Airports, said: “Dubai Airports is a customer-centric organisation that is focused on making passenger journeys through our airports smooth and easy while enhancing overall customer experience. So, we are really excited with our collaboration with Smart Dubai. As the single platform for more than 70 of Dubai’s most popular city services, which benefit hundreds of thousands of users every day, we believe it is the perfect avenue for Dubai Airports’ smart services. The collaboration is the result of our commitment and support to the vision of Dubai Government for a smart city and a paperless future.”

The ‘Travel’ feature comprises three services: Flight Information, Lost and Found, and Al Majlis Lounge, the first of which allows users to find information about all flights departing from or landing in Dubai airports. It lists the various flights with information such as the corresponding gate, terminal, and departure/arrival time including any delays, as well as the flight status from the moment the gate opens to boarding and until the final call and gate closure. Users can browse a list of all the flights, search for a particular one using the flight number, or find all flights to a specific city or from a specific airline.

Meanwhile, the ‘Lost and Found’ feature allows users to report any items they might have lost or found at the airport to help authorities locate them and return them faster. The third and final service is ‘Al Majlis Lounge’, a VIP airport service for passengers flying in and out of Dubai International Airport. Al Majlis handles every step of the airport process, including check-in, immigration, and baggage clearance. In addition, it offers users access to Al Majlis Lounge at the airport, where they can enjoy catering and other services in a comfortable setting.

DubaiNow offers 88 government services from over 30 entities, offering end-to-end experiences for users. The services can be classified into 12 city sectors, namely: security and justice, public transportation, payments and bills, visas and residency, travel, health, business and employment, education, housing, and Islam, amongst others. It allows customers to pay traffic fines; pay DEWA, Etisalat or du fees; top up Salik or Nol cards; locate the nearest vehicle registration centre; and many other tasks and services. It also allows them to pay for fuel and services at any ENOC station using the app. - TradeArabia News Service