6 Aspects Of Automated Airline Group Bookings You Might Not Know

6 Aspects Of Automated Airline Group Bookings You Might Not Know

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In the dawning age of AI, we wake up to many AI products and automation that promise to revolutionize the industry. The airline industry is not an exception, almost every department knows the updates, but they aren’t aware to what extent these advancements can benefit their operations. An automated airline group booking tool can impressively reduce the time taken to generate a group quote from 2 to 5 business working days to 30 mins. 

It reduces the number of group revenue managers and group sales desks working to handle the airline group bookings. From 15 employees working on a task to 2-3 people finishing the same workload within hours. This is when you have an end-to-end system where you will have all the real-time data from handling booking requests to an AI-intelligent dashboard.

The proven capabilities are much greater where it can even optimize revenue loss, leakages, and loss in conversion. 
Let’s dive into what you might not know about automated airline group traffic management.

1. Detailed Customer Segmentation

In manual or partially automated systems, the airlines cannot classify their customer segments when their primary communication is only by emails and calls. With ranges of group passengers, typically there are corporate, leisure, government employees, educational, sports, events, religious, tour operators, affinity groups, etc. Everything will be stored in the system and offer real-time insights.

It has the capacity to offer personalized products and make informed decisions for all the tasks from group booking requests to confirmation.

2. Streamlined Payment Installations

It is a full-time, long, and tedious process to track and manage the payments for the group quotations. It gets even more complicated when airlines choose to charge pre-payment for booking reservations or pay in installments. With an automation system, the limits of the global setup can be defined by the admin into 3 types – fare validity, payment validity, and customer validity.

This enhances the overall group booking experience allowing the customer to choose your airlines as it feels more convenient.

3. Self-Sufficient Portal

It is an advanced, intuitive, and self-sufficient system that handles end-to-end group revenue management, from booking requests to confirmation. It is a digital bridge streamlining a clear flow from customers to airline executives. Although some airlines may already have an airline group traffic management system, the value of the software automation system is determined by how advanced the front-end and back-end act to support the airline. 

The advanced features are like a spectrum of benefits, from receiving direct sales to having the technical capability to store 10 years of historical data at the backend of all the group bookings.

4. Efficient Group Fare Configuration

As group passengers will be automatically filtered when they raise a quote, airlines can easily apply the fare configuration. Administrators or group revenue managers can easily set up a fare matrix for various quote types, customers, date/time parameters, discount structures, and more within a matter of hours. This is 10x harder in manual systems where the staff has to apply the terms manually. 

Automating this process streamlines operations and reduces the potential for errors or inconsistencies.

5. Smooth Quote Negotiation

Airline group quotes typically are open to negotiation if the value of a travel agency is deemed profitable in the long run. The process of negotiation is mostly via emails and calls, where the staff has to check back and forth with a quote. In all truth, the capabilities of an airline revenue manager are maximized with all the real-time data available. 

In an automated system, all necessary information such as historical data, market trends, and other factors impacting pricing decisions are consolidated. This not only saves time but also improves the accuracy of negotiated quotes.

6. AI-Driven Dashboard and Analytics

With the absence of real-time reports, the revenue managers may calculate a group quote that fits the best of their knowledge. By providing airline revenue managers with a 360-degree view of real-time data, they can make informed pricing decisions that have a direct impact on the airline’s revenue.

Adopt GroupRM – A Market-Leading Airline Group Booking Tool

By reducing the turnaround time of group booking quotes from days to mere minutes, this solution diminishes the need for a large workforce, thereby simplifying the overall booking experience. GroupRM is an advanced airline group booking tool that can help revenue managers efficiently increase airline revenue with informed decision-making. 

Schedule a demo with us to know more about our airline revenue management specialized for the group booking system.

Passengers in the Lounge That Illustrates How Airlines Can Give Travel Experiences with GroupRM

How Can Airlines Move Up The Value Chain And Provide Travel Experiences?

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Airlines are constantly looking for new revenue streams that win them loyal passengers. Given how the coronavirus pandemic has devastated the travel sector, it has become even more important for airlines to look beyond ticket sales to run profitably.

Increasingly, airlines have found that the modern traveler—with dozens of choices to pick from—prefers an all-around satisfactory travel experience rather than a few customizations. 

This reality means that airlines need to quickly adapt, moving up the value chain to provide wholesome travel experiences that passengers can cherish for a lifetime.

Here are just a few ways of ensuring that.

Personalizing flights

Nearly nothing enhances a passenger’s experiences on a flight than a hot meal, snack, or drink served by a friendly member of the flight crew.

Airlines like Austrian Airlines and Alaska Airlines allow passengers to order food on their smartphone while others, such as Virgin America, Norwegian, Azul, etc. have kicked things up a notch by letting passengers order drinks and food through the in-flight entertainment system.

Airlines can further provide business travelers with the option of accessing Wi-Fi and business lounges, thanks to the New Distribution Capability that allows airlines to sell using rich data. For tourists and other retail customers, airlines can provide on-demand video options at the push of a button, which will serve to enhance the travel experience.

With airline chatbots, you now even have the option of making the process of booking delightful. Based on past booking and the conversation up to a point, you can have AI-powered chatbots providing recommendations that resonate with the passenger.

Superior loyalty benefits

Proving loyalty benefits can be a great way to boost corporate bookings and even retail ticket sales. You can tap into the goldmine of data that you have at your disposal and make sure that loyal passengers have all their needs attended to without even having to ask.

Customization is key here; you need to make sure that you provide the right incentive to the right person who is most likely to appreciate the entertainment, lodging, food, or transport offers you provide them with.

Travel packages that resonate with the target audience

If your airline provides tours to religious sites, such as the Holy Land, Hajj, etc., or even generally cater to tourists, it would be a great idea to partner with service provides like hotels and tour operators. Doing this will ensure that airlines can generate revenue from the whole trip rather than only selling tickets.

Most importantly, it will make life easier for passengers, as they can have their entire trip’s needs met in one place.

Given that layovers can be frustrating, airlines also can provide passengers with the ability to pre-order food.

Providing this level of personalization and seamless travel experience will undoubtedly lead to passengers choosing your airline the next time they decide to fly.

Localized services

Even when passengers have left the airport, airlines have the opportunity of serving them with GPS-enabled apps that can point the person to local hotels, car rentals, etc. operated by partners.

Also, based on where the person is located, airlines can provide them with relevant offers, promotions, and rewards.

Offering this level of service can go a long way in leaving a lasting impression on the mind of the passenger, making your airline their first choice when they want to travel.

The use of beacons

Beacons, which are portable and wireless devices installed at airports, have great potential for enhancing the passenger experience. They essentially interact with nearby mobile devices to provide passengers with personalized welcome messages, flight confirmation information, and also details regarding the gate to head to.

Conclusion 

For emerging out of the pandemic in good shape, airlines need to focus incessantly on making air travel a memorable experience. As a result, they need to lose the ticket seller mentality and move even beyond traditional ancillary products and sell more experience-oriented products based on user behavior.