Be the hero: Your passengers need you more than ever

IATA has created a great interactive map, powered by Timatic, showing the travel regulations for every country in the world. It is a fantastic resource, but it highlights just how different travel restrictions around the world are and makes us think – how on earth can passengers be expected to get their heads around all this?

According to the map below from ourworldindata.org , deaths per million in France and Brazil are comparable (463.66 and 442.72 respectively), so we’ve taken these two countries as examples to show the stark difference in travel regulations across the globe.
 

France: Deaths per million as at 3 August = 463.66

Travel restrictions
1. Passengers are not allowed to enter.
- This does not apply to:
- nationals of France, if not arriving from French Guiana or Mayotte, and their spouses and children;
- British nationals and nationals of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City (Holy See) and an EEA Member State if not arriving from French Guiana or Mayotte; and their spouses and children;
- passengers arriving from Andorra, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Korea (Rep.), Monaco, Morocco, New-Zealand, Rwanda, San Marino, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City (Holy See) or an EEA Member State;
- passengers with a residence permit issued by Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City (Holy See) or an EEA Member State if not arriving from French Guiana or Mayotte;
- merchant seamen if not arriving from French Guiana or Mayotte;
- students if not arriving from French Guiana or Mayotte.
2. Passengers arriving from Bahrain, Panama, USA or United Arab Emirates must have a medical certificate with a negative Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test result issued at most 72 hours before departure.
- This does not apply to passengers younger than 11 years.
3. Passengers arriving from Algeria, Brazil, India, Israel, Kuwait, Madagascar, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Serbia, South Africa or Turkey must have a medical certificate with a negative Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test result issued at most 72 hours before departure. Passengers without a medical certificate must take the test on arrival.
- This does not apply to passengers younger than 11 years.
4. A completed International Travel Certificate must be presented prior to boarding and to immigration upon arrival or when transiting France. The certificate can be obtained at consulates or at https://www.interieur.gouv.fr.
- This does not apply to passengers arriving from Andorra, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Korea (Rep.), Monaco, Morocco, New-Zealand, Rwanda, San Marino, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City (Holy See) or an EEA Member State.
5. Passengers must complete a declaration of honour to state that they do not have symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
6. Passengers are subject to quarantine or isolation.

Brazil: Deaths per million as at 3 August = 442.72

Travel restrictions
1. Passengers with a maximum stay of 90 days must have medical insurance coverage for the duration of their stay.
- This does not apply to nationals and residents of Brazil.
- This does not apply to passengers travelling as students in Brazil.

Then there’s South Africa, that has completely suspended all flights, and Thailand that is asking for a long list of certificates, screenings, and quarantine. And the United Kingdom that has quarantine rules in place…except for a list of 78 countries…

And once you’ve got your head around that, there’s the difference in airport experiences to think about.

If you’re flying from Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru then you’re in for a real treat with a full end-to-end contactless experience. Watch this video to see how smooth, calm, and well-thought-through the experience is.

 

If you’re flying from London Heathrow, however, you may not be so lucky.

What LHR airport aims to achieve, according to the Fly Safe video on its website:

 

The reality: long, snaking queues that make social distancing impossible.

 

It’s stressful, isn’t it? Now look at it through the eyes of your passengers. They want to fly, but it is just so difficult! Of course, passengers do need to take some level of responsibility for themselves before they leave home. But when there is this level of complexity involved with travel, shouldn’t we be asking what we can do to help them through this transition period?

This is why we’re calling on airlines to step up and be the hero that passengers need. 

Can you afford to put it off any longer?

Telling you that personalisation is important is like telling you that water is wet. But perhaps you feel that making personalisation a part of your everyday communications is easier said than done. 

We know that the challenges you are facing right now are greater than your business has probably ever known. But when 70% of consumers say a company’s understanding of their personal needs influences their loyalty, and 80% of companies report seeing an uplift on their bottom line after implementing personalisation, why wait any longer?

That’s where we come in. 

The 15below platform has been designed to help you put your passengers at the heart of everything you do, so that making your communications truly personalised is possible at the touch of a button. Our pre-departure templates allow you to offer incredible levels of detail, informing each passenger of what they can expect from the moment they book, to the moment they land. Take a look at an example here.

On average, airlines that automate their passenger communications through the 15below platform – including passenger documents, pre-departure communications, and disruption-focused notifications – achieve a net return of more than $7 million in the first year alone.*

Don’t just take our word for it

Over the last 20 years, we have built a community that includes more than 50 of the world’s top travel brands. Here are some words from a few of our happy customers:

“15below’s platform has become an integral component of the services provided by JetBlue. This system has allowed us to increase the accuracy and timeliness of notifications, improving the overall experience for our customers, and reducing operating costs within the contact center.”
JILL CHASTON, CREW SUPPORT MANAGER, JETBLUE.

“15below’s experience in both travel technology and more specifically passenger communications, not only gave us the reassurance that they would do a great job, but also provided invaluable guidance to support our overall business goals and needs. They are a committed team of business partners.”
DIANA MIZRACHI-KOPEL, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR, COPA 

“We want to keep our customers informed with the most up-to-date information about their travel plans. At Flight Centre we are there and we do the work for you – anytime, anyplace, 24/7 - so if things change, we take care of you.
15below’s notifications platform helps us to do both of these things – it’s specifically designed for the travel industry and it enables us to stay connected to our passengers with targeted and personalised communications whilst significantly reducing our operational overheads.”
PAUL WILCOX, GENERAL MANAGER ONLINE, FLIGHT CENTRE LIMITED

So, if you want the power to turn a stressful and confusing experience for your passengers into one that is calm and empowering, then get in touch today to chat with our customer experience experts.

*Calculated based on new 15below customers in 2018