Airlines Need To Convince Passengers To Use Digital Channels To Buy Ancillary Products

Travel fees such as those to change a ticket or reservation are old hat in the travel industry. But 2008 saw the emergence of new kinds of fees, including those for checked baggage, seat selection, and in-flight food and beverages. Forrester data shows that 50% of US online airline passengers have paid a travel fee in the past 12 months for at least one optional travel product or service. Forrester also found that passengers prefer to use the Web to pay for preflight and cabin-related fees and place-based channels for day-of-flight products and services. Airline eBusiness professionals must ensure they have strong multichannel strategies by re-evaluating forms of payment and channels, Web site design and navigation, and total sales-based flight and route analysis.