Consumer Experience

Fulfilling the "total trip experience"!

How exactly will High Speed Rail connect to airports? according to the Californian HSR blog success will depend heavily on getting the last mile transfer between platforms and terminal and other details right. This fact is becoming more and more relevent when customers seek that elusive "total trip experience". Providing tickets or electronic access to services that reach the city centre from an airport is a welcome next step when purchasing before flying. However, what is needed is the knowledge that you can get to your final point or destination. Some airport express services such as Friendly Limousine Services (Japan) or KLIA Ekspres are achieving that by completing the final journey. What other initiatives are out there?

12 May 2009

Posted by: Philip Martin

Comments

Very simple and practical action is what Ryanair has done in some of its flights to London, where (slightly) discounted Gatwick Express tickets to the city center are (were?) sold by cabin crew. This was probably led by the airline to take a commmission on those sales (as indirect ancillary revenues), but there's obviously an interest by Gatwick Express as well.

However, ideally the customer would have those tickets sooner than that, would buy them together with the air ticket or soon thereafter. Therefore practical ways would be: a) sale in airline websites, once air ticket purchased (customer could be informed even before that, of the good connection and its price) b) through OLTAs, similar approach c) when in a traditional off-line travel agency, a banner (advertising) in the availability display with destination the city with the high speed rail to city center will certainly help!

A "wilder" thought: why not reach (the rail provider) a deal with an airline flying to that city and include the rail ticket in the price of the air ticket, and the airline use that USP (seamless and conveninent travel all the way to city center) to differentiate from competition (communicate that through flight features functionality in the selling platform accessed by travel agents).
Also to consider joint communication with national / regional / city tourism board.

By Juan Jose Llorente on 5 Jun 2009

Hey great post. Thought I'm not sure I agree with you 100%. Keep em coming. Are you interested in having anyone guest post opposing views?

By Jamboree In The Hills on 24 Dec 2010

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