OPINION
I’ve never seen travel anxiety
disruption presents an
opportunity for carriers” “
levels as high as they are now.
In the airline industry the
pandemic has caused incalculable
disruption, levelling the playing
field and rebooting passenger
preferences to entirely new
metrics. While many airlines
are in a commercial state of shock, this
atmosphere of disruption also presents
an opportunity for carriers to step up and
lead the industry into uncharted territory.
In recent weeks I’ve seen the narrative
change on Covid-19 travel. While we were
in a period of hibernation, we are now
starting to see signs of confidence
emerging, with countries and
consumers showing their eagerness
to restart travel. Airlines have
a large part to play in building travel
confidence, and over the next 12 months,
those airlines which earn passenger
trust and reassurance will become the
industry’s leaders, while those that have
paused product development and shied
away from communication will become
followers, no matter their size.
Instead of taking a conservative
stand, airlines should invest in assessing
changes in consumer preferences and
evolving their passenger experiences.
Such investment will elevate brands and
build loyalty, winning business-critical
market share.
As we have all awakened to a higher
appreciation of altruistic values, airlines
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018 JUNE 2020
now have to become more humanitarian
by treating passengers with greater
appreciation and respect. As recognised
by business analysts, airlines will have
to switch their focus to customer and
employee wellbeing and healthcare. After
all, as a species – even post Covid – we
remain vulnerable to infectious diseases.
The healthcare industry is already
proving to be a rich source of inspiration,
both psychologically and physically.
That’s why Teague is working with many
of the world’s leading brands to help
them navigate this new frontier,
understanding and solving the
immediate and long-term issues.
By spending time analysing and
mapping out strong parallels between
the healthcare and aviation industries,
we have discovered that the fundamental
differences between the two sectors
lie in their approaches to anxiety
management, sanitation and safety.
While airlines promote physical safety
throughout the passenger experience,
healthcare companies put anxiety
management and sanitation front
and centre.
These transferable learnings
between the industries will certainly
improve passenger and crew safety
in the long term, enhance the
passenger experience, and even
drive a new interior design
language. These advances will
not just reduce anxiety, but also
About Anthony
Having led some of the industry’s most significant aircraft
interior developments for the likes of Etihad, Delta and
JetBlue, Anthony Harcup joined Teague in 2019 to help
build its growing roster of airline customers, further
develop the team, and enrich industry relationships
minimise the impact of future
pandemics.
But there is a race on our hands, not
just to return to service, but to respond
to the pressing need to offer reassurance
to travellers and create lasting emotional
connections with them. Building nextgeneration
‘clean design’ cabin interiors
will happen, but that will take time, and
it may take years for airlines to
demonstrate their commitment to
passenger wellbeing.
That is why, in the short term, I expect
to see airline initiatives such as heavy
maintenance checks and dress cover
replacements create high impact, lowcost
transformations. Measures such as
the rapid installation of anti-microbial
cabin materials, and updating designs
with paler CMF schemes and smoother,
more easily cleanable details will help
kickstart a new ‘visibly cleaner’ design
standard. However, without a clear vision
and long-term strategy it will not be
possible for an airline brand to become
the hygienic preference for the more
anxious future travellers.
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This atmosphere of
Anthony Harcup
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