The FINANCIAL — Lufthansa is driving digitalization in air travel forward. Its aim is to always be on the scene to support customers and make their trip more enjoyable with the Lufthansa app – at the airport, the lounge, and at the gate.
To do this, Lufthansa is the first airline at the Munich hub to test so-called location-based services. If the customer has activated the location-based services on their smartphone, Lufthansa can refer them via the Lufthansa app to exactly the offers and services relevant to their current location and that will make their stay more comfortable, according to Lufthansa.
In the test phase, customers in Munich receive an offer for entry into the Business Lounge for 25 euros. This personalized push message is sent to the passenger located in the vicinity of a lounge, if they don’t yet have automatic lounge access through customer status or booking class. This works via so-called “iBeacons,” installed at relevant points in the terminal. An extension of location-based services into other airports is also planned in the coming months. The Business Lounge offers the customer food and drinks „all inclusive“ as well as an pleasant atmosphere for working and relaxing.
Another convenience is the personalized offer for a Lufthansa Economy Class customer to be able to purchase an upgrade to Business Class. This has already been implemented in short and medium-haul flights, and is currently being tested on five long-haul flights: from Munich to Los Angeles and Seoul, and from Frankfurt to Delhi, Shanghai and Toronto.
The further development of the electronic baggage receipt in the Lufthansa app is another example of how Lufthansa is progressing in digitization and use of big data and analytics technologies. Most recently, Lufthansa guests can use their digital baggage receipt to see where their baggage is currently located. Upon arrival, the app informs the guest not only of the exact baggage carousel, but also of precisely what time the piece of luggage arrives on the conveyor. This service is currently available at the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, and Milan, will be rolled out further.
The SMILE program – Surpass My Individual Lufthansa Experience – is attending to this development. It ensures that an offer is only presented to those customers who could potentially be interested in it.
“With SMILE, we want to become better acquainted with our customers’ needs and offer them customized and personalized products, services, and communication, according to their preferences, along the entire travel chain,” says Program Director Marcus Casey. “That way, we don’t just serve changing customer needs, but also create sustainable added value for customers.”
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