International travel industry wants to put customer first

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) this week announced its upcoming world passenger symposium will focus on unlocking value creation by adopting a customer-first approach.

The symposium, which is scheduled to take place on November 1-3 in Bahrain, with Gulf Air as its host airline, will combine the former Digital, Data and Retailing Symposium, the Global Airport and Passenger Symposium and the Accessibility Symposium into a single event.

The association said that this is being done in order to reflect the importance and connectedness of all three elements to the customer experience.

“Like any business, airlines are most successful when they meet customer expectations. Global standards help to facilitate this,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said.

“The challenge is ensuring the standards keep pace with technology-driven innovations and evolving customer demands around digital,” he added.

Moreover, Walsh said that air travellers expect transparency wherever they shop for fares, and other airline products, customised offers; bag tracking and contactless processing at airports.

“I look forward to discussing how we are making these advancements and more happen at this year’s IATA World Passenger Symposium,” Walsh concluded.

What is more, Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat on day one and deliver the opening speech in the accessibility track on day two.

“Our customers are our top priority at Gulf Air; this conference provides a valuable opportunity for the aviation industry to discuss and debate initiatives and standards relating to putting the passenger first,” he said.

“We are very excited to be hosting the IATA World Passenger Symposium and look forward to welcoming the speakers and delegates to Bahrain,” Al Alawi concluded.

Furthermore, according to a statement, in addition to plenary sessions, three knowledge tracks, Retail and Payment, Airport & Pax Experience, as well as that of Accessibility, will address the end-to-end customer journey.

This includes everything from shopping and purchasing an air travel product to arriving at the destination.

“Each step in the travel process will be addressed from the customer and provider perspectives,” the association explained.

The association said that symposium session topics will include the enabling of customer centricity in a new open ecosystem, how airlines can adapt to the change of customer centricity and true retailing, competition in the aggregation space, as well as putting customers at the centre of contactless travel.

In addition, the symposium will closely examine the issues of overcoming baggage challenges for a better customer experience, providing customers with an eco-friendly airport experience, as well as end-to-end biometrics technology driving airport development.

Finally, there will also be a discussion and analysis on airport accessibility and inclusive design, transport of mobility aids, as well as disability and accessibility research, including what is new in this space and why it matters for aviation.