Airlines make one more step towards a customer-centric environment
Nov 22, 2021
The airline industry is a giant in which changes may not be immediately noticeable. And to say exactly how they have affected the industry, you have to wait another 20-30 years to be sure of what you are saying.
Now the way we sell and service products is changing – Coronavirus proved to be a litmus test and showed that some elements of the system are obsolete and need to be replaced. So now begins another phase of restructuring and transformation of airline service and operations.
The way things were in the airline industry:
- In the 1930s, airlines used a card system where the passenger’s name and flight number were recorded.
- However, after some time, the carriers decided to create a better data storage tool – Computer reservations systems (CRS). The first such systems appeared in the mid-1960s. First, in the U.S., then in Britain and finally in Europe, appeared the possibility of storing passenger and flight data, quickly exchanging it with other carriers as well. Then these systems were expanded for use by travel agencies. Thus, 30 years ago, the GDS as we know it – with the airline websites and the sale of additional services – appeared.
- IATA documented the idea of NDC back in 2012. In September 2015, IATA published it in resolutions.
- IATA extended the NDC concept to ONE Order and lately to Airline Retailing.
So, the new phase – Airline Retailing – can be considered the 4th revolution in the airline industry. And like everything natural in this world, the main transition to it was the emergence of the Internet of Things.
Airline Retailing - the era of new beginnings and optimisations
The fourth revolution in the travel industry will continue what was started in the third with the adoption of automation. It will strengthen it with smart and autonomous systems for managing revenue opportunities, offers and bookings, and revenue accounting based on data, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The Internet of Things and the Internet of Systems are making Airline Retailing possible and smart seamless sales and service a reality. As a result of supporting smart machines that are getting smarter as they access more data, our platforms will become more efficient and productive and less wasteful.
See and feel the opportunities
The Internet of Things and connected applications allow us to collect vast amounts of data, and with that, we can now analyze information about customers to identify patterns, and in this way increase the efficiency of work, because a human would never manage to do this work in the same amount of time.
So now airlines can quickly optimize their operations and adjust to customer needs just by knowing future demand.
Airline Retailing and the Offer & Order Management System connects customers, corporations, travel agencies, and partner supply chains. It is a system that can adapt and adjust to new data.
If you have any questions regarding the Airline Retailing approach, we will be glad to assist you.