Mobile is changing travelers’ behaviors and expectations worldwide, making mobile moments the next battleground for airlines. My Brief: Airlines Must Embrace Mobile Moments To Differentiate tells B2C marketing professionals managing airline brands how to better address airline travelers in their most relevant mobile moments.

Nobody is more mobile than an airline traveler — from buying a ticket to managing the in-transit and on-board experience to sharing that experience, mobile is an active touchpoint throughout the entire customer life cycle. Have airlines mastered all of these mobile moments? The answer is often “No” — there are still mobile moments that key airlines seldom cover (see figure).

Specifically:

  • Most airlines focus on mastering mobile moments at the buy and use stages. Smart airlines strive to provide convenient, time-saving measures that are better than those of online travel agencies (OTAs) and other airlines, such as “upgrade at the boarding gate” feature in its mobile app.
  • Some airlines serve mobile customers well at the discover and ask stages. Smart airlines help prospects and customers discover promotions beyond air tickets and travel packages, such as cross-border shopping, through multiple mobile channels.
  • Few airlines master mobile moments at the explore and engage stages. Compared with OTAs, airlines put forth far less effort creating mobile moments at the explore stage, whereas product comparisons and customer reviews are common features for OTAs.

To learn how smart airlines differentiate by focusing on mobile moments and how to select and master the mobile moments that count for air travelers, read the full report. My follow-up report on how hotels tap into customers’ mobile moments will appear in Q3. Stay tuned!