If your airline is just now considering how to use customer data effectively, we have bad news—you’re already late. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many airlines are still figuring out how to turn mountains of passenger information into something more useful than a spreadsheet no one reads.
For years, airlines have collected data like a toddler collects toys—grabbing everything but not quite sure what to do with it. Flight bookings, seat preferences, meal selections, loyalty points, rebooking history, customer complaints—it’s all there, scattered across different systems, waiting for someone to make sense of it.
Meanwhile, passengers expect hyper-personalized experiences, instant updates, and seamless service. They want their airline to remember their seat preference, not just keep offering them an exit row when they clearly prefer a window seat in the middle of the plane (yes, those people exist).
Passengers Have Moved On – Other industries figured out personalization ages ago. Your customers now expect the same level of service they get from streaming platforms, coffee chains, and online retailers.
Revenue Is Leaking – Every missed opportunity to upsell ancillaries or send a relevant offer is money left on the table.
Data Silos Are Holding You Back – Your CRM, booking system, and loyalty program aren’t talking to each other. Meanwhile, your competitor is using real-time data to offer passengers a business class upgrade before they even think about asking.
Customer Expectations Keep Rising – That passenger who tolerated a generic marketing email last year now expects a personalized offer, instant notification when their gate changes, and maybe even an apology for the middle seat.
Sure, yesterday was the best time to start. But the second-best time? Right now. With the right Customer Data Platform (CDP), airlines can finally move past fragmented data and create seamless, personalized experiences. With a specialized airline CDP like Paximizer, you can:
So, when should airlines start thinking about customer data? If you’re still asking, the answer is clear: yesterday. But today works too—just don’t wait until tomorrow.