MANISH MENON

ENROLLMENT NO -18BSP0618
SERVICE MARKETING

How Technology has influenced changes in “Buying Airline Ticket “.

The first ever aero plane took flight on 17th December 1903. Today airline industry has come a long way, it
delivers service to about 3.7 billion passengers a year and constitutes of one third of the worlds trade. Airline
are stepping up their game by using technology to not only meet the customer expectations but exceed them.

Personalization:
• Then – In earlier 90’s passengers booked seat in advance for seat availability not for the price. The price
would remain the same whether you booked a day prior to your travel. Very few flights, fixed fares,
virtually non-existent airport security, manual ticketing, check in processes and lack of loyalty programs
were the order of the day.
• Now- more than half of the investments are spent on customer personalization. The interaction with
the customer begins much before the flight has even boarded. They made sure what the travelers want
and how the problem can be solved to give them a 360degree digital experience. Digital applications,
customized offers, easy web check ins, luggage tracking, customer chat support, experience sharing,
gives passengers a seamless and delightful experience throughout their journey.

Cost efficiency:
• Then – Earlier the price of a single airline ticket was very costly and it was not a common man’s cup of
tea to afford an airline ticket. Through years the airline industry realized that each empty seat is money
lost.
• Now - Companies started cutting unnecessary costs and investing in technology to focus more on long
term growth by creating a seamless customer experience at an affordable price. Better aerodynamics,
machines, less fuel consumption per flight, has helped decrease operational cost and thus reduce cost
of a single ticket.

Search and Navigation –

• Then – Virtual platforms for booking of tickets were non-existent, manual ticketing was the only choice,
Availability of flights had to be checked manually. Agents took a higher commission for booking flights,
since the customers had no choice but to depend on them.
• Now – As soon as a person starts looking for flight the interaction begins, SEO is used by the websites
to rank up their search engine on the first page. Interface of the website is made so customer friendly
that navigation is easy for any passenger with an itinerary of travel or vaguely planning a vacation.
Availability of seats, time and date of the flight, the duration of the flight, calendar views, lower to
higher fares, departure time, are updated on real time basis to provide hassle free search and
navigation

Booking and Payment –

• Then – Booking seat manually, adding layers to check out process, seat selection, adding meals, extra
baggage added up a lot of customers time and money ended up compromising over luxury.
• Now – it is made sure the customers are engaged on the website, selection of seats, additional services,
can be booked online at the timing of ticket booking. Ease of currency conversions has helped in hassle
free booking of international flights. 46% pf travelers book tickets via mobile interface so the interface
is geared up in such a way it can handle any complexities in the booking process in a user-friendly way.
Online card payments, E wallets have further facilitated the ease of booking the ticket online.

Post booking interactions –

• Then – the service was just confined to the pick-up and drop of the customers earlier. The companies
felt a need to revolutionize the way the customers travel and make the process interactive.
• Now – Once the flight is booked the customers can avail an E ticket, Kiosk’s and mobile apps have put
away the stressful check in process. Smartphone Applications help the customers control the inflight
entertainment system, they can use it to order food, drinks, shop, etc. Baggage tracking, pick up and
drop service, baggage claim, are some other facilities that customers can avail through the application.

Thus, technology has solved real life problems for customers and helped in designing a holistic experience for
customers, also making it profitable for the airline industry.