Airline Trends OPINION
Carriers go soft Raymond Kollau reports on the softer elements being added to the inflight experience
Besides introducing bigger and better premium seats and smarter and lighter designs in Economy, mood lighting, roomier cabins and improved air quality, one of the major developments today sees airlines investing in the ‘softer’ elements of the inflight experience. From customisation to real-time information and virtual classes, here are some of the major trends in onboard hospitality.
Personal service
In the past year, airlines such as Emirates, British Airways, Iberia, KLM and EVA Air have equipped their pursers with tablets. This allows the cabin crew to see which previous
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trips a passenger has taken with the carrier before and, based on this, know their food, wine and seating preferences, or any issues a customer had during their previous travels. This enables crew to offer a more personal and relevant service to frequent flyers.
Obviously, the next step is to connect the crew tablets to the internet as the availability of aircraft with onboard wifi grows. This will close the customer service loop for airlines, as they will be able to connect with crew and passengers up in the air. For example, iPads used by pursers onboard British Airways’ Business Class-only service between London City Airport and New York’s
Some airlines are adding small and personal touches often seen in the hotel industry
JFK receive live updates throughout the flight, thanks to the aircraft’s inflight connectivity provided by OnAir. It should only be a matter of time before airlines such as Emirates – which already offers connectivity on the majority of its fleet and has equipped its pursers with HP Elitepad devices – will follow.
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