Frictionless travel is nirvana for time-poor frequent travellers and no more so than when flying. Certain products and services come into their own to expedite and smooth the end-to-end experience to the airport, through the airport and 35,000 feet up, but it’s still challenging. 

Being able to work for longer and getting on to the aircraft faster are the key drivers.

According to buyer Michael Hill, Head of Indirect Procurement and Global Travel Services at Kantar, also important to his travellers are “direct flights and flying to get their loyalty points”.

With a lot of US travel, Kantar eases all travellers through immigration and passport control by supporting Global Pass. 

Hill is also cognisant of supporting his company’s VIPs, an executive board of 13, “because they’ll give you time when you want to talk to them,” he explains.

“As a travel manager we want to make travellers more comfortable. So, as an example, if a flight gets cancelled and they’re flying in economy class, we allow them ad hoc use of a private lounge. The EAs alert travellers of any gate changes and the like,” adds Hill.

He reckons attitudes towards business travel post Covid has changed for the better.

“People seem to enjoy travelling again. We don’t have too many demands placed on us and we have no divas!” he says. “It’s effective communication that works for me.” 

Door-to-door

So, what’s out there to ease the experience?

Peter Snowdon, Director of Commercial UK at TAG, says: “We generally see the most friction for travellers occurs when getting to and from airports or hotels. This is where we believe offering a true end-to-end service is required to ensure that all the small details are taken care of.”

Kantar utilises chauffeur specialists Blacklane and Uber for Business, for example.

What Snowdon would like to see is better communication between suppliers and TMCs. “It’s key to ensuring the traveller has a seamless experience. We need to provide details such as driver information, contact details and be alerted to any changes,” he explains.

“We generally see the most friction occurs when getting to and from airports or hotels. This is where offering a true end-to-end service is required”

Being chauffeured from home or office to Heathrow, and taken to a private lounge with a personal butler to serve food curated by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, is a good a start as any. This is what’s provided by Heathrow VIP – the airport’s front door to tarmac product where travellers are escorted from check-in to security, while the passport control process is dealt with in the suite.

Increased demand has triggered a refurb of all eight suites by January. Gatwick has a similar service, called Signature.

VIP treatment

Hand-holding comes in many shapes and forms and streamlining airport navigation is one of them. DiamondAir International offers a bespoke airport meet and greet and assist service on departure – to get travellers through security, to a lounge or departure gate – and on arrival too, to meet travellers at the gate, escort them through immigration and customs, to a connecting flight or to onward travel. Available at 600 airports worldwide, the latest addition is En Route, an off-airport check-in lounge to process luggage before arriving at Heathrow and to enjoy a spa treatment.

If you want to sail through security, pre-booking Fast Track security is a must and some airlines include it in premium cabin bookings, but sadly high demand in the UK is making it more akin to Slow Track.

The experience of Sascha Meskendahl, Chief Revenue Officer at chauffeur service Blacklane, is not uncommon: “The biggest pain point for CEO and VIP travellers remains airports and delays. I recently lost one and a half hours to immigration at Chicago airport, missed my connection, and arrived a day later, also having missed an important business meeting. This is not an isolated experience,” he says.

“Security at the departure and arrival airport is suffering from labour shortages where there are simply not enough people, and flights are not running as smoothly as they were before the pandemic. Arriving one hour ahead of a flight is no longer enough, making scheduling a nightmare for bookers. Every element of the journey – including chauffeurs – needs to build in flexibility and flight tracking in a world when flights are more often delayed than not.”

“The biggest pain point for CEO and VIP travellers remains airports and delays”

Lounge access is crucial and access will depend on travel policy. Flying business class automatically means enjoying a quiet space to eat, drink and relax and pay-to-use access lounge providers fill a gap, including Priority Pass with 1,600 airport lounges worldwide and Plaza Premium Lounges at 80 airports.

Airports are continually upgrading facilities for the business traveller and cutting-edge digital integration, sustainable airport facilities and a “focus on human-centric design that puts the traveller at the heart of every decision” are the three main pillars of airport design, according to Yvonne Bilshausen, Senior Vice President Global Head of Aviation, Architecture & Engineering at infrastructure firm AECOM.

This translates to smart systems for check-in, security and bag handling to expedite the journey through the airport, so improvements are on their way.

A new FTE Airport Design & Development Think Tank recently launched, with members from United Airlines and from Manchester, Los Angeles and Cleveland airports, with the clear aim of improving airport design from 2040.

In the meantime, Singapore’s Changi is investing S$3bn over the next six years improving check-in, immigration and Skytrain connections between terminals and readying itself for Boeing’s B779, the world’s longest twin-engine aircraft, by strengthening airside infrastructure.

Hong Kong International will have a three-runway system fully operating by the end of 2024, and across the pond a US$19 billion transformation at New York JFK and a new Terminal A at Newark are promising a more streamlined passenger experience.

Different values

On facilities 35,000 feet up, it wasn’t so long ago that a flat bed was the gold standard but today the focus has turned to other areas.

According to surveys of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class passengers, what they value most are a smooth boarding experience (lounge access, priority boarding and deplaning), onboard space, impeccable service (genuine interactions with crew), a relaxing environment, quality food and beverage, and extras (surprise and delight moments that make them feel valued).  

“If a flight gets cancelled and they’re flying in economy class, we allow them ad hoc use of a private lounge”

Any major airline worth its salt has been enhancing its premium products to keep these high-yield customers happy and loyal.

Delta has a paid-for VIP Select service to greet VIP clients and expedite each step of the travel experience, from curbside to planeside. It also has ‘surprise moments’ from its Porsche airport transfers, taking VIPs from the jet bridge on deplaning to their connecting flight.

Similarly, American Airlines has Flagship First and Business services such as lounges, fast check-in, security and boarding and Five Star Service that includes priority boarding and car service coordination.

Personal touches

United Airlines texts customers links to local, live radar maps during weather delays and sends personalised day-of instructions and terminal guides to navigate point-to-point through certain airports.

It also gives real-time access to boarding pass, gate and seat number and a countdown clock to departure time.

It is using AI to attempt to de-stress tight flight connection times by determining if flights can be held and has introduced a time-saving boarding process, by seat position. Its app is being turned into a personal concierge with on-demand customer support and the like.

In the next few years customers will enjoy fast Wi-Fi across the entire fleet thanks to a deal with SpaceX announced in September.

Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, has been busy opening a dedicated Delta One Lounge at Los Angeles, launched Missoni-designed amenity kits in Delta One and is adding eight more lie-flat suites to its fleet of Airbus A350-900s. It’s rolling out free Wi-Fi across international flights and has a new cabin interior that will be installed across the fleet.

It has also expanded its Digital ID touchless airport technology (biometric facial matching) to a sixth US airport, Salt Lake City. This eliminates agent-facilitated document checks and gives access to dedicated TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lane for the fastest experience. At bag drop the tech has made transactions 75% faster.

Another innovation is Delta Sync, rolling out fleet-wide, which makes seatback screens feel like smart TVs, greeting passengers by name and providing updates on ETAs, connection gates, bag status and more.

Seat selection

Lufthansa Group’s new Allegris concept gives passengers the choice of five different Business Class seats, all with chest-high walls, sliding doors, wardrobes and personal minibars.

A new First Class cabin took to the skies in November. The ceiling-high Suite Plus (single or double) has one-metre-wide seats that can be heated or cooled, with a lockable door, personal wardrobe and minibar. It’s part of a €2.5 billion investment designed to give a more personalised, individual experience.

Cathay Pacific has a new Business Class Aria Suite and will be launching a new First Class experience onboard its 777-9s and a brand new flat-bed Business Class product on its Airbus A330s.

“Lufthansa Group’s new Allegris concept gives passengers the choice of five different Business Class seats”

Singapore Airlines is launching a new First and Business Class cabin in its seven A350-900ULR aircraft.

Qantas’ Project Sunrise will see the launch of non-stop flights from London Heathrow to Sydney and Melbourne on 238-seat Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft from 2026, saving up to four hours compared with one-stop flights.

First class cabins will be more like a mini boutique hotel room with fixed beds, separate recliner chair, personal wardrobe and a dining table for two.

Such innovations in premium flying help to improve the end-to-end experience of flying.

Unfortunately, there are still no workarounds for traffic delays and flight cancellations, but technology and personalisation should at least help ease airport navigation in years to come.