JR collaborates with Uber. New mobility concept "MaaS" and JAL's initiatives

In the past, when traveling by plane, you had to make a reservation at a counter or over the phone and have your ticket in hand. In the 1990s, the internet became widespread, and reservations could be made easily on websites, and by the 2000s, everything could be completed with just a smartphone. From booking to boarding, flights have become much smoother than before, and going forward, the keyword "MaaS" will take customer mobility to a new dimension.

MaaS technology seamlessly connects all travel needs and allows one-stop arrangements

Ishioka: "MaaS stands for Mobility as a Service. Mobility is a service in the first place, but the purpose of MaaS is to eliminate the barriers between service providers, connect all transportation smoothly, and make it possible to make one-stop arrangements from a smartphone or other device."

These are the words of Kohei Ishioka of the MaaS Group in the Business Creation Strategy Department of the Digital Innovation Headquarters, a new division established in fiscal 2021. For example, air travel does not necessarily involve airplanes. In most cases, people use a variety of vehicles, such as buses, trains, rental cars, and taxis, from their home to the airport, and from the airport to their destination. Part of the MaaS world that JAL is trying to realize is being able to centrally purchase, arrange, and manage these transportation methods using a smartphone app.

Ishioka: "When you make your own travel arrangements, you first book your flight, then check ground transportation on a transit information website, look up your hotel on a hotel reservation website... It's not uncommon for one trip to have five or six touch points for booking services. By simply consolidating all of that into one, we can reduce stress for customers and increase the value of their time."

Until now, travel agencies and other such services have provided such services, but in the MaaS field, greater immediacy is required.

Ishioka: "Generally, travel package plans are pre-determined, with transportation options decided in advance to coincide with flights. However, for sudden trips or business trips that are not packaged products, flight times are often decided at the last minute. MaaS is about easily connecting the optimal transportation options for each situation."

Collaborating with JR East. A smart way to travel domestically while traveling to Hawaii.

JAL has agreed to work together with JR to promote and implement MaaS in society, and has also signed a strategic partnership agreement with Uber. First, with JR East, we plan to conduct a demonstration experiment on a trip to Hawaii in line with the full-scale resumption of tourism in the future. Within the framework of the collaboration, we plan to provide a service that helps with planning before, during, and after a trip.

Ishioka: "JR East has a strong affinity with pre- and post-flight travel. JR East connects homes to airports, while JAL provides transportation beyond the airport, so our needs matched. We decided to conduct our demonstration experiment in Hawaii, where many Japanese customers spend time, and we are currently steadily preparing to launch the service."

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Specifically, we plan to use apps and other tools to provide a smooth travel experience that breaks down the barriers between flying and rail travel.

Ishioka: "Development is progressing smoothly, and the system will be completed soon. However, since it is not currently possible to travel abroad easily, we would like to start the service once the situation has settled down."

Also works with Uber. Smartly arrange a ride even at an overseas airport you're visiting for the first time.

Meanwhile, the partnership with Uber is already available as a service. In addition to requesting a ride from the arrival airport in North America or Hawaii to your destination, you can also use Uber's services, such as arranging food delivery at your destination, through the "JAL app," says Haruka Suzuki of the group.

Suzuki: Even experienced travelers may find it difficult to arrange transportation when they are traveling abroad for the first time. For example, when you arrive at a major airport in North America, if you open the JAL app, an Uber icon will appear on the timeline of your flight. If you tap on it, you will be taken to the Uber service, where you can immediately arrange transportation for your destination.

In commemoration of the partnership, discount coupons for "Uber Taxi," "Uber Black," and "Uber Eats," which can be used domestically, are currently available until the end of September. Discount coupons are available on the JAL website and on the JAL domestic in-flight Wi-Fi usage screen. They can be used at your accommodation or at home, so why not check them out?

MaaS solutions that allow you to travel empty-handed, not just for passengers but also for your luggage

Ishioka: "In JAL's business, not only the movement of customers but also the movement of luggage is an important aspect. MaaS has two aspects, people and goods, and we place importance on both. For example, once you close your suitcase at home, you often do not open it until you reach the hotel, so there is no need to carry it with you. However, at present, you often have to carry heavy luggage with you, which can be a burden at times. That being said, there are almost no services that deliver luggage within the country on the same day. So we are considering a service where you can leave your luggage at a convenience store or station near your home, and it will arrive at your hotel by the evening."

In December 2020, a demonstration experiment was conducted on the Haneda-Takamatsu route using PickGo, a delivery matching platform provided by logistics IT venture CBcloud. It was demonstrated that it is possible for luggage checked in at Otemachi early in the morning before a flight to be delivered to the hotel in Takamatsu where the passenger is staying that evening.

Ishioka: "It looks like we can create a solution for same-day baggage delivery. If we can realize this service, it will reduce the burden on customers when traveling and dramatically improve their travel experience. By allowing customers to input their delivery address and make payments online using their smartphones, the application process will be almost effortless. We are working to have the service available by next year."

You can go anywhere you want, empty-handed. This is the type of travel you'll be doing in just a few years.

Ishioka: "At JAL, we have accumulated a lot of data on our customers' travel between airports. Through these MaaS initiatives, we can obtain data on their travel before and after the trip. By accumulating detailed travel trends, we will be able to recommend the right travel service to customers at the right time. This is one of the goals of the MaaS service."

To achieve this, we plan to further increase the number of partner businesses. Within JAL's network, which serves nearly 90 airports both domestically and internationally, we will continue to collaborate with transportation providers and various other tourism content.

Suzuki: "IT solutions can help us realize collaboration with businesses around the world. Thanks to our customers, JAL is well known in the field of air transportation, but by exploring the best ways to collaborate with various companies through MaaS initiatives, we should be able to provide new value that goes beyond the scope of flights. I'm sure our customers will be able to experience a new world."

Ishioka: "MaaS is just a means to an end. We want to provide touchpoints that allow people to feel close to content from around the world and increase the possibilities for enjoying travel. Even within Japan, there are many places that are inconvenient but have attractive content. There is also an information gap overseas. There are flights to change, and if you don't know the local transportation, you feel hesitant to go. Ultimately, we want to eliminate places where people feel like, 'I want to go here, but it's inconvenient so I can't go.'"

Whenever you want to go anywhere, you can go with just one app, empty-handed. That future is not so far away. JAL is formulating a roadmap to make it a reality by the mid-2020s. In the near future, when we can travel freely again, the way we enjoy air travel may change dramatically.

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