The COVID-19 crisis is requiring airlines to reinvent themselves. For an extended period, travel demand will be lower and more volatile than pre-crisis levels.
Airlines that started the digitalization journey early show an ability to be much more flexible, able to balance volatile demand and a changing operational landscape. While next-gen digital tools and technology infrastructure enable optimal, accurate, and fast decision-making based on having a single source of truth and granularity of data, all while funding the journey in current cash strapped conditions.
As before the crisis, most airlines still face the challenges of silo thinking and organization, deficient data, lack of insights, and transparency with multiple—and sometimes contradicting—data sources, with complex outdated IT that lacks real intelligence and optimization. They are behind the curve–flying at least partially blind in an increasingly complex world.
Transforming and embracing digital solutions is now essential to achieve integrated decision-making in real time airline operations. For both competitive advantage now and for the new reality ahead.
The partnership between KLM and BCG that has been around since 2018 is aiming at improving airline operations. Together, the companies have developed an artificial intelligence-based suite of tailored tools, proving their purpose and value in current live operations and for the challenging times ahead. We aim to accelerate innovation and streamline operations, and are dedicated to offering a unique proposition that meets the demands of customers worldwide both today and tomorrow.