The Triumph of Customer Reviews – Airlines are next!

With the continuous growth in interaction between companies and their customers off- and online, the importance of “worth of mouth” has reached a new height. These days, recommendations come in the form of online reviews and studies have shown that internet users place a very high value on these reviews, generally treating them with the same amount of respect as they would a friend’s recommendation*.

Hoteliers know that, for today’s traveler, online reviews are an important part of the decision-making process leading to the final booking decision. A tangible guarantee in an intangible industry, in which you cannot return your holiday and get your money back if it does not meet your expectations. Holiday-makers thus value the experiences of other travelers, as they provide more guaranteed certainty of what they might expect. Reviews increase travelers’ confidence that you and your staff genuinely care about your guests and the quality of their stay, or even just their travel experience. Collecting these reviews is therefore the first vital step for a hotelier. Making them visible to future potential guests, is the next step towards effectively managing your reviews and, subsequently, your online reputation. Read more about it in our Whitepaper on Review Management!)

Airlines are next!

While this concept of online reviews has been dominating the hospitality industry for years already, the airline industry is much more of a late-comer to this field. But the industry and its target group is changing. While travelers used to focus on looking for flights based on price, with the airline offering the lowest airfare coming out ahead, nowadays travelers are beginning to select their flights based more on amenities. In-flight services such as wifi, comfortable interiors and fresh food are of increasing importance and often decisive for the final decision on where to book. With the increasing amount of business travelers, flight durations also play an important role in the customer’s choice.

Customer reviews triump as the best instant-feedback form, to find out what a company should focus on in order to keep existing- and attract future potential guests. And how do travelers inform themselves about in-flight amenities? On the internet, on review- and feedback portals! So for Airlines, it is not only important to stay on track with latest product developments, but also time to create a functioning review management system for their business.

There is no doubt that the airline industry can easily learn from and adopt hospitality practices to better deal with customer outrage. In the end, most common airline customer complaints and comments are very similar to those received in the hospitality industry.

So 2015 definitely is the year, that airlines should be reaching for the stars!

Find out how Customer Alliance’ Software Review Analytics automatically surveys guests, distributes the reviews on different platforms, and offers a wide variety of statistical analysis that helps any customer-focused service business manage their reviews, reputation, direct bookings and correspondingly, their revenue. Ask for a free demo here: