The past two years have been challenging for the aviation industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that global revenues for airlines were down by 44% last year when compared to 2019 figures. And in 2020, the sector experienced global economic losses of close to $170 billion. Fortunately, operations have resumed with airlines looking for more creative ways of re-engaging with customers.
The signs are good as total demand for air travel in January this year compared to the same period in 2021 was up by more than 82%. For its part, international revenue-passenger kilometres (RPK) rose by close on 166% compared to the year-ago period as governments globally adjust their policies according to other endemic viruses. Several experts believe that customer expectations of airlines will be one of the key driving forces this year as people become increasingly critical of bad service, high costs, and a lack of personalisation due to poorly-managed or ineffective loyalty programmes.
This is where the LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer solution can become an enabler for the aviation industry to leverage cost-effective loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM) functionality for specific markets. These can include everything from cargo and airport loyalty to industry travel.
“Airlines have faced unprecedented difficulties since the onset of the pandemic. With a semblance of normality returning to global markets, now is the time to think differently about how best to capture the hearts and minds of passengers. Customer acquisition will be the priority as gaining share of wallet becomes the focus for many airlines. With people looking to resume travel after being in lockdown conditions, having an awareness of what appeals to them from a loyalty perspective becomes invaluable,” says Frik van der Westhuizen, Marketing Director at leading independent customer relationship management company, LoyaltyPlus.
The key to this is unlocking the data which airlines have access to around customer demands, challenges, and desires. A solution such as LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer delivers complete manageability of the customer journey from before booking all the way through to fulfilment. Consisting of several modules, LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer empowers airlines with the insights required to create a differentiated passenger experience based on developing unique and powerful loyalty programmes.
Thus, whether it is identifying flexible accrual and redemption processes that include revenue-based solutions to deliver practical programme interventions or implementing configurable, self-service business rules that respond to changing customer demands, LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer delivers. The user-friendly environment is geared to enable airlines to create a personalised passenger experience with data analytics continually monitoring key performance indicators. Self-service wizards help airlines manage promotions, with communications automatically triggered by specific events to improve employee productivity and identify the passengers that require targeting.
Beyond the standard functionality, LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer also provides the capability of easily scaling up as needs change. Being able to add a range of modules designed for personalisation, revenue generation, collaboration, and advanced analytics, will further enrich the data-driven environment of an airline. Things like campaign management and intelligent segmentation become vital functions at a time when passengers will look for those airlines that can provide a truly differentiated experience.
Ultimately, airlines will require a more integrated way of managing and rewarding passenger loyalty if they are to build their customer base. To find out how the LoyaltyPlus FrequentFlyer solution can help transform your loyalty and CRM functionality, please contact us today for a full platform demonstration.