How can reimaging the traveller journey turn airline loyalty into a meaningful experience?

Mike Petrella, MD, Strategic Partnerships at United Airlines brings a fresh perspective to aviation loyalty. Drawing on his background in AdTech to rethink the traveller journey, Petrella is focusing on personalisation and a genuine connection with the customer. He will be speaking at World Aviation Festival in a session titled ‘Traveller-First Loyalty – Creating meaningful end-to-end journeys.’ This five-min pre-interview is a glimpse into the discussion that will take place onsite and gives a valuable look into how United is rethinking loyalty.

The conversation touched on how airlines can extend loyalty beyond travel and drive personalisation through data and insights. Petrella also highlighted the importance of balancing choice with relevance to present the right content at the right moment. Speaking on the importance of understanding when to engage and when to hold back he explained:

“We didn’t want to make the airplane look like Times Square. So the idea is more to have it as a native experience. How do I integrate it into the experience such that, when the opportunity comes up, it looks like something that’s part of the confirmation path, the booking path? If you’re in the ancillary or spend mindset, then having offers that are relevant to you versus a random ad. It’s also the emotion of knowing that I’m in an environment that is conducive to my behaviours, and in some cases, as we learn more, some people may not want to see content at certain times. And we’ll test and learn and choose not to show content, where others may be in the mindset of: okay, I’m ready to think, I’m ready to plan, I’m ready to be inspired. How do you put something in front of me?”

Questions asked include:

  • You’re focusing on reimagining the traveller journey – how are you approaching this differently to how airlines have before ?
  • What are some practical steps to integrating loyalty programmes into people’s daily lives?
  • Where do you strike the balance between giving passengers the choices they want and overwhelming them with options?
  • What are you most looking forward to World Aviation Festival in Lisbon?

To join us at World Aviation Festival book your ticket now! 

 

 

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