CAPA summit 2023: Air India pushes for data exchange in aviation sector

In the last 14 months, the airline has taken various measures to bring grounded aircraft back to service, refurbish aircraft interiors, and improve on-time performance

Airlines, airports, online travel agents (OTAs), and other aviation stakeholders must exchange data to ensure seamless end-to-end travel for passengers, Air India’s Chief Customer Experience Officer Rajesh Dogra said on Wednesday at the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2023.

“Two days ago, there was a weather-related delay in Delhi. We wanted to communicate, but many didn’t receive messages because their mobile numbers were not available (with the airline). I think sharing data is very important. We should collaborate and get information,” said Dogra.

OTAs by and large do not share passenger contact details with airlines.

Dogra termed this absence of data sharing as a “big challenge”, with airlines finding it difficult to reach out to passengers.

“I was at a conference that had every airline saying OTAs do not share data and airports saying airlines do not share data either. We are in talks with OTAs. If one can get contact numbers of passengers in advance, imagine the scale of collaboration we can achieve,” he stated.

If there is an impending flight delay, a gate change, or a boarding announcement, the airline finds it difficult to reach passengers, he said.

“We are trying different ways of how to get passenger data,” he said. If that is not feasible, Air India will try to promote web check-in to be able to access passenger information, or will try to get this data at the check-in counter of the terminal, he added.

“There is no doubt that airports, airlines, OTAs, and other industry stakeholders must collaborate and share data. Else it will not lead to the customer experience we are targeting,” he said.

“We (Air India) want an application that helps passengers navigate the airport and receive notifications,” he said.

After winning the bid for Air India in October 2021, Tata Group took control of the airline in January last year. In the past 14 months, the airline has taken various measures to bring grounded aircraft back into service, refurbish aircraft interiors, and improve on-time performance.

“We are working closely with airports and seeing ways we can exchange data through application programming interface and other processes so that a passenger’s journey is seamless end-to-end,” he added.