Last week, UK-flag carrier British Airways shared its £7b transformation plan and it covers everything from its mobile app to free onboard messaging. With over 600 modernisation initiatives, the airline is focusing on a commitment to “delivering a world class customer experience, modernising IT, growing pride among colleagues and focusing on sustainability, as well as driving on-time performance.”
The modernisation plan includes multi-million-pound cutting-edge technology systems, creative applications of AI and ML, and the first ever bespoke Microsoft Connected Teams ground-to-air customer care solution. Here are some of the changes the airline is making:
Operational excellence – With a £100m investment in ML, automation, and AI to elevate operations, all aspects from bookings to disruption are poised to be streamlined for a more efficient process. Operations related to delay predictions, real-time weather analysis, customer connections data and more are also being improved using innovative new tools. A further £750m is also being investing into the airline’s IT infrastructure to move 700 systems and thousands of servers to the cloud by early next year.
Ba.com and app – The digital user experience is being renovated, prioritising “deeper” personalisation and giving customers more agency to self-serve.
WiFi – Starting in April, British Airways Executive Club Members can start sending messages on a single device through the airline’s WiFi for free. Additionally, Wi-Fi enabled inflight customer care will be actioned, facilitating complex problem resolution in flight.
Further investments include a new design concept, new cabins and seats, new routes, and sustainability initiatives.
Discussing the transformation plan, Sean Doyle, Chairman and CEO, British Airways’ said:
“We’re on a journey to a better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation programme that will see us invest £7bn over the next two years to revolutionise our business. […] We’re going to take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, elevate our customer care, focus on operational performance and address our environmental impact by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability. We’re also heavily investing in the development of a new ba.com website and app and are laser-focused on transforming our business and fixing any pain points for our customers.”
For more like this see:
- British Airways’ new digital wayfinding tool
- British Airways launch Amadeus Biometric Solutions to become the first UK airline trialling biometric tech for international flights
- British Airways grows CO2llaborate with the introduction of carbon removal credits
