It’s without question that aviation has been one of the hardest hit industries in 2020. For the majority of the past year, the entire industry has had to operate on a reactive basis to the major challenges and changes that have never before been faced.
However, the pandemic forced us to be agile and the experience will shape how aviation looks in the future. As we start a new year, it’s time to refocus and look forward with renewed optimism and considerations.
Here are three areas which I believe our industry needs to consider if we are to take to the skies once again in 2021:
Seeing (cleaning) is believing
As we move to a proactive approach in 2021, we need to show more commitment to the public than what they’ve come to expect. Perspex screens, hand sanitizing stations and 2m signage are a given in today’s world. The coming year is where we’ll see more enhanced, technical cleaning come into force.
This is supported by research we conducted recently looking at the changing attitudes of cleaning, since the pandemic. We found that almost half of people said seeing cleaners would reassure them to return to or use that public space again and a further 45 percent said seeing cleaning staff is much more important now than pre-COVID.
Since the pandemic, hit we’ve introduced electrostatic spraying in Glasgow and London Heathrow airports to go beyond traditional cleaning and offer high touch point disinfection. It’s a way of ensuring broader disinfection at periodic intervals, which is what travelers want to see and know about.
In 2021, airports and airlines need to bring their cleaning practices out in the open in every way possible. Throughout the journey from airport entrance to exit, passengers should interact with communication on exactly what programs are in place; but they should also see operatives in action, working hard to ensure their safety and instilling a sense of confidence in the environment.
In the future, we expect measures such as our EnhancedClean program to become part of business as usual. Not only does it ensure the highest levels of disinfection, but it also provides bespoke communication to site users so they know they are in a safe environment.
Inclusivity
Air travel has been changed forever and to move forward we must now completely reimagine the customer journey, inclusive of everyone.
We know that the priority across the industry is to instill confidence and offer assurances at every touch point – literally – but for passengers with restricted mobility, this is more important than ever and we mustn’t lose sight of that.
While the pandemic has forced airports to adopt technology that has changed the way travelers arrive, check-in and go through security, it is questionable whether the industry is really considering passengers with restricted mobility when introducing new innovations.
Using touch-free technology or facial recognition machines has its merits of course, but will that encourage or discourage a passenger with disabilities? This is what we need to ask ourselves as we move into becoming more proactive in the fight against COVID-19.
Research conducted last year revealed that one in three travelers with reduced mobility said they would not travel by air until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available so it is absolutely vital that we consider the needs of these passengers and do what we can to assure them and encourage them to fly again.
According to the same research, experts said that failure to address these concerns could see the number of passengers with restricted mobility drop consistently for the foreseeable future by up to 50-75 percent.
This would be another big blow for the aviation industry when you consider the spending power of the "purple pound" is reported to be around £249 billion.
Making travel retail an experience
As if COVID-19 wasn’t a big enough challenge, travel retailers were hit with another blow recently when the UK government announced that from Jan. 1 2021, tax free shopping, excluding alcohol and tobacco, will be scrapped.
However, if the pandemic has taught those who work in aviation anything, it’s about resilience and adapting to change quickly and effectively.
Retail spend plays a part in airport revenue, which drives the airport experience. This adds to the appeal of travelling and visiting the UK so we must rise to this challenge.
Travel retailers need to think innovatively and differentiate themselves using experience. When we start getting ourselves back to the airport can you imagine the amount of social media posts there will be about "finally" going on that much delayed holiday? Let’s make travel retail part of that conversation.
Retailers in this sector need to consider experiences that create an "Instagrammable" moment. Let’s see immersive experiences in the airports that engage the senses, in a pandemic-safe environment.
Pre-recorded digital content connecting customers to brand ambassadors could be used to create anticipation and translate into instore personal shopping, tips and exclusive information.
There is no doubt that the next year is going to be critical for this industry. It’s going to be a long and potentially complicated journey as we continue to live under restricted measures, but if we show the level of resilience that we’ve shown so far and approach the new year proactively, we can, and will get the country flying again.
Antony is a Group Managing Director with over 20 years senior management experience and a proven track record for developing businesses, increasing productivity and revenues. Professional, calm and diplomatic, Antony enjoys new challenges and is extremely adept at finding solutions. Enthusiastic and determined, he has consistently exceeded set targets and objectives with strong planning skills, ensuring successful end results.
