UPgrade: Digital Transformation for Space-Available (S/A) Passenger Experience

The DoD Passenger travel program and applications that support passenger movement are antiquated and vastly behind in current technological capabilities. The Space Available (S/A) Travel program is a benefit that allows authorized passengers to occupy DoD aircraft seats that are surplus after all space-required passengers and cargo have been accommodated. S/A travel is a privilege (not an entitlement) available to the Uniformed Services for Active Duty, Retired, and Disabled Service Members and their dependents. The S/A passenger manifesting/matching process is a significant resource drain for AMC and candidate passengers alike. Upgrade aims to cut manual processes, reduce resource strain, and introduce technology to revolutionize the passenger experience combined with the S/A travel process. The Passenger Experience is the focal point in this effort. Improving the passenger experience through technological improvements will provide the DoD with operational enhancements in passenger movement. UPgrade aims to maximize the passenger experience by delivering self-service opportunities to permeate throughout the travel journey. With the introduction of UPgrade, Air Terminal Personnel will save significant time and resources by assisting in a complete self-service passenger experience. UPgrade will enhance the passenger process with a mobile passenger application and a web-based air terminal application to usher in sensor-equipped, intelligent, exponential technologies that can gather data, interpret it, and take smart action. UPgrade will enable remote passenger check-ins, limit overcrowding of air terminals, increase predictability for air terminals, and enable geospatial verification of passenger locations. Additionally, UPgrade will support automated passenger signups, introduce automated roll calls and selection, enable remote meal selections/ordering, and introduce a secure means to publish flight information to potential passengers. Enhanced features that will benefit the passenger experience will be achieved by coupling UPgrade with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK). This will include automated passenger traveler verification, passenger profiles and history analysis, providing secure travel information, passenger data, tieing in commercial standard technology to the DoD passenger experience to decrease resource strain, and decision making to maximize aircraft utilization.