How Technology is Used to Improve Airline Operations
How Technology Helps Eliminate Airline Choke Points
As post-pandemic travel took off earlier this year, many airlines went through turbulent times as they found themselves understaffed and overwhelmed. However, advances in carrier-specific technology are a driving force behind improving airlines’ operational efficiency.
As experts predict air travel to return to pre-pandemic levels by next year, airline operators should look into investing in the latest technology to ensure employees are supported and empowered to drive success.
Airline employees know the company doesn’t make money while the plane is on the ground. But TA Connections’ Digital Hub helps turn headwinds into tailwinds by supporting airline efficiency, streamlining operations and reducing time and staff workload. Here’s how:
Improve TAT tasks
Turnaround time, the phase it takes to get the aircraft back into the air between flights, is a prime area to improve operational efficiency and drive cost savings. With thousands of steps to follow and complete, including cleaning, refueling and restocking, this time-consuming process can and should be streamlined for increased customer experience and airline profitability.
Our TA Turn solution is designed to be tailored to your specific operations turnaround needs and drive faster and stronger results. It provides cross-team visibility into the turnaround process, automates processes and provides intelligent data on additional ways to improve performance – all while ensuring FAA and safety regulations are being met.
Ramp up operations
Another way to eliminate operational choke points is to reduce lost luggage and the time it takes for customer service and ramp teams to locate passenger baggage.
Air Travel Consumer Reports, published by the Department of Transportation, revealed that there were 684,000 mishandled bags – those that were lost, delayed, damaged or pilfered – in the first quarter of 2022 alone. When this happens, the airline could be subject to shelling out a maximum $3,800 per bag for mishandled baggage on domestic flights and up to $1,780 for international flights, along with refunding fees paid for checked luggage and/or other items. Along with monetary loss, the carrier will also suffer reputational loss and dissatisfied customers, who often take out their frustrations on staff.
By totally digitizing the ramp and baggage scanning process, TA Ramp provides real-time communication between agents and ramp teams as well as constant visibility of the location of any checked bag. This significantly improves reconciliation accuracy and reduces mishandled bags.
When airline teams and passengers are able to see the real-time location of their checked luggage and items, the need for travelers to wait in line with customer service agents to locate luggage is eliminated, saving both time and money for airline teams.
Ditch the desks
In most airports, airline customer service teams assist passengers from the service desk or kiosk. Not only does this limit airlines’ availability to help passengers, but these physical stations in airports aren’t the most cost-effective option anymore.
TA Airport enables carriers to have a fully digitized operational platform, working from mobile devices. Without the limitations of fixed desks and kiosks, airline operators can enable their teams to meet passengers where they are and communicate with them in more effective ways, enhancing the customer experience and driving loyalty.
Increase overall efficiency
By tapping into the latest in airline operations technology, airlines can more easily overcome typical industry choke points, like ramp processes, baggage hiccups and inefficient customer service desks and kiosks.
TA Connections is here to help you position your airline for success and make better business decisions on demand. Ready to learn more? Take a look at our solutions for operations, crews and passengers and see how much your airline could be saving. Find out how TA Connections can transform airline operations today.