How can the world’s airlines and channels find help from ATPCO to cope with today’s situation? Here are some insights from ATPCO’s Head of North America Jay Brawley.
Welcome to the fourth episode of the five-part series, where you will hear from our regional industry experts on handling the effects of the pandemic.
In this interview you will learn about the quickly implemented graphics that convey health procedures and requirements for specific flights, and how that information encourages shoppers to book flights again:
- ATPCO has now created Reassurance UPAs for well over 100 airlines, covering over 70% of the global flight schedule, at no charge.
- Since launching, the Flexible Rebooking UPAs are now available in multiple languages, including Chinese, Korean, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian.
- Reassurance UPAs have been integrated by channel partners Sabre, Serko, Travix, Alternative Airlines, Skyscanner, Amadeus, CTM, TripActions, Hopper, Webjet, and more.
Transcript
Welcome to the fourth episode of the expert's vlog series, virtual edition, where we interview ATPCO experts for their unique perspective on industry challenges.
I'm Andrea Bonaiuto, ATPCO vlog host sitting in New York City, and with me today is Jay Brawley, Head of North America at ATPCO. As an industry veteran, Jay has extensive experience with airline big-data development and product design, and we're thrilled to have him here today calling in from the Washington, DC, area.
Welcome, Jay.
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
In this episode, we'll discuss how airlines and channels are working with ATPCO to address travelers' concerns with visual content. And, the ability for travelers to see that important information was the main driver behind the implementation of the ATPCO Reassurance UPAs. Can you provide us with an update on this initiative?
Certainly, Andrea. I can call out three updates: The latest addition to UPAs, the program adoption, and what's next.
The project began in early March, with our Retailing team helping United Airlines reflect their flexible change policy. We did this through ATPCO's Routehappy Content in the form of Illustrative graphics in the airline brand style. And as airlines and channels are working on their recovery strategy, they're seeing value in these key messages being distributed to a broader audience. Messages like flexible booking policies, cabin cleaning procedures, health screenings and safety measures, and now facial masks and what are the requirements for those. And since the launch, the flexible rebooking UPAs are now available in multiple languages, including Chinese, Korean, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Russian, and English.
That is impressive. And so what does this adoption look like? Is the content available on most booking channels now?
The airlines have been putting out numbers of these Reassurance UPAs and companies like Amadeus and Sabre, Serko, Travix, many more in the pipeline, are consuming these and putting them up on their travel site. It's important when a customer is looking for, shopping, and booking that they see this Reassurance UPA to let them know what the airline is doing to keep them healthy and safe.
Yeah, I would certainly want to know if, the flight that I'm about to take does require a mask or what their sanitation policies are. I think that's all super relevant right now. And so that leads me to wonder. We've been chatting with all of our experts about what we're doing right now and what the industry is like, but what's next?
So what's next? We are going to fly again. It's going to happen, it's going to happen soon. The customers are going to take a look at this information and they're going to feel more comfortable, reassured that the airlines are taking all the necessary steps to keep them safe. Over a hundred airlines are publishing these UPAs now, covering seventy percent of the scheduled traffic, so there is so much information out there, and ATPCO and the industry can provide this to help the customers feel safe.
When airlines introduce new concepts, for example, new seat configuration for safety measures, we have the capability to quickly create visual content that communicates those updates via the many channels where people are shopping and buying travel.
We will continue to grow our content and provide efficient and cost-effective solutions for the airline industry as well as providing quick access to the expertise. All lines of communication are open and ATPCO encourages our industry colleagues to reach out with any questions or ideas. We're ready, willing, and able to help.
So what's next? We'll get through this and we'll fly again.
Thank you and stay safe.
Thank you so much, Jay.
And to everyone watching, we'd love to stay connected. Reach out to us with any questions and you can of course find more information on our website.
Stay tuned for the next episode, and of course, stay safe.
