SITA Lab voice-activated travel app wins gold medal

SITA Lab, the technology research team at air transport IT provider SITA, has won the top prize at THack - the travel industry’s first official Hack event which was held in London this week.

Organised by Tnooz, in conjunction with Expedia UK, THack allowed developers from the travel industry to create new applications using a number of normally closed APIs as well as others freely available on the web.

The winning entry from SITA Lab was an innovative voice-activated travel search application which enables tour, flight and destination information to be sourced hands free. Developed in just seven days by the SITA Lab team, this voice-controlled travel inspiration booking engine is a Google Android mashup using APIs from TourCMS, Everbread and TripBod.

Kevin O’ Sullivan, SITA Lab lead engineer, said: "Taking part in THack was a great opportunity for us as this sort of event drives innovation which is exactly what we are doing everyday at SITA Lab.

“I am very pleased we have won the THack, particularly given the quality of the competition. The ability to access APIs from leading brands such as Expedia, Frommers, Everbread, Tripbod and TourCMS made this a particularly interesting challenge, providing the opportunity to create a genuinely innovative new travel solution. It was great to be able to create in just seven days a travel service which solves some of the problems presented by our increasingly busy lifestyles.”

Jim Peters, SITA Chief Technology Officer who heads up the SITA Lab, said: “Since its establishment three years ago, SITA Lab has gained a reputation as a powerhouse of innovation. Last June we worked with Malaysia Airlines to launch the world’s first kiosks to sell airline tickets using the Apple iPad. SITA Lab also developed an augmented reality application for the Apple iPhone for Malaysia Airlines to allow customers to pick up best airline deals from nearby airports. Our work continues in many areas with our customers and partners to drive innovation in air transport industry.”

Additionally, with on-board connectivity solutions provider, OnAir, SITA Lab was behind the development of the world’s first in-flight mobile portal which enables passengers to access useful travel-related services, and other information in real time.

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