Category: Airlines

Dynamic groups: diving into an untapped market of upsell capabilities

SPENDERS AND PENNY-PINCHERS

While waiting at a bar counter the other day for the round of drinks I had just ordered, one thought occurred to me. There are two types of people in this world: the spenders and the cheapskates (or, a term I absolutely adore, “penny-pinchers”). While reading these lines, I assume you’ll figure out in which category you fit easily: either you are the guy that sits at the table, enjoying some free rounds, or you are the one going to the counter ordering one more round for all.

So, what does this all have to do with airlines?

Airlines love to upsell: ancillaries, upgrades… anything, really. Following the previous paragraph, you may already guess what category of people goes for these upsells. Nowadays, people often travel with others as a group, with each person or couple having their own booking. This means that airlines only target spenders, providing them with upsell options for their own reservations.

What if you could allow a spender to spend money on ancillaries and upgrades for the whole group?

Let us call this concept “dynamic group”. The airline would give the possibility for its customers to indicate that they are travelling together, giving each other the right to upsell their bookings. Everyone in a dynamic group gets to “buy a round”: this could be lounge access for all, priority boarding, meals, WiFi, or even a class upgrade. All these upsells that “penny-pinchers” would never have paid for are now sold to the “spender” in their group.

RE-THINKING ANCILLARIES

Another important aspect of this upselling is for the airline to be able to sell an experience, rather than only the ancillary. For instance, instead of selling seats, airlines would be able to offer a “sit together” ancillary, ensuring that the whole group gets seats in close proximity.

In that same theme, we can imagine “sharing a bottle”, and “play games together”. While these simply mean “buy X glasses of red wine” or “buy WiFi”, they ultimately are presented in a different, more meaningful package.

Note that these “ancillaries with meaning” do not require dynamic groups, and could also be presented to solo travellers. For instance, while I wouldn’t pay specifically to have a window seat, I could be enticed to get a “seat with a view of Mount Fuji”. Optimally, this may be tied to a motivation scheme that ties me to the airline’s frequent flyer programme, for example by offering me miles if the view is then obstructed by bad weather.

ORDERS: THE KEY TO DYNAMIC GROUPS

With Order Management Systems becoming a reality for airlines, the new capabilities associated with orders are interesting. These dynamic groups could easily be implemented, with a simple inclusion in the order structure of the list of other orders, that have the rights of either consultation (read), or even update (write) for that booking.

Filling in those read/write rights would come from various possible customer flows. Either the customer itself indicates it manually, or it could be automated during order creation. Lastly, the travel agency, upon creating several bookings for the group, could indicate those automatically.

Ancillary sales and ticket upgrades are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dynamic groups. These could also improve the customer experience by allowing travellers to get informed of any relevant update on their friend’s bookings. Or even upon involuntary changes, allowing the airline to ensure the group is reseated together or even rebooked together, further increasing customer satisfaction.

Overall, dynamic groups are an innovative feature which would benefit airlines and customers. I would appreciate being able to travel with my friends, with the airline acknowledging that we travel together. And I look forward to being able to buy a round of lounge access. 

Thibaud Rohmer, Travel in Motion AG

 

Sustainable Aviation – challenges for airline distribution?

It began, like many discussions in our family, during a joint family dinner. One of my sons, then still a teenager, politically very active and vocal (maybe not for the right side, in his father’s opinion!) announced to all of us that he will never fly again – because of global warming and the contribution aviation makes to it. As an experienced father of three I immediately decided not to enter into a discussion, simply because his siblings would take side with him against their parents, so instead I proposed to look at the facts.

The facts are of course that civil aviation does indeed contribute to global warming – what doesn’t? McKinsey, among numerous others, has recently published an article about decarbonizing aviation that provides an excellent introduction to the subject. It is summarized that pre-pandemic about 2.5% of the total global CO2 emissions were caused by aviation. Therefore, I think it is fair to state that our industry is not the main problem, although we all are fully aware that every ton of CO2 counts and that the predicted growth of air traffic will further increase the need to act. It is also necessary to mention that recent research work sees that non-CO2 effects should not be underestimated in this context, but this research work is still in a nascent stage.

As a result of the increasing need to take action, the aviation industry has committed to become net-zero by 2050. Numerous activities need to contribute to achieving this target, such as more efficient fleets on numerous levels, from better operations and individual flight planning to common airspace control, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and carbon offsetting. McKinsey estimates that a fuel efficiency improvement of 39% has been achieved between 2005 and 2019, and McKinsey’s work further quantifies each of the aforementioned activities in relation to a projected global 2030 view.

All that said, in my view two facts need to be highlighted:

  • net-zero aviation cannot be achieved immediately, especially as a lot of the described activities take time to be implemented, such as fleet renewals or moving to a Single European Sky (we don’t even have a single European power plug yet, by the way!)
  • it will lead to higher ticket prices for the passengers.

Still, we can already act now, mainly by offsetting CO2 emissions and further pushing for SAF. Many airlines have taken action and offer CO2 neutral flights. In some cases, CO2 neutral flights are offered by airlines as a special fare family or product bundle. For instance, the Lufthansa Group offers “green fares” for all intra-European flights, with the fare uplift covering 20% CO2 reduction through the usage of SAF and 80% of CO2 reduction by offsetting. This offer is currently not available for intercontinental flights, although this is most likely just a matter of time, either for LHG or others. Indeed, many other airlines also offer CO2 neutrality as an optional ancillary product available to purchase, very often based purely on CO2 offsetting.

Both ways of reducing CO2 (SAF and offsetting) can be integrated and embedded into distribution processes with relative ease. Third-party service providers such as Berlin-based start-up Sqake offer highly sophisticated and automated tools to exactly calculate the amount of CO2 emitted by travel on a specific route and cabin class, as well as executing the CO2 neutrality through SAF, climate projects on behalf of the airlines or a mixture of both. Assuming that airlines will not revenue manage the price of CO2 neutrality, a cost-based price can be provided to the traveller. And even if the airline is not able to provide such seamless methods as special fare brands or ancillary services, travellers can still compensate emissions by offsetting these through stand-alone methods such as those provided by companies or foundations like Switzerland-based myclimate.org.

In essence, reaching CO2 neutrality when flying is already possible today, either through a service, provided by the airline or by offsetting through independent providers (although not all CO2 offsetting projects are equal and attention should be paid to where contributions really go!). But reaching CO2 neutrality comes at a cost, and in the end travellers will have to cover them, either directly or indirectly. And this point is where I see the paradox. While 56% of travellers worry about climate change, less than 3% of them currently travel CO2-neutral. Or in other words, most travellers recognise the problem and the mechanisms to achieve individual travel that is CO2-neutral are available, but very few really “walk the walk.” Therefore, blaming (or even financially punishing) airlines for CO2 emissions is not very helpful as long as travellers are not willing to cover the additional efforts of the airlines in the form of higher ticket prices.

It was again during one of our family dinners where spoke about our travel plans for 2024. After taking trains and ferries for the last couple of vacations, all family members are back to flying – although this is not necessarily a contradiction to the dinner conversation mentioned at the beginning of this blog. It is about flying in a responsible way by also compensating for our leisure travel. Travellers can already help our industry to accelerate the journey to achieving CO2 neutrality and (if they travel on business) also help their companies reach their ESG targets. More and more companies have committed to reaching ESG targets and CO2 reduction down to CO2 neutrality is a key pillar. Thus, we see growing demand for CO2 neutral flight products and airlines need to find ways to offer and to deliver them. NDC could also act here as an enabler, if all parts of the distribution chain agree to support this.

Of course, CO2 offset does not equal CO2 prevention, but every little helps, and it is a big step forward. Travel in Motion has compensated all of our air travel for many years, and when we entered into our strategic partnership with Oystin Advisory our wish that they also start compensating was immediately accepted. We now strive to become a CO2-neutral company, and soon hope to be able to offset all emissions from heating the home office, hotel stays and public transport to the cups of coffee we drink and meals we take.

 

Boris Padovan, Travel in Motion AG

This blog was published jointly with Terrapinn.

 

Our latest whitepaper: Offer and Order – Moving from Concept to Design

 

Airlines are starting to transform towards Offer and Order Management based commercial distribution and retail processes. Thus, many airlines are beginning to look at their commercial technology stack for the future. Shackled by their PSS, these airlines are looking towards Offer and Order as a path to sell and service in an efficient and modern way. Today’s airline commercial organisation is highly process driven. To achieve a successful transition to Offer and Order, airlines must also consider how their organisation will adapt to make the best use of technology.

We at Travel in Motion are addressing this strategic move in our latest whitepaper “Offer and Order – Moving from Concept to Design.” The whitepaper reviews what has been achieved over the past year at industry level, and incorporates our experience from working with IATA and the Modern Airline Retailing consortium on the IT Transition. In a second step we look ahead into the design phase for the transition towards Offer and Order Management. The document explores the impact of the digital transformation on an airline’s organisation, provide key case studies of how leading airlines and technology providers pursue the transformation, and leaves you, the reader, with key steps on how and where you can start.

We want to thank Accelya for sponsoring this whitepaper. This sponsorship enables us to make this paper available to the whole industry.

 

DOWNLOAD OUR WHITEPAPER NOW!

Navigating the Skies: Onboarding New Talent in the Airline Domain

 

As someone who made the leap from customer-facing passenger servicing into the complex world of airline Passenger Service System (PSS) IT at the turn of the century, I vividly remember my initiation into this intricate realm. Back then, a six-month comprehensive training program welcomed me, covering every facet of the PSS – from the business dynamics to the IT intricacies. It was a structured journey that armed me with the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in the airline domain.

Fast forward to today, and the aviation industry faces a new challenge post-COVID-19. While business is picking up, there’s a pressing need to re-employ for talents that moved on. The catch? The industry has evolved, demanding a deep understanding of cutting-edge technology, cloud solutions, and compliance with ever-evolving regulations. All this must seamlessly integrate with existing IT infrastructures and the talents within the organisation during a transitional phase.

The job market, not just in aviation but across industries, often demands the impossible: “10 years of domain knowledge and experience” for newcomers. In the airline sector, where technological advancements are the norm, finding talents who understand the intricacies of this industry can be a daunting task. After all, if they don’t know what’s already in place, how can they ask the right questions to drive innovation?

So, how can we bridge this knowledge gap effectively and fast track the process of introducing new technical talents to the airline domain? Drawing from my own experiences in onboarding newcomers and engaging in conversations with industry peers, I’ve put together a roadmap for success:

1. Comprehensive Orientation Program

Personal Touch: Begin their journey with a warm welcome and a comprehensive orientation program. This should offer an immersive overview of the airline industry, the company’s culture, and the intricate components and processes within the corporation.

2. Mentorship and Shadowing

Learning by Doing: Pair newcomers with seasoned employees who can act as mentors. Shadowing these experienced hands offers invaluable insights into day-to-day operations and allows newcomers to learn not just theoretically but by example.

3. Online Learning Modules

Self-Paced Learning: Leverage online courses or modules created by industry experts. Cover essential airline industry topics, including jargon and terminology and use these also to upskill talents in the organisation when changes are on the horizon. Allow them to think about what impact the evolution has on their area within the organisation.

4. Continuous Evaluation and Feedback

Personal Growth: Implement regular assessments to track progress. Provide constructive feedback and additional training as needed, fostering personal growth and development.

5. Cultural Immersion

Harmonious Interactions: Given the industry’s diversity, incorporate cultural sensitivity training to promote understanding and harmonious interactions among employees and passengers. Share personal experiences of working with diverse teams.

6. Emergency Response Drills

Safety First: Given the industry’s critical nature, emergency response drills are essential. Train newcomers on how to handle various emergency scenarios like outages or security threats, underscoring the importance of safety.

7. Cross-Training Opportunities

Versatility: Encourage cross-training among employees. This enables newcomers to gain a broader understanding of the airline industry, making them versatile and ready to adapt to different roles if necessary.

8. Customised Training Plans

Tailored Development: Recognise individual strengths and weaknesses. Tailor training plans to individual needs, nurturing personalised development journeys.

9. Regulatory Compliance

Safety and Quality: Ensure all training programs adhere to industry regulations and safety standards, emphasising the industry’s commitment to safety and quality.

In a rapidly evolving industry, training newcomers swiftly is a formidable challenge. However, by adopting a comprehensive training program encompassing orientation, mentorship, online learning, and continuous evaluation, airlines and IT vendors can equip new talents with the skills and knowledge needed to excel. This benefits not only the newcomers but the entire industry, ensuring growth and success.

By sharing my own experiences and insights, I hope to inspire a more efficient and personalised approach to onboarding in the airline domain, where personal growth and industry knowledge go hand in hand.

If you want to know more about how Travel in Motion supports the UN ESG goal number 4, quality education, reach out to us at 

 

Mona Kristensen, Travel in Motion AG

This blog was published jointly with Terrapinn.

 

Approaching the Business Case for the Order Transformation

Within the airline IT and commercial departments, everyone is talking about the Order Transformation, or the airline’s digital transformation in more general terms. Ignoring this completely will put an airline into a position of vulnerability in the next few years – vulnerable to the competition which has moved forward, and vulnerable to your PSS (Passenger Service System) provider which might dictate your pace of change.

There are several elements to consider in the case for change – future state architecture, functional benefits, how to transition and many other aspects. However, none of the elements are quite as daunting as trying to build the business case.

Luckily, airlines do not need to start from scratch. Some work has been done over the years which can be used as a reference or starting point. These are mainly the McKinsey study from 2019 and the more recent business case created by IATA (International Air Transport Association) with the Modern Airline Retailing Consortium specifically for the Order Transformation. Of course, many airlines will have their own experience with similar business cases due to investments in NDC (New Distribution Capability), enhanced eCommerce and similar digitally transformative projects.

There are several factors to consider when working through the business case for the Offer and Order Transformation.

  1. The starting point and approximate target state: without knowing this, or at least having an idea of what the target state may be, it will be difficult to identify costs and benefits. And, while we may not know with which solution providers we may be working, or which new ancillaries or better services we may be able to offer in three, five or ten years, having an idea of the direction is essential.
  2. What the revenue drivers are likely to be: this will often be linked more to the offer transition than the order component, however several airlines have already found that they cannot realise their offer vision without solving the “order” challenge as well. Moving to dynamic pricing may be possible with enhancing the offer and not the order, however will you be able to exploit all the benefits? Or do you calculate factors such as a potential increase of conversion of sales due to the better offers or improved customer servicing you can enable through order? There are many potential revenue drivers, however many of these are often based on various prerequisites – some of these not being technical but rather contractual.
  3. The cost savings: this element ranges from potential distribution cost savings to process enhancements which simplify the business to, potentially, having the ability to remove certain solution components altogether. Often, the challenge on the cost saving element in such a large transformation programme is that the business case is made for a three or five-year period. However, with the offer and order transformation, many of the benefits will only be achieved towards the latter part of the transformation, thus only having a positive contribution once the transformation is complete. Thus, we recommend creating a post transformation calculation as well, which should help show if the cost of the transformation will render financial benefits during or only after the project, and which savings (and revenue) can be expected after completion. The removal of software and solutions is an important one. There are considerable opportunities to modernise the system landscape and interfaces well beyond just the offer and order management solution, as the processes are undergoing considerable change. Thus, a solid sketch of the future potential solution and business processes will certainly help understand which solutions are needed in the future and where savings can be achieved.
  4. The less obvious and substantiable factors: can factors such as customer satisfaction be converted into revenue? There are studies which clearly state that customer satisfaction and conversion are linked. Or that personalisation and increased conversion go together. However, conversion, the effects of customer service and satisfaction and similar are much more difficult to put into numbers which are not based purely on statistics. Furthermore, there are many other factors which could influence this. For example, if we enhance customer service capability considerably and NPS (Net Promoter Score) shows that we have great customer satisfaction, however we then have considerable delays due to airport congestion, customer satisfaction may well sink.
  5. The investment: of course this could (and some may argue, should) be part of the cost aspect. I have separated this to differentiate between cost savings in operations, servicing, processes, and sales from the actual capex spend. The main investment factors will be in new solution components (or re-engineering existing ones) and into the workforce needed for the project. The investment into people and processes should not be underestimated at this stage. Moving to offer and order without considerably reviewing and rethinking business process and data flows will end up in the rebuilding of legacy. However, with the redesign towards a retail environment, we must also invest into a retail mindset, and an organisation which is structured and trained to understand, live and breathe airline retailing.

While the above categories (cost, revenue, etc.,) are obviously part of any business case, Travel in Motion has seen some of these ignored or forgotten. In some cases, we have seen airlines and vendors challenged to define and decide which elements should be considered for each, and for example, if the soft factors such as improved customer service should be considered or not. These choices will be individual to each airline, and may either be ignored (after careful consideration), included, or used to sway a decision.

Pulling the business case together will not be an easy task. It cannot be done in isolation. The business case must be part of a concept phase where the future target state is discussed, where the architectural concepts are outlined, where the business is involved in helping identify process improvements and current challenges to be overcome and numerous other aspects. Thus, to create a solid business case, there must already be investment into time and resources, and potentially external support from companies such as Travel in Motion or many of our other industry colleagues and competitors. There will be workshops to share knowledge and align concepts between departments, and some airlines have even held workshops with vendors to understand their views on the change. Not a single vendor in the airline commercial space is ignoring this change and each has their own ideas and plans for the transition, which makes them great sources of ideas.

Do not expect the business case to be completed in a week. It is complex and multi-faceted. Do not assign one person in your organisation to try to master this – it is an unfair expectation, as this is extraordinarily complex and requires many parts of the organisation. Do not ignore the true costs, and use a realistic view of the potential revenues. While we would never criticise what companies like Bain and McKinsey did in their studies, we would say that those are ideal and very generic cases.

After all those “do not’s”, here is what we think you should do: plan a process of several months for the concept design of your offer to order transformation, involving various departments in the airline with clear expectations of what offer and order should deliver. Do not shy away from external help, be that from IATA to get an industry perspective, vendors to understand their paths to the future or industry experts like us to give a broader perspective and potentially an “outside in” view.

Daniel Friedli, Travel in Motion AG

This blog was published jointly with Terrapinn.

The Payment Jungle

Current situation

Even in normal times, the airline business is anything but easy. Competition, fuel costs, regulations and growing environmental awareness challenge the industry and make airline operations a demanding task. After the pandemic subsided, a certain recovery was felt, but the current rather difficult economic environment, the war in Ukraine and high energy costs bring new risks and challenges.

Not only the operational business faces challenges in this difficult environment, but also the back office of an airline. This is reason enough to take a closer look at the problems and developments in the area of payment handling for airlines. Specifically, we will take a closer look at service providers, markets and regulation.

Service Providers

Payment processing, credit card acquiring and controlling were carried out by the airlines themselves until the early 2000s. Growing regulation, new security standards in payment processing such as PCI and an increasing number of international and regional means of payment have led to more and more processes being outsourced to specialised and appropriately-certified service providers. In good economic times, the airlines were very attractive customers for these providers. This changed with the groundings of many airlines in the past decade, including some large and well-known carriers. For credit card acquirers in particular, aviation became a risky business as they were often the ones left out of pocket. Airline ticket sales are paid immediately but usually not used until weeks (or even months) after purchase. The total value of all tickets sold but not yet flown constitute the “unflown revenue”, and this quantifies the risk for the acquirer. In the event of a grounding, the acquirer is left with the ticket holder’s claims for reimbursement. More and more, airlines had to fulfil challenging conditions in order to get access to acquiring contracts at all, and the conclusion of such contracts is often linked to painful conditions for the airlines. These can mean providing security deposits such as rolling reserves (payments withheld by the acquirers), payment only when flown or the division of the business among several acquirers (risk splitting). For most airlines, credit cards are still the most widely-used means of payment, so these security deposits can have quite a painful impact on liquidity.

The number of external service and payment providers is also constantly increasing, which leads to higher processing costs as well. Payment service providers (PSPs), payment orchestrators, reconciliation services, fraud screeners and alternative payment methods charge fees for their services and thus make ticket sales more expensive.

Markets

Carriers operating worldwide usually have a very international clientele to which one must also adapt in the payment area. This means that the most relevant means of payment must be offered for each market. In addition, the credit card business can also be very different between individual markets due to legal regulations or regional standards. This not only generates more provider fees, but also increases the complexity of the processes. Airlines used to be able to map this complexity to their own system platforms, but today, this is no longer possible for the reasons already described. That is why PSPs were first forced to incorporate airline-specific features as “bespoke services”. Later, so-called “payment orchestrators” came onto the market, who inserted themselves as an additional application layer between the airlines and the PSPs, and from then on took over the control and routing of the payment processes.

Another topic is the change of customer needs. Payment should be secure, fast and simple all at the same time. It is possible to meet all requirements in this area of conflict, however the design of corresponding solutions is associated with great effort. Internationality and growing customer requirements create even more complexity, and this makes the development and operation of booking systems more expensive and slower.

Regulation

Dealing with customer requirements and external service providers is complex in itself, but national regulators, the EU and the card schemes add to this with their regulations. Especially in the areas of security and costs, merchants (including airlines themselves) and service providers are confronted with a growing number of regulations and restrictions.

With the Payment Services Directive (PSD) 2 regulation, the EU issues regulations on fees and security. Credit card fees, for example, may not exceed a certain amount (which for once is in favour of the airlines), but so-called “surcharging” (charging the payment fees to the end customer) is severely restricted. This is a painful cut, especially for the airlines. Furthermore, a two-factor authentication process is mandated for online payments.

The credit card schemes (Visa, Mastercard, American Express etc.) have reacted to this regulation with the security standard “3-D Secure 2”. Since the policy limits revenues by capping acquiring fees, the schemes are reacting with an almost unmanageable number of new fees.

With PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards), the card schemes want to prevent the theft of credit card data. Since the complexity of the corresponding requirements makes it almost impossible for merchants and service providers to implement them on their own, a market for specialised service providers for tokenising credit card data has also established itself here. Of course, these providers do not work for free either, which leads to a further increase in the cost of payment processes.

Change as an opportunity

Many of the topics described above are given – especially when it comes to service providers and sales markets – and simply have to be implemented. Here, it is advisable to work with a specialised payment orchestration service.

When it comes to regulations, on the other hand, there are a number of exceptions and intelligent solutions with which negative effects can be neutralised. For example, there are simplified checkout procedures for registered customers, payment surcharges are still allowed under certain conditions, and the regulations concerning PCI DSS can be adhered to with little expense through the integration of tokenisation services. 

The facts described above could give the impression that service providers, customers and regulators have conspired together to make life difficult for the airlines. However, if you take a closer look at the new regulations and restrictions, you will discover advantages for all market participants. All the policies and regulations were not invented to make life difficult for the industry. By consistently adhering to the guidelines, companies can significantly reduce the risks of data theft, fraud and the resulting chargebacks. 

At its core, payment process design is about getting to grips with three factors: cost, risk and conversion. Despite all the issues described above, a well-balanced payment landscape can be customer-friendly, secure and comparatively cost effective. The basis for this is a good concept and, as so often in our industry, the choice of the right partners.

At Travel in Motion, we can help you finding your way in the jungle of customer needs, regulations, regional characteristics, cost pressures, scarce resources and security requirements. Both airlines and vendors can benefit from our expertise and experience.

This post has been published in collaboration with Terrapinn.

(Urs Kipfer, 8. June 2023)

 

 

Untapped potentials of AI in the Airline Industry?

Inspired by a follow-up on my customer insights blog last December and an AI assignment for my Executive MBA studies, I wanted to share some learnings from that work. The aim was to look for an AI use case that can be implemented for an airline venturing onto the new distribution transformation path – something that many airlines are just starting to consider. There is a wealth of data to be tapped into, but what exactly might some of the possibilities be for using this data in a meaningful way? What does the new world allow an airline to do that it didn’t before? Will it deliver as promised, and how can this be measured?

  • While there is much talk about how AI can revolutionise pricing and revenue management, are there other potential uses of the data that can now give insights that an airline didn’t have before?
  • Much has been said about the ability to make more targeted offers and thereby increasing revenue per customer and flight, might there be other untapped golden nuggets to be derived from the offer data?

The airline industry is highly competitive, where customer satisfaction and operational efficiency are crucial to success. As airlines have access to vast amounts of data, it is no surprise that many are turning to artificial intelligence to help them gain a competitive advantage.

One of the most significant benefits of AI for the airline industry is its potential to improve customer experiences. Especially when looking at finding patterns and opportunities that might be undetected today, AI has the potential to process a huge amount of data with an efficiency that only a few solutions already do. Including more and different data sources than what is traditionally done can provide customer insights from a different angle. By analysing customer data, airlines can tailor their offers and services to meet their customers’ needs and preferences better.

A look at some use cases

Traditionally, airlines have pushed out the availability (or made it available in a “pull” fashion) and the prices, and only got to know about the customers when they purchased a flight. However, there is considerable knowledge about how customers behave before they buy – knowledge which airlines to date have never had access to. But my interest was piqued when thinking about what offers customers didn’t buy, since this says as much about their needs as what they finally purchased. Having a complete picture of who did not buy what can lead to new insight into what appeals to whom – in a different way than previously possible.

For example, AI can provide personalised recommendations for flights, hotels, and other travel-related services. AI can analyse a customer’s past purchases, preferences, and other data to deliver tailored recommendations more likely to meet their needs.

AI can also provide real-time information and support to customers during their journey. Chatbots, for example, can provide instant customer support, answering their questions and providing guidance throughout their journey. This can help to reduce customer frustration and improve their overall experience.

Airlines can increase operational efficiency by optimising their processes and reducing costs by using AI. For example, to optimise flight schedules, crew assignments, and other operational tasks.

AI can also improve maintenance operations, reducing downtime and increasing aircraft availability. By analysing data from sensors and other sources, AI can predict maintenance issues before they occur, allowing airlines to address them before they cause disruptions proactively.

Finally, AI can help airlines to boost their revenue by optimising pricing and increasing ancillary sales. AI can analyse customer data and market trends to predict demand and optimise pricing accordingly.

AI can also be used to increase ancillary sales by providing tailored recommendations for ancillary services, such as seat upgrades, baggage allowances, and lounge access. By tailoring these offers to each customer’s preferences and needs, airlines can increase their likelihood of purchasing.

The challenges

While the potential benefits of AI in the airline industry are significant, several challenges come with its implementation. These include the cost of implementation, the complexity of the technology, and the need for skilled personnel to manage and operate the systems.

To overcome these challenges, airlines need to take a phased approach to AI implementation, starting with small proof-of-concept projects to demonstrate the potential value of the technology.

Another challenge is data privacy and compliance. Airlines need to ensure that their use of AI complies with all relevant data privacy regulations and that customer data is adequately secured. This requires a strong governance framework and robust security measures to protect sensitive data.

Airlines need to ensure they have the right personnel to manage and operate AI systems. This requires a mix of technical skills, such as data engineering and data science, and soft skills, such as communication and stakeholder management. Airlines should invest in training and development programs to build these skills in-house and ensure their personnel are up-to-date with the latest AI technologies and best practices.

Potential – but only by doing it right

In conclusion, AI has enormous potential in the airline industry, providing airlines with tools to increase revenue, improve efficiency, and provide customers with personalised offers that cater to their needs. However, implementing AI solutions has challenges, and airlines must be aware of them and take steps to mitigate them. It’s essential to have a dedicated team with the necessary skills and expertise to manage the project and communicate the process and results effectively. With AI, the airline industry can move towards a more sustainable customer-centric business model, identifying new opportunities that emerge from the direct distribution model.

AI has the potential to transform the airline industry, and airlines that embrace it will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. While the airline industry is still in its infancy in using AI, it’s clear that it is a technology that will play a significant role in shaping the airline industry’s future. It’s exciting to see what the future holds, and we can’t wait to see how AI will continue to transform the airline industry.

 

This post has been published in collaboration with Terrapinn.

(Mona Kristensen, 5. May 2023)

 

 

What is the Future of Revenue Management?

Many years ago, I used to work as a TPF mainframe software developer, building applications for one of the leading global PSS providers at that time. Over the years I have had the privilege of working on some ground-breaking projects. When I first started in the mid-nineties, we were putting in place API layers for web services to power some of the first airline e-commerce platforms. In the early noughties, I was involved in the integration of one of the first origin and destination (O&D)-based revenue management systems, promising to deliver incremental revenue gains of 1-2% for airlines. This was, and still is, big money for any carrier.

Around 15 years after this project, in my role as solution architect I was responsible for integrating another airline with this same RM application. Not surprisingly, considering the pace at which the airline industry evolves, this integration was more or less identical to the initial implementation, although with a different PSS provider. Every night, a dump of booking, inventory and schedule data is pushed to the RM application which ingests this data along with numerous other files containing flown ticket data and who-knows-what else and begins running its nightly optimisation processes. Around eight hours later, new steering controls, bid prices and so on are pushed back into the reservation system and the process is complete for another day. Outside of this, ad-hoc changes may be triggered for a flight, either manually or automatically based on certain events. Essentially though, for almost all of an airline’s network, each flight goes through this process once a day.

Optimising the price of every seat on every O&D of an airline’s network is a very complex process, and back in the eighties when the first airline RM systems were implemented, this daily cycle was all that was technically possible. The enormous computing power needed was both expensive and scarce, and only available to airlines with deep pockets (we carry more computing power these days in our pockets!). Pretty much every airline RM system still works this way today: batch data is downloaded from booking systems (i.e., the PSS), optimisation processes run, and the output is uploaded into the airline’s pricing and inventory control systems (usually PSS). However, the (technology) world has moved on since then: computing power has become much more affordable, and the growth of cloud technology has made this available on demand and instantly scalable. At the same time, the volume of airline shopping transactions has increased exponentially in the last decade or two. Airline products have also become diversified and more complicated, with the advent of de-bundling components of the air ticket (seats, bags etc.). Markets have become more competitive, with demand exceeding supply in most cases. Considering all these factors, one must consider whether the RM approaches still used today are effective.

In one regard, the answer to this question is clearly yes: the RM methodologies themselves. Many clever people have dedicated their lives to perfecting the algorithms used to forecast demand based on all manner of data sources, statistical methods, and highly complex algorithms. These continue to adapt to the new ways in which airlines price and sell their products, although this is still predominantly limited to the air fare only. However, it could be argued that the manner in which these powerful algorithms and calculations are applied is somewhat outdated, considering the technological capabilities available today. Let’s consider an airline carrying 50 million passengers a year in a typical hub-and-spoke network. Using some schoolboy mathematics, this might give an average of around one booking created every second, give or take a few. For reference, Amazon gets something like 18 orders per second[1]. Assuming the airline is using O&D-based revenue management, this potentially means that the demand on a significant portion of the network has changed – and therefore of course the price. But these incredibly dynamic changes are not ingested by the forecast algorithms until the RM machines get their batch files to churn through and deliver new demand forecasts hours later. Of course, airline pricing is much more complicated than most products sold through online retailing, where prices are (relatively) static, but does that not mean that it is even more important that airlines stay on top of pricing and adapt in real time?

What is holding us back?

So why don’t airlines do this non-stop, 24x7x365? Well, the answer is the same as for many questions in the airline world: silos. Way back before many of you were born, there was just PSS – schedules, inventory, PNRs and tickets (eek!). The RM systems were bolted on using big interface files. But today’s computing world looks different – we have real-time integrations, artificial intelligence and machine learning engines that never sleep and enough computing power to run the numbers over and over again and get the results instantly. With the advent of offer and order management systems, we are also a goldmine of offer, pricing and conversion data that is just waiting to be tapped into. Sending a dump of booking data can tell you a lot about what was sold, but nothing about what was offered or who asked. Unlocking the value in this data and understanding what it tells you is the key airline retailing – offering the right products in the right channel at the right price.

Traditionally this data has been difficult to interpret – EDIFACT messages, tickets, fare base codes, RFISCs, RBDs all in cryptic formats. NDC and ONE Order bring some standardisation to these key sources of data, but we need to work harder to break down the silos and truly start working with offers and orders (instead of just bolting them onto our legacy systems).

Indeed, this issue is not only to be found within the RM domain. Many of the initiatives in the industry at present are reliant on removing these silos in the end-to-end chain of distribution. Instead of a set of standard integration points based on interfaces from the 1990s, a dynamic and real-time exchange of key data is needed to be able to make offers that are truly relevant, targeted, and likely to lead to conversion. The flow does not simply end with the completion of a booking. Real-time delivery of sales into financial accounting can simplify settlement and revenue recognition. Real-time operational data can drive automated, proactive service recovery in case of disruptions – a task today that often requires extensive manual intervention. For far too long, as an industry, we have looked at these barriers individually – and indeed, in the execution this is the way forward. However, we must also to step back and look at the flow in its entirety – offers, orders, service delivery, payments, financial accounting, RM, customer management and so on. This transformational journey will involve many steps along the way, but without seeing the big picture, the course cannot be plotted.

At Travel in Motion, we are passionate about driving this change forward – let us share our expertise with you and help guide you on your transformation to a world of offers, orders and airline retailing and unlocking the value in that vast amount of data.

[1] https://landingcube.com/amazon-statistics/

This post has been published in collaboration with Terrapinn.

(Nick Stott, 5. April 2023)

 

 

The super-app experience of Southeast Asia

The Travel in Motion and Oystin teams attended Aviation Festival Asia this week. We had the opportunity to catch up with industry colleagues in warmer climates, and the opportunity to taste some fantastic local dishes too! Though there was one experience that we rarely get to trial at home in Europe: the super app.

Super apps are prominent here in Southeast Asia and China. They offer a wide range of financial instruments and online-to-offline services such as food delivery, package delivery and transportation. These super apps position themselves in their user’s daily life and create a marketplace around just about anything. The apps are typically connecting buyers with suppliers that, until now, may not have had a digital presence, for example taxi drivers, takeaway houses, and laundrettes.

The super apps have the similar measures for success: user acquisition and retention. It’s all about user activity (and accompanying revenue, of course). They prioritise having access to the right content overlaid with making a customer’s shopping, booking and fulfilment experience excellent. In doing so they increase their share of sales with the supplier, putting them in a superior distribution position. For some services they even set the price, for example with ride hailing.

Customers who find something easy to use return time and time again, often no longer giving the competitors a second look. The super apps are a snowball, the value users place in their brands are increasing and the more daily users they acquire, the easier it is to launch a successful new service.

Airlines too have capitalised on their well-known brand to become part of a user’s daily life, albeit in a different way – the loyalty programme partnership. Your wallet may contain a credit card with an airline logo, your supermarket may advertise the opportunity to earn points and whilst you top up fuel for your car, you may also be topping up your air miles account too.

Whilst airlines are striving to become better retailers, a super app is an extreme form and its value versus cost is unproven. Here are some questions to consider before going down this path:

  • “Is it a feasible proposition for an airline to execute on? Would it lead to positive daily experiences with its brand or lead to negative brand impact?”,
  • “Why would consumers choose an airline over Grab, Uber, WeChat etc…?”,
  • “Should an airline offer these additional services and become a more integral part of users’ daily lives?”,
  • “Does the current loyalty play, where airlines partner with everyday brands, already go far enough to build brand loyalty and affinity to the airline?”, and
  • “Would it lead to consumers valuing the airline brand so much that they don’t shop for flights elsewhere?”

Super apps are built on a deep motivation for excellent user experience, consistency, and commercial policies which promote an ease of doing business. To meet these expectations, super apps have modern, fast, and scalable systems.

One question that arises is whether super apps pose a risk to an airline’s distribution and commercial strategies, could a super app change the airline market in the same way it did for ride hailing. Very few super apps offer public transportation services today. Air Asia’s super app does sell flights and hotels. However, it is powered by an online travel agency (OTA) so the experience is limited to what the OTA can provide, which in turn is often limited by the functionality of the airline. Uber has recently launched trains and coaches on its app and has shown an intent to sell flights too. However, they obtain their content, they are likely to face the same issues as Air Asia, the experience they can provide is limited to what the airline’s capabilities are.

So, should an airline enter this space too? Are they at risk of missing out? Airlines have a lot of competing priorities to contend with, such as their own financial stability as they recover from the COVID-era. Purists may argue that airlines should focus on efficient, safe, and enjoyable transportation. Others within the airlines are focused on a diversification of income streams by leveraging the airline brand. An example of where this has been successful is the airline loyalty business units. They were able to raise funds during COVID, which for some airlines provided a significant lifeline.

Travel in Motion’s (TiM) opinion is that running a consistent experience across multiple services is not for the faint-hearted. This takes considerable focus to get it right, and that will lead to less attention on the airline’s core business. However, we do believe airlines still can learn a lot from the super app experience to guide their own digital offering. Offering relevant and personalised offers, easy-to-use booking systems and a well-designed digital experience to accompany the physical travel journey is extremely valuable to a growing segment of customers.

Airlines have already started down this path by pursuing modern offer and order management systems, a key enabler to meeting the modern customer’s expectation. Those systems could help airlines become a super app. However, we at TiM believe there are many areas airlines will choose to improve once they have a modern technology stack. In doing so they will strive to improve customer satisfaction, revenue, and de-risk being commoditised.

In the meantime, whether you are attended Aviation Festival Asia or not, consider downloading a super app and experience what your customers are experiencing on a daily basis.

 

This post has been published in collaboration with Terrapinn.

(Jason Balluck, 7. March 2023)

 

 

OPPORTUNITIES IN AIRLINE RETAILING

 

We are happy to publish our first whitepaper in 2023, sponsored by OpenJaw. This whitepaper provides a comprehensive overview about opportunities in airline retailing. Our authors have taken a deep dive into modern airline retailing in combination with a view on customer’s expectations and also focussed on how to compete with LCCs – the “inventors” of airline retailing. We invite you to download a copy of the document here.