Study explores behavioural patterns shaping passenger trends in 2025
October 24, 2024
NewTerritory, the London-based brand experience behind the recent cabin redesign for Delta Air Lines, has conducted a study that underpins the need for airlines to adapt their in-flight experience to keep pace with customer expectations.
The study explored how airline brands can encourage repeat purchases among their customer base, revealing that the need to make passengers feel valued is one of the strongest factors influencing their spending behaviour. Seventy-three per cent of respondents identified empathy as the most effective way for brands to achieve this. The research also highlighted the importance of airlines understanding and addressing the negative effects of air travel on passenger wellbeing, such as jet lag, fatigue and disrupted services.
Personalisation also ranked highly with 49% of respondents stating it impacted their decision-making. Examples of personalised moments mentioned by passengers included a personal greeting from a pilot, a customised note from the crew and a tailored menu catering to dietary preferences.
Finding ways to make the journey more pleasurable were another key driver for passenger choice, with 66% of those surveyed saying this can be achieved through unexpected moments of delight during a monotonous flight.
According to NewTerritory, the most striking finding is the diminishing impact of traditional factors like trust and reliability in influencing spending behaviour. These factors were much less likely to influence repeat purchases when it comes to major airlines.
With airlines needing to adapt to meet evolving customer expectations, NewTerritory founder, Luke Miles, explained carriers should offer “a differentiated, human-centred journey that makes [passengers] feel like valued customers”. He added, “Carriers that want to win in the future need to put their passengers’ emotions and feelings at the heart of their business model The ability to make passengers feel genuinely valued, will make or break major airlines in the future.”
Miles concluded that airlines must think of air travel as more than just a means of reaching a destination – it should be a hospitality experience. “Just as we dine and sleep in a hotel, passengers expect a similar level of care and comfort in the sky. To survive and thrive, airlines must re-prioritise a hospitality-first approach, where human emotions and feelings form the foundation of the experience.”
