Over the past decade, the world’s leading airlines have recognised that inflight connectivity is fundamental to enhancing their passenger experience. This new mindset has been born from a wider digital revolution, which has completely redrawn society and created a new type of aviation passenger. One that is digital, always-on and believes that inflight broadband is a must-have, rather than a nice-to-have.
Passenger experience, then, is nothing without digital transformation. And the events of recent global pandemics have only served to underline this. As such, the value of predictable, resilient and seamless connectivity has increased.
It’s never been more important for people to keep in touch. As the influence of digital technology is here to stay, reliable high-speed connectivity will remain critical to the new relationships that airlines are forming with their passengers.
In addition, recent trends have suggested that easy-to-use, free inflight Wi-Fi could become even more prominent and help to enhance take-up rates.
In a world where airlines are having to reset and passengers are faced with new choices, the aviation industry has an opportunity to redefine its relationships with customers.
There is an increased expectation of personalised services – something that rises in importance for younger flyers who eschew traditional airline loyalty schemes in favour of those carriers that best meet their digital demands. As a result, those airlines that meet modern day expectations are in line to capture a lucrative and vocal market.
Digitalisation and the accumulation of deep, meaningful data will allow airlines to deliver a more focused, personalised and cost-effective experience to passengers. And with the need to preserve margins even more critical than before, it will also enable savvy carriers to bypass intermediaries that have fragmented the airline-passenger relationship. Direct relationships with customers will be key when it comes to passenger loyalty and brand reputation.
Some smart and innovative airlines are already doing this and those that get it right will drive greater loyalty, personalisation and, ultimately, revenue.
