Dec 2023 - Briefing
?? As the year ends, so does one of our legacy products: in Caravelo we have finally said goodbye to our last chatbot (AI Assistant), allowing us to grow and focus more resources on travel subscriptions.
?? Growing and adapting is a must also for airlines, and this month Southwest has hit the news with announcements on the potential introduction of red-eye flights , changes in its ancillary strategy , and a new lounge membership for top-tier customers.
???? Reinventing loyalty programs is a must for airlines that want to stay in the game, especially given their big value . But too many changes may backfire, for example making status requirements too high will make programs unappealing, jeopardizing the company’s results.
?? Talking about business results, while travel companies such as eDreams, Flight Centre and Sonder are thriving, airlines are struggling to convince investors to back the travel recovery despite reporting booming profits.
?? Carriers are also facing challenges in their consolidation journey. In Europe, Lufthansa's acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA Airways has been delayed, and Portugal’s president vetoed TAP privatization law . Meanwhile in the US, after some setbacks, the antitrust trial for the JetBlue-Spirit merger has finally begun.
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??? Other news from the US see United partner with Deutsche Bahn , allowing passengers to combine flight and train travel. On the other side of the world, Thailand’s aviation market is expecting 9 new airlines by EOY and Turkish Airlines has unveiled the rebranding of AndalouJet as AJet Air Transportation.
?? More industry news shows that airlines are placing more focus on customer experience. From changes to increase the efficiency of the boarding process, to tips on flight etiquette tips to make the in-flight experience smoother, to the possibility of reselling flight tickets .
?? Our industry is constantly evolving and airlines will need to switch to ONE Order to smoothen retail operations, form strategic industry partnerships and introduce fintech innovations .
Speaking about the future, with the holiday season approaching I’m curious to see what the end of the year has in store for travel, any guesses?
CEO & Founder - Smartvel / ArrivalGuides / Avuxi
11 个月Great summary JoseLuis Vilar ??, thanks for sharing it!
Bringing airlines and passengers together.
11 个月indeed, Alaska was the only news of the first days of December that I dropped ??
Airline retail sales | Travel technology | Digital transformation and modernisation | NDC | Offer and Order Management
11 个月One unexpected surprise in store was the Alaska and Hawaiian proposed merger. I am sure it caught most by surprise. Also the Virgin Atlantic 100% SAF cross-ATlantic flight (VS100) was interesting.