FTE EMEA 2024: Panel Highlights Innovative Airline Passenger Recovery Solutions
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Industry leaders gathered at the 2024 Future Travel Experience (FTE) EMEA event in Dublin this week to discuss the latest advancements in passenger support technologies during a panel session titled “New Approaches to Better Serving, and Supporting Passengers, When They Need Us Most.”
Moderated by APEX Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader, the session featured insights from Alaska Airlines’ Senior Software Engineer, Emerging Technologies Gus Naughton; Swiipr Founder and CEO Tara Spielhagen; AirHelp CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn; and Arajet COO Garret Malone. Each speaker shared transformative strategies aimed at revolutionizing how airlines manage disruptions and enhance the traveler experience.
“This system saved 90 percent of the time per bag in managing lost luggage.”
Gus Naughton, Alaska Airlines
Revolutionizing Baggage Handling and Communication
Alaska Airlines’ Gus Naughton introduced an array of innovations designed to improve baggage handling and traveler communication. A standout development, the electronic bag tag, utilizes near-field communication (NFC) technology for seamless flight information updates. He also discussed a revolutionary app that transforms lost baggage management during major disruptions. It empowers travelers to specify their preferences for handling lost bags, significantly reducing the time and effort required: “We built an app where we can scan a bag tag and ask the guests via SMS and email, ‘What do you want us to do with it?’” he detailed. “This system saved 90 percent of the time per bag in managing lost luggage.”
Seamless Compensation with Swiipr
Tara Spielhagen of Swiipr detailed her company’s innovative approach to providing real-time compensation for travelers affected by disruptions. Swiipr integrates widely-used payment systems such as NFC, Apple Pay and Google Pay to ensure a consistent and reliable experience worldwide. “Wherever you are in the world,” Spielhagen emphasized, “you will always get one seamless experience and 100 percent retail acceptance wherever MasterCard is accepted.”
Swiipr’s technology not only eases the burden on frontline staff, but also significantly enhances customer satisfaction. By allowing airlines to tailor their compensation methods, Swiipr provides flexibility and control. “We’re all about giving the customer choice while allowing the airline complete control over how we implement their policies,” Spielhagen noted.
“We know that you can increase the NPS score by 60% just by your communication.”
Tomasz Pawliszyn, AirHelp
AirHelp’s Proactive Traveler Support for Higher Airline NPS
AirHelp’s Tomasz explained the company’s role in assisting travelers with compensation claims for flight disruptions, but also helping airlines improve airline Net Promoter Scores (NPS) that align with the tool. AirHelp simplifies the compensation process through a user-friendly platform, making it easier for travelers to receive reimbursements. “The entire cost of disruption last year due to economic sanctions and other factors was massive,” Pawliszyn recounted. “It affected millions of travelers who needed to be taken care of, and having the right technology to address this is crucial.”
Proactive communication plays a vital role in enhancing traveler satisfaction. “We know that you can increase the NPS score by 60% just by your communication,” Pawliszyn pointed out.
Arajet’s Data-Driven Operational Efficiency
Garret Malone of Arajet discussed the airline’s use of real-time data to enhance operational efficiency and traveler support. As a new entrant in the aviation industry, Arajet benefits from building systems from the ground up without legacy constraints. “We’re leveraging real-time data to make informed decisions quickly,” Malone revealed, “ensuring that we can respond to issues as they arise and maintain high levels of traveler support.”
Integrating AI and Future Innovations
The session also delved into the future of traveler support, focusing on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Dr. Joe Leader highlighted AI’s potential to transform customer interactions: “AI is going to change more than we could possibly realize right now.” The speakers concurred on AI’s vital role in providing personalized support and improving operational efficiency.
Naughton described how Alaska Airlines utilizes AI to enhance decision-making during flight planning, flight diversions, and mitigating gate conflicts. “We have partnered with Airspace Intelligence to both optimize our route planning to burn less fuel and speed up travel times, but we proactively slow down our flights when we know there won’t be a gate ready at landing time, minimizing perceived delays.”
Building on top of this, Alaska is optimizing around irregular ops where something unexpected happens and we need to land at an unscheduled destination. “Our machine learning algorithm looks at all factors, such as restaurant availability and hotel options to make the best decision for a diversion for our guests and operation,” he explained.
“We have partnered with Airspace Intelligence to both optimize our route planning to burn less fuel and speed up travel times.”
Garret Malone, Arajet
Spielhagen discussed how AI advancements could further streamline compensation processes and boost traveler satisfaction, but should be advanced quite carefully. “We’ve got to put it into context,” she noted, “How does that actually work? You’re already at the airport traveling in a stressful situation. The last thing you want is something going wrong. So I think we need to be very, very careful how we use it and make sure we research where the best use cases are.”
Pawliszyn emphasized the importance of data analytics in identifying and resolving traveler issues efficiently. “We are now at the stage where we have to align ourselves with the evidence coming to show that our clients are much better taken care of today than they were yesterday,” he said.
Malone reiterated Arajet’s commitment to utilizing AI and real-time data to enhance operational efficiency and traveler support. “We’re looking at how we can leverage AI to provide more accurate and timely information to our travelers,” Malone explained, “ensuring they have a seamless travel experience.”
Looking Ahead: Innovations in Traveler Support
The FTE EMEA 2024 session on “New Approaches to Better Serving, and Supporting Passengers, When They Need Us Most” illustrated how leading airlines and support companies leverage technology to elevate the travel experience. From Alaska Airlines’ pioneering baggage handling solutions to Swiipr’s seamless compensation systems, AirHelp’s proactive communication strategies, and Arajet’s real-time operational efficiency, the aviation industry strides towards significant improvements in traveler support.
As these technologies continue to advance, travelers can anticipate a more efficient, transparent and supportive journey. The session underscored the necessity of continuous innovation and collaboration in addressing the challenges faced by the aviation industry and enhancing the traveler experience.
To see more coverage from FTE EMEA 2024, click here.