Airline Customer Experience

Sabre Airline Solutions® recently released a special report on the airline customer experience – a hot topic for airline leaders across the globe. Written by The Economist Intelligence Unit, the report highlights insightful findings from survey research and in-depth interviews with industry executives. One key concept presented in the report is the importance of viewing customers as “data packets”.

Tomorrow’s travelers will increasingly become human “data packets” – constantly transmitting and receiving digital information. Details about reservations, flight updates and payments will be combined with GPS locations, weather and traffic changes, restaurant reviews, and social media profiles. Airlines that can collect, analyze and act upon this information will have a better understanding of their customers’ needs and personal preferences.

United Airlines handles 3.5 petabytes (or 3.5 million gigabytes) of customer data, United’s EVP for marketing, technology & strategy, Jeff Foland points out. “The challenge,” he says, “is making that data come alive, so we get a better picture of the individual customer.”

“In the next 10 years, technology, and information technology in particular, will be what matters most” in improving industry service and efficiency, says Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research Group. Making sure that they have the most complete data packet possible is the first step for airlines if they want to deliver a seamless yet balanced interaction – trips that are coolly efficient, but warmly personal.

• Read more about viewing customers as “data packets”.
• Download the PDF article on viewing customers as “data packets”.

Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit, “The future of air travel: Improved personalisation and profits through the integrated use of customer data,” 2014.