The growth of apps and the opportunities this presents

Approximately 6.92 billion people in the world now have a smartphone, around 86.11 per cent of the global population. With the wide proliferation of these devices came the rise of app culture. Mobile phones transitioned from performing a limited range of functions to a “multi-channel, internet-accessing, mini-computer” and mobile applications have since become an integral part of our digital ecosystem.

With such widespread adoption, apps have transformed how businesses engage with customers, providing a direct and personalised channel to connect with users. They help to foster long-term loyalty, gather data and insights, keep the business relevant in the customers’ mind, refine marketing strategies and much more. On the other side, apps have a host of benefits to the customer including an elevated user experience, easy accessibility, simplified transactions, enhanced security, real-time updates through push notifications to name a few.

In particular, airline apps have revolutionised the way passengers navigate their journey, providing a seamless and personalised experience to customers. They have impacted the trends toward online check in, changed how passengers manage their itineraries and communicate with the airline, have been heavily relied upon as the pandemic propelled the contactless journey, and often even enhanced the in-flight entertainment options.

Airline apps present an opportunity for differentiation within a highly competitive industry. This year, the World Aviation Festival relaunched the Battle of the Airline Apps challenge and thanks to your votes, identified six finalists:

Emirates

KLM

Lufthansa

Qatar Airways

Turkish Airlines

United Airlines

At the event in September, a representative from each of these airlines will deliver a five minute pitch on why their app deserves to be the winner. Following this, the deciding vote will be made by a panel of five independent judges. The winner will be announced on day three of the event, 28th September 2023. Book your ticket here to see who is recognised as the best airline app.

Article by Jess Brownlow

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