Digital technology will play a key role in the recovery of the aviation industry.
When the history of commercial air travel comes to be written – or at least when the next iteration is published – the text will be divided into two parts. Before COVID-19, and after. The global pandemic has disrupted everything, but perhaps no sector has been affected as much as aviation. In March 2020, an entire industry was shut down almost overnight. So, with things finally returning to some semblance of normality – or a new normal – how is aviation approaching this new world? What are its strategies for recovery? Of the many factors, one that is critical is ensuring passengers feel confident about returning to the skies. Appreciating what passengers think, what they’re nervous about and what aviation can do to allay those fears is vital to aviation’s recovery. To stay ahead of the curve, airlines need to understand passenger confidence and the equally important passenger experience. And one-way airlines can achieve this is by understanding that digitalization – a buzzword for a reason – is a catalyst for the aviation industry’s safe, sustainable and profitable recovery. Improving passenger confidence is key for airlines to win back customers. Our 2021 Passenger Confidence Tracker uncovered passenger attitudes to travel and flying, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, highlighting the role that connected technologies supporting things like inflight broadband have in enhancing passenger confidence at every stage of the passenger journey. In particular, digital technology was found to increase passenger confidence in two ways; minimizing contact with others on a flight, another need brought about by the new normal, and keeping passengers connected and informed about the latest information and updates. After a year of constant online connection, passengers crave being as connected in the air as they are on the ground – which will hugely increase their confidence in travelling after 18 months of staying at home. Meanwhile, during the pre-flight stage of a journey, passengers placed importance on digital health passports, destination status alerts, facial recognition security and real-time luggage tracking.
