APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association)'s Global Expo always offers a lens into what’s next for airlines and the travelers who fly them. This year, as you probably anticipated, the conversations revolved around the future of AI, connectivity, and in-flight entertainment. Here are our takeaways from the event in California!
AI-augmented experiences
While AI offers immense potential, many airlines are still only getting their data house in order. Despite the fanfare around the technology, the real groundwork is in managing data to ensure it’s ready for AI. This requires a commitment to centralizing data and cleaning it up so it can be used to enhance every step of a passenger’s journey.
In his keynote, Air Canada’s President and CEO Michael Rousseau, shared that they are focusing their AI efforts on customer experience and productivity improvements. For instance, Air Canada is paving the way with an AI-augmented concierge service. They have also built a complex compensation system for delays or cancellations, implementing AI to make the experiences more seamless.
Free Wi-Fi and a shift in in-flight entertainment
One notable change that came up repeatedly at APEX is the expectation of free Wi-Fi onboard. Internet access is now becoming a standard, not a luxury.
This has several implications. For one, in-flight entertainment (IFE) is rapidly evolving as more passengers connect their personal devices to Wi-Fi. Still, when it comes to IFE, seatback is preferred over a bring-your-own-device approach, both by passengers and airlines. For passengers, it signifies a more premium flying experience, and for airlines, it offers more opportunities to engage with customers.
Wi-Fi becoming a standard also raises a question: “If the Wi-Fi is free, how do we sustain it?” The answer isn’t simple. The solution to monetize Wi-Fi and to get value out of in-flight connectivity in general should be as unique as each airline’s business strategy.
Faster product development for accessible in-flight experiences
One of the more encouraging trends in the airline world is the acceleration of digital product development. There’s a shift towards adopting agile methods that put features in passengers' hands in months rather than years (read our white paper on continuous integration and continuous delivery). The speed of a modern digital product development practice can also allow airlines to serve all passengers better by rapidly developing and iterating accessible experiences.
