Flight Plan 2020: 8 Ways Travel Will Be Different a Few Months from Now

Apr 14, 2020

“Change fees will become even more unpopular” is one of 8 ways travel will be different a few months from now.

CarTrawler-sponsored report focuses on post-virus consumer behaviour and how airlines can best serve a travel economy in recovery.

April 14, 2020, Shorewood, Wisconsin and Dublin, Ireland – The pandemic will affect the airline business for years to come, but travel will return because it is an essential element of being human. There are no “opportunities” during this time of trial but we can learn from past economic challenges and global events that have tested the travel industry. This report anticipates the changes that will occur as consumers return to airlines, hotels, and car hire companies. Here are some of the findings from the report:

  • Southwest Airlines is among the most profitable airlines in the world, and has never charged change or cancellation fees. Making profits without these fees is possible.
  • Weaker airlines will merge with others or simply disappear. Some hotels will close and be repurposed for other uses, or will sit empty waiting for travel to recover.
  • “Safer close to home” will most certainly define the near-term psychology of leisure travel. Travel by automobile, passenger rail, and shorter flights will see the first indication of renewed demand, and this may occur in August 2020.
  • Travelers will equate “rural and outdoors” with good health, and “crowds and public spaces” with higher risk.
  • Protection against disease will become an expectation in the same manner that protection from terrorism has been built into the travel system.

Consumers will be on alert, and airline management teams must carefully balance very necessary revenue initiatives against public scrutiny of fairness. Flight Plan 2020: 8 Ways Travel Will Be Different a Few Months from Now was released today as a free 13-page report sponsored by CarTrawler. Download the full report here.

The travel industry is facing unprecedented challenges that will likely change the way we operate going forward. Understanding these challenges, while looking towards this new future, is vital to enduring this time successfully.
At CarTrawler we are focused on how we maximise the bounce and this pent-up demand. We can see from the report, consumer expectations and behaviours will be altered at least in the medium term. Our goal is to work with our partner network to ensure we can meet their customers’ expectations and support them in rebuilding the industry as we navigate towards the forthcoming recovery. How travel is marketed will completely change as a result of COVID-19, and we already have a very clear roadmap as to what we will focus on.

Aileen McCormack, Chief Commercial Officer at CarTrawler.

About CarTrawler: CarTrawler brings opportunities to life through a global online marketplace connecting partners, customers and suppliers. Its market-leading B2B mobility platform expands airline and travel partners’ offerings to their customers, creating substantial ancillary revenue opportunities. CarTrawler provides unrivalled breadth and depth of mobility suppliers worldwide, including car rental, airport transfer and ride-hailing services. CarTrawler works in partnership with many of the world’s biggest travel brands, providing mobility services for over a quarter of the top 100 airlines globally, including Alaska Airlines, easyJet, Jetstar, SWISS, KLM and Emirates. CarTrawler creates innovative, data-led solutions for some of the largest airlines and travel partners in the world, operating from headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and offices in New York and Melbourne. CarTrawler is private equity-backed by BC Partners and Insight Venture Partners.

About IdeaWorksCompany: IdeaWorksCompany boosts airline profits through innovations in ancillary revenue, a la carte pricing, and loyalty marketing. The firm was founded in 1996 and has an international client list of airlines and other travel industry firms in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. IdeaWorksCompany enjoys a reputation as a global resource for ancillary revenue strategy, on-site executive workshops, and research reports. Learn more at IdeaWorksCompany.com.

Media Contacts:

IdeaWorksCompany:
Jay Sorensen
President
+1-414-961-1939
jay “at” ideaworkscompany.com

CarTrawler:
David Curran
Brand Marketing Lead
[email protected]