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SMS trend for travel updates

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At Jakarta's airport you can even request toilet paper via SMS.

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- More airports, airlines and trains are turning to text messaging services to keep travelers updated on the state of play on flights, travel times and bookings.

The British Airport Authority (BAA) has launched an SMS service called "Flying Messenger" for passengers who are catching a plane or meeting colleagues at London's Heathrow or Gatwick airports.

This allows people to check flight departure or arrival times when they text their flight number to 82222.

Texts are charged at 50 cents per request.

The service provides flight details from 12 hours before departure, as well as up to four hours after arrival.

An advanced service monitors the progress of a requested flight, allowing you to monitor delays and gate calls. The service is available to O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone customers.

According to the Financial Times newspaper, BAA is considering extending the service to its other five UK airports -- Stansted, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Southampton.

Already London's Underground provides free text messages to mobile phone with real time travel news and details of delays before you reach the station.

An SMS service is also available for Airport Express trains to Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted. This service is also free of charge and available to customers who book a train ticket via the Web.

When you complete the booking online, a confirmation number is sent to your mobile phone.

This is then used when picking up the ticket at the train station.

Israeli airline El Al has also introduced an SMS service to provide flight information.

For this service you send a text message with the flight number to 3525. Baggage and check-in information is also available.

Travelers at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport can now summon assistance via SMS, such as requesting toilet paper or complaining about the airport taxi service.

The service also lets people inquire about the status of departing and arriving flights. After tapping in a keyword, users then add specific questions.

However, the service is only available in Indonesia and only for those cellular phone owners who use Telkomsel phone cards.

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