Dive Brief:

• The competitive airline industry is working to better leverage data to help build customer loyalty, Reuters reported.
• Airlines are betting that keeping passengers informed on everything from security and immigration waiting times to public transport delays or traffic jams could help them retain customers.
• Tech may help facilitate faster journeys through airports as well, allowing for things like scanning luggage more efficiently.

Dive Insight:

Airlines are considering how they can use tech to go beyond simple flight information to things like trying to ease travel stresses and build customer loyalty. Airlines are hoping to get ahead of this, as the number of people flying is expected to double from an annual level of 3.5 billion in 20 years, delegates at the World Passenger Symposium in Hamburg last week said.

Tony Tyler, director general of the International Air Transport Association, suggested airlines should also communicate more information on delays or route changes so that services such as car hire and hotels can be rebooked automatically.

"It's about things happening smoothly without interrupting the flow...where everything gets out of the way of the customer," Tyler said.