In the near future, Russian air passengers will only be able to buy tickets using their smartphones, and airports will become quiet cities. This prediction was made by Vitaly Pushkin, Lead Manager of Corporate Sales at S7 Airlines, in an interview with Buying Business Travel Russia.
According to According to a specialist, several key trends will shape the development of the Russian aviation market in the next few years. Among them is so-called digitalization—the transfer of all transactions to the digital realm. As V. Pushkin explained, one in five tickets is already booked using a smartphone through an app or the mobile version of the carrier's website. In the near future, only a small percentage of customers will purchase tickets at the ticket office. Digitalization will help air passengers receive the most personalized service possible.
Another trend is the "quiet airport," which involves minimizing voice communications at airports. This concept is already in place at airports in Munich, Helsinki, Domodedovo, and Sochi. Constantly loud announcements about the start and end of check-in or boarding are tiresome and irritating to passengers, so modern airports strive to convey necessary information through apps, text messages, and push notifications, the expert noted.
The emergence of "airport-cities" is also being touted as a future trend. Most airports currently offer only restaurants and lounges. However, the most advanced ones are becoming true cities, equipped with gyms, cinemas, beauty salons, gardens, and even swimming pools. This concept is particularly convenient for transfer passengers, who often have a lot of free time between layovers.
V. Pushkin also included the development of airline corporate programs among industry trends. Carriers will add priority check-in, free ticket refunds, passenger data changes, and other bonuses to special "offer packages." As the expert noted, carriers cannot reduce their fares indefinitely, so they are forced to adjust their terms over time.
Source: news.turizm.ru