A few weeks ago Air Berlin demonstrated its Progressive Web App during the Google I/O developer conference.
It’s staking a claim as the first airline with the service which enables users to access services such as a boarding pass at anytime and without an internet connection, after an initial web check-in.
The PWA also means travellers can receive push notifications such as gate changes and access additional travel information.
What PWAs do is enable a browser-like experience but with some of the capabilities of native apps and Alex Komoroske, group product manager for Google Chrome’s web platform team, sees them as “a real turning point in the mobile web.”
He describes the impact of PWAs, and the technology behind them (Service Workers), as similar to what Ajax did for online maps more than a decade go.
Tnooz talked to Komoroske on why PWAs are such a turning point and why they’re good for travel.
He points out that on mobile the “interactive paradigms” are different in terms of smaller device, often inferior connectivity, typing can be a pain and people use them during moments when they’re not doing anything else.
“People are pulling out their phone in the empty spaces – waiting at the bus stop and without any specific goal but because you want to do something. You look at the icons in front of you and pick one so having that space on the home page is really important.
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