New research shows 23 per cent of British passengers regard digital airline apps as an essential part of how they like to fly.
A Yougov survey commissioned by customer engagement software developer Pegasystems also found that nearly a third of Brits use airline apps and 91 per cent rank it as the most helpful service.
And although in the minority, 13 per cent claim they’re less likely to choose an airline that doesn’t offer an app as part of its service.
Furthermore, 28 per cent think about how much more personalised they would like real-time digital services to become.
When asked how airlines can personalise their digital services, 65 per cent said they’d like to receive alerts about where the baggage is and on what reclaim belt. Sixty-three per cent said it would be helpful for an airline app to pinpoint their location in an airport and tell them how long it will take to get to their gate, while 43 per cent wanted to see personalised offers based on past or current trips and their personal interests.
However, while respondents agreed personalised digital services are important, 73 per cent disagreed that they would allow access to more personal data to facilitate this. Forty-two per cent also said they believe apps are more about saving money for the airline than making their journeys easier.
Robin Collyer, senior director of marketing and decisioning at Pegasystems, commented: “Passengers are embracing digital apps so much so that for many the quality of the digital experience is as important as whether they get an aisle or window seat. As our study shows, there’s a great opportunity to use digital to provide more real-time communication and engagement with passengers that pulls more data about the customer and flight process itself. Yet, airlines need to bring their customers with them and build trust about how they’ll use customers’ personal data to craft the best possible flight experience.”
pega.com