Changing Expectations of Long-haul Passengers
As passengers have returned to long-haul flying since the pandemic shutdown, some airlines have struggled to set (or reset) passenger expectations around what precisely the long-haul passenger experience means.
In business and first class, the differences across airlines
tend to be around levels of luxury: the look, feel and function of the flatbed
seat, how the onboard food & beverage offering is designed, and the level
of flight attendant service. Premium economy, too, is similar, with the
differences mostly in whether it’s a fully separated cabin versus curtain-style
dividers, and whether the catering feels more premium or more economy.
Down the back where most passengers fly, though, matters get more complicated, especially now that basic economy ticket types are widespread. Yet basic economy passengers on full-service carriers still receive the same entertainment, food and other onboard as passengers buying a more expensive fare type, by and large.
The changing dynamics here, though, are complex. Until recently, few long-haul routes have seen low-cost carrier entrants, which has led to passenger expectations on long-haul flights remaining set around the full-service airline model, in both hard product and soft products.
As a result, low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers like Wizz Air are deploying their standard maximum-passenger configured narrowbody aircraft on increasingly long routes. These carriers’ strong low-cost and established no-frills brand expectations — and indeed the information provided during their direct booking channels — mean that few passengers will be surprised not to receive a meal, and no-recline low-cost-carrier seats won’t be a shock.
Yet counter examples of the long-haul narrow body experience exist: TAP Air Portugal and JetBlue both operate transatlantic flights with A321 neo variants where economy passengers see meals included in a largely full-service experience. Both price keenly and, in certain ways, have low-cost elements to their models.
At the other end of the service and aircraft size matrix,
long-haul low-cost carriers operating widebody aircraft will often not have as
strong or established a brand, particularly outside their home markets. These
carriers need to be very careful to inform passengers about what is and is not
included in the design of their offerings, particularly when distributing their
flights via metasearch engines or online travel agencies, and when there are
language barriers.
Overall, there is little general passenger understanding or expectation set at an industry-wide level about what can be expected when flying long-haul low-cost, and varying airline models mean that doing so is complicated. Look at the differing passenger experience options between the three new transpacific long-haul low-cost carriers: Air Japan, Air Premia, and Zipair Tokyo.
To start with, on hard product alone, Air Japan is all-economy, Air Premia has premium economy style recliners, and Zipair Tokyo offers no-frills fully flat beds up front. Air Premia tickets include meals and inflight entertainment screens, but the others do not at their lead-in pricing, and many passengers, particularly those in a business class flatbed — even on a low-cost carrier — might be surprised not to have meals included on a twelve-hour flight, let alone no entertainment screens.
Here, airlines can go a long way to helping set their
passengers’ expectations by the design of their cabins, and in displaying those
cabins clearly. Prospective travelers who are shown seats without
entertainment screens will not be surprised by their absence. Portraying seats
and cabins that look smart yet serviceable rather than luxurious is a good move
too. And realistic photos of inflight food and drinks — rather than glossy
versions stylishly staged with, say, real china as opposed to disposable boxes
— can establish reasonable
expectations of the experience.
All this can be complex, especially when airline ticket distribution systems are in the picture, no matter what kind of carrier is being considered. But that’s why it’s important to consider how these expectations are set throughout the airline and throughout the experience, from cabin design to advertising to social presence to flight search to the booking path to the airport and onboard.