EyeforTravel Amsterdam 2018

November 2018, Amsterdam

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Forget point-to-point, think trip purpose, says Japan Airlines

In this free Monday video, Japan Airlines outlines some of its recent successful initiatives including a travel with pets charter and curated trips for people with disability

At EyeforTravel Amsterdam earlier this year, Akira Mitsumasu, VP of products & services planning at Japan Airlines, was tasked with answering the question: Is hyper-personalisation the new force changing the air travel experience?

The short answer, he admits, is yes and that is being driven by behavioural change both in corporate and consumer environments. Mitsumasu touches on two important trends - the shift towards co-production and value co-creation between consumers and brands. In other words, as travellers become less willing to be ‘owned’ but more willing to share data in order to improve their all-important experience, individual brands have the opportunity to really hone and customise their offerings.

AI and data play a huge role here in allowing brands to become more accurate in their targeting.

Significantly though, Mitsumasu believes that airlines have to do more than simply offer a point A to point B experience. They need to think about the purpose of the journey rather than simply the mode of transport; in doing so there is much greater opportunity to deliver valuable ancillary services. Two successful examples have included:

  1. Curating ski trips for people with physical disability which received hugely positive feedback.
     
  2. Launching a ‘Travel with Pets Charter’, and a loyalty programme, for the growing number of people who want to travel with their animals.

Not only does this please customers, they are also willing to pay a premium, which is good for the bottom line!

Thinking about what the brand stands for, Japan Airlines also wanted to reflect what the country it represents has to offer. A tour of regional cities to take in local sake and beer helped redefine its purpose by promoting regional produce in airline lounges, inflight magazines and more.

Watch the video here to find out more.

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