Amadeus has announced a solution that allows airline companies to better manage cancelled or delayed flights. It will be available as a white-label product early 2015. TAM Airlines will inaugurate this new solution.
Called the Amadeus Personal Disruption Companion – the technology company says it is the industry’s first solution for helping airlines handle flight disruptions based on personalised and intelligent re-accommodation options.
This new solution will enable passengers to enjoy a better travel experience whilst offering airlines the chance to save costs, more effectively manage their passengers, and merchandise at the same time.
It works by understanding and analysing who is travelling and to where, and then provides personalised re-accommodation options through their mobile device, thus improving communication and ensuring the relevance of re-accommodation options, while avoiding time spent waiting on the phone or in endless queues at the airport.
The solution allows airlines to automate the entire disruption management process from end to end, managing everything from tickets to EMDs through to inventory updates, extra services, new boarding passes and even baggage transfer to the new flight.
Additionally, it also helps airlines make merchandising offers to passengers before, during and after their re-booked trip, such as free hotel or cabin upgrades or even additional paid services such as use of a spa at the airport.
Amadeus believes that the market opportunity for the industry to deliver more effective disruption management is huge.
They published a major report, Reinventing the Airport Ecosystem, in 2012 that included some of the ideas that are now becoming a reality.
In 2013 they published a study on flight disruption management, Passengers-first: re-thinking irregular operations.
According to ‘Passengers-first: re-thinking irregular operations’, 33% of passengers cite insufficient information about what is happening as the number one cause of frustration at times of disruption, followed by 18% of passengers complaining about being given conflicting communication.