september2022 - 17

Although the air travel industry consists of many different
businesses sharing space in the world's airports, the basic
features of any given airline are all similar. For the most part,
the journey from booking a ticket through retrieving luggage
off the carousel has the same rhythm, but there are some
processes that would benefit from a digital transformation,
and others are still in desperate need of one. World over, airports
are often the sites where some of the angriest outbursts
tend to rear their ugly heads. Though there are few founded
excuses for bad behavior, airports tend to make hot heads
hotter through stressful and frustrating exchanges. There is
ample room to smooth over rough patches with digital tools.
From the outset, customers selecting and booking their
travel could avoid any potential annoyances when airlines
ensure their websites are supported by large enough servers
to accommodate for digital crowds that will only increase in
the coming years. From there, employing the use of an automated
queuing system can alleviate the pressure created by
digital crowds by giving users the option to track their spot in
line and can alert them once their turn nears. In the physical
airports, the innovations should continue. Already ubiquitous
are the practices of pre-downloading digital boarding passes
and using digital kiosks to print baggage tags, but why not
take it a step further by leveraging similar technology used on
websites to upgrade in-person experiences.
A digital transformation could completely revolutionize
the air travel experience. Imagine a solution that predicts,
prepares for and accommodates capacity surges whether
from seasonal demand, inclement weather or anything else.
Imagine a solution primed to respond to disruptions instantaneously
through a series of pre-approved pathways. Instead
of the stress of an unpredicted situation resulting in a long
line of already disgruntled passengers expecting immediate
answers, travelers could be continually notified in accordance
with an evolving situation. Then, if necessary, they
could be sent through the proper channels to reroute, rebook
or find a place to stay the night all at the tips of their fingers.
Even ground operations could be improved with the right
solutions to help with streamlining.
There is plenty to be done to future-proof the air travel
experience. Answering the question of what to do is easier,
but more difficult is solving the problem of how. Look no further
than the now tried and true warp speed mindset. The
term warp speed came into fruition after being fairly successfully
applied to the race to create and distribute the COVID-19
vaccine known as " Operation Warp Speed, " and the business
world has taken note. The warp speed mindset has a few
defining characteristics: singlemindedness, detailed scheduling,
interdepartmental buy-in and, obviously, speed. All of
this makes for a very compelling business strategy companies
could use to tackle big, transformative projects. Applying that
mindset to approach a digital transformation for an airline
could be revolutionary, especially with the right tech partners
who can also adopt the warp speed mindset while also separating
the good ideas from the trendy ones.
Digital progress is fast, but it is also filled with red herrings.
Tech trends rise and fall with such haste that even experts
sometimes have difficulty accurately predicting which developments
have staying power and which are destined to fade into
obscurity. The trick here is to rely on practical solutions rooted
in best practices rather than anything unproven. Technological
solutions should lubricate slower processes and optimize
clunky ones. The solutions
chosen should make sense
and be intuitive to the end
user. Implementing a digital
transformation will require
a significant investment
of time, money and labor,
which will only pay off if the
solutions make air travel
easier from the outset and
do not require additional
and unwanted investment
into instructing customers
how to benefit from the
changes. Looking at the case
of Operation Warp Speed,
the same was and is true
there. In order to move as efficiently and effectively as possible,
real critical thought had to be applied and followed to choose
the most viable path forward.
If an airline wants to get on the cutting edge and stay there,
Imagine a solution
that predicts,
prepares for and
accommodates
capacity surges
whether from
seasonal demand,
inclement weather
or anything else.
getting there is not only possible, but brimming with innovative
potential. Choose the right technological partner and guide,
then get buy-in from stakeholders across all functions at the
company. Total participation is the name of the game here.
With everyone on board and reliable solutions identified, it's
time to commence warp speed. In doing so, there are sure to be
tangential benefits. Aside from reaching the goal of preparing a
business for the future of industry, there is also sense of community
created when employees across the board all see their
impact reflected in the work to achieve a common goal.
More and more Americans are returning to their regular
flying habits as restrictions lift and the appetite to travel is
strong. Over time, the industry will likely recuperate and may
even exceed previous norms. The time is now for sound strategies
to improve passenger experiences, safeguard against future
uncertainties and to exploit new efficiencies for lower costs and
greater rewards. This is the way to fly forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHARLIE MEYER
Charlie Meyer is the senior VP of sales and leads
the North American sales team at QLess. With
more than 20 years of sales leadership experience
in enterprise and SaaS software, Meyer brings a
wealth of sales and leadership guidance to the
growing company and market.
September 2022 || AviationPros.com || 17
http://www.AviationPros.com
september2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of september2022
