BOOKIT
Encyclopedia
BOOKIT is a reservations system for the ferry
industry. It is provided by Hogia Ferry Systems, a part of the Hogia group. Hogia Ferry Systems have its premises and the whole software development
team in the municipality
of Korsholm
in Finland
.
on the Aland Islands
in Finland
and Norrtalje
in Sverige
. This operation was a project by the Aland businessman Anders Wiklof and was only sailing for two years. The next year Eckero Linjen
acquired the system and the saga started.
With some help from the travel technology giant Amadeus IT Group
BOOKIT is today in use also by several customers in North Africa
and in the Mediterranean Sea
.
BOOKIT is now also expanding on the important British market by signing contract with the Isle of Wight
operator Red Funnel
as well as the Scottish
operator NorthLink Ferries
operating between mainland Scotland
and the islands of Shetland and Orkney. ,
BOOKIT is equipped with online reservations user interfaces both for B2B
and B2C access. The user interfaces are developed in Microsoft.NET
technology and also includes functionality for embarkation control to follow the ISPS (International Ship and Port Security) Code regulations.
As reported by the industry magazine Ferry Technology the application can also provide check in over the internet so that passengers can print their boarding cards at home.
In 1999 A web based booking interface was added. This software runs on all web browsers.
market. Among others the below companies :
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
industry. It is provided by Hogia Ferry Systems, a part of the Hogia group. Hogia Ferry Systems have its premises and the whole software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
team in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Korsholm
Korsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
History
The first version of the BOOKIT system was originally developed in 1987 for the AW Line operation between MariehamnMariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
on the Aland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Norrtalje
Norrtälje
Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010.- History :Norrtälje traces its history to 1219, when the location was first mentioned as Tälje. After some time, the name officially became Norrtälje, to separate it from the...
in Sverige
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. This operation was a project by the Aland businessman Anders Wiklof and was only sailing for two years. The next year Eckero Linjen
Eckerö Linjen
Eckerö Linjen is a Finnish shipping company operating a ferry between Eckerö in the Åland Islands and Grisslehamn in Sweden. The company is owned by the Åland based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö...
acquired the system and the saga started.
With some help from the travel technology giant Amadeus IT Group
Amadeus IT Group
Amadeus IT Group is a transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry. The company is structured around two key related areas - its global distribution system and its IT Solutions business area...
BOOKIT is today in use also by several customers in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
BOOKIT is now also expanding on the important British market by signing contract with the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
operator Red Funnel
Red Funnel
The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...
as well as the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
operator NorthLink Ferries
Northlink Ferries
NorthLink Ferries operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Government.-History:...
operating between mainland Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the islands of Shetland and Orkney. ,
Functionality
The reservations system has grown after that to cover all types of services that are offered together with ferry traffic as stated by Philip Dawson, a freelance writer in the ferry industry: "BOOKIT is a complete reservation system for transport and travel, allowing the user to combine passenger, vehicle and cargo reservations for their ships with booking arrangements for onboard services, accommodations tourism and onward travel ashore, both at the point of origin and destination."BOOKIT is equipped with online reservations user interfaces both for B2B
Business-to-business
Business-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
and B2C access. The user interfaces are developed in Microsoft.NET
Microsoft.net
Microsoft.net may refer to:*Microsoft.com, the official Microsoft's website*.NET Framework, a software component that is a part of Microsoft Windows operating systems...
technology and also includes functionality for embarkation control to follow the ISPS (International Ship and Port Security) Code regulations.
As reported by the industry magazine Ferry Technology the application can also provide check in over the internet so that passengers can print their boarding cards at home.
In 1999 A web based booking interface was added. This software runs on all web browsers.
Current customers
There are at the moment 27 customers using the BOOKIT system for ferry reservation. Many of the companies operate in the Baltic Sea cruiseferryBaltic Sea cruiseferries
The Baltic Sea is crossed by several cruiseferry lines. Some important shipping companies are Viking Line, Silja Line and Tallink.-Eastern Baltic:...
market. Among others the below companies :
- Eckerö LinjenEckerö LinjenEckerö Linjen is a Finnish shipping company operating a ferry between Eckerö in the Åland Islands and Grisslehamn in Sweden. The company is owned by the Åland based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö...
- Destination GotlandDestination GotlandDestination Gotland is a Swedish ferry-line that run state-subsidiarised domestic ferries from Nynäshamn andOskarshamn to Visby on the island of Gotland. It is a wholly owned daughter company of Rederi AB Gotland...
- FinnlinesFinnlinesFinnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
- Eckerö LineEckerö LineEckerö Line is a Finnish shipping companies owned by the Åland-based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö. Eckerö Line operates two ferries between Helsinki and Tallinn...
- RG LineRG LineRG Line Oy Ab is a Finnish shipping company founded in 2001 that operates a ferry line between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden.The company was founded in 2001 by well known Rabbe Grönblom, just months after Silja Line had put their traffic on Kvarken / Merenkurkku to an end because of a decision in...
- Swansea Cork Ferries
- Finnlink
- Bay FerriesBay FerriesBay Ferries Limited, referred to simply as Bay Ferries, is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and the United States and is headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
- Hurtigruten GroupHurtigruten GroupHurtigruten Group is a Norwegian transport corporation with headquarters in Narvik, Norway. The group provides services within bus transport, car ferry transport, tourism in addition to operating the Coastal Express along the Norwegian Coast...
- Marine AtlanticMarine AtlanticMarine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
- Red FunnelRed FunnelThe Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...
- NorthLink FerriesNorthlink FerriesNorthLink Ferries operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Government.-History:...