There was a time when I reached an airport with one fairly simple agenda: check in, get through security, find coffee and reach my gate. Anything nice that happened in between was a bonus.
That relationship with airports has changed rather dramatically. Lounge access is saved on our cards, reward points are checked before bookings are made, and airport dining benefits can influence where we spend the two hours before a flight. The holiday, in many ways, has already started before anyone calls your boarding group. And travel companies have noticed. This World Tourism Day, one interesting shift in Indian travel is happening not at the destination, but in all those hours surrounding the flight. The airport experience and the benefits attached to a booking are becoming part of what travellers consider when judging value. Then there is another change happening quietly behind your bookings. Amresh Acharya, Managing Director and CEO of Loylty Rewardz, points out that airline passengers represent a particularly valuable consumer group for marketers. This has encouraged airlines to work with hotels, banks, airport retailers, travel experience companies and consumer brands.
Rohan Bhalla, Commercial MD, South, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand at Collinson International, says luxury for many Indian travellers has moved beyond simply buying premium products. “For many Indian travellers today, luxury extends beyond premium products to a seamless, well-considered journey,” he says.
Airlines increasingly want a relationship with travellers that begins before the flight and continues after baggage collection.
The next travel perk may know what you actually want
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