As a self-confessed aviation lover with over 25 years of experience in various airline roles, Nicole’s insatiable zest for life is matched only by her passion for Delta Air Lines and the Australian travel industry at large.
Nicole has travelled the globe skiing, hiking, diving with sharks, visiting theme parks, and exploring historical sites, but she always makes sure she road tests the restaurants and bars in every city she visits.
We managed to squeeze some time into Nicole’s heavy schedule to gauge her thoughts on leadership in the new golden era of travel.
What’s happening in your business at the moment, and how does the forthcoming period look?
As Delta continued to fly throughout the pandemic, we didn’t experience the issues that many others in the industry had to deal with.
With regard to how the forthcoming period is looking, sales are looking really robust.
Our forward bookings are looking so great that we’ll be introducing a second service for the SYD-LAX route three days a week from 18 December. That will take us up to ten services a week which is really excellent news.
What are you excited about right now?
No pre-testing for the USA. That is literally huge news for us and we are all very excited about it.
Another thing we are excited about is we are finally flying customers on our flagship aircraft, the A350.
We launched the aircraft during the pandemic, so as you could imagine, hardly anyone got to experience it. And now they can, which is amazing.
Are there any key trends you are seeing that are driving change in your business or across the industry?
Yes, the desire for premium bookings is increasing exponentially. Leisure customers are booking premium seats because they want fewer people in their cabins.
So we are discovering that people are valuing health and safety ahead of price.
What are the biggest challenges for travel?
Capacity! Capacity in every facet of the industry, but probably more so in airlines.
It is really challenging for consumers and trade to find seats.
The demand is there but the supply is not. This isn’t such an issue for Delta because we didn’t stop flying, but for the wider industry, it’s tough and I really hope it gets better quickly.
What about the biggest opportunities?
The bucket list. All those new destinations that people have dreamt about while stuck at home in lockdown.
Covid taught us that if you want to go, then go. So we are seeing a lot of interest in destinations that weren’t in our top ten prior to 2019.
For example, a lot of people are booking Utah and there is also greater interest in the Southern states such as Memphis, Nashville, and Savannah.
We are finding that people are booking longer itineraries with multi stops across a number of states.
As a leader yourself, how important is leadership right now? And what does/should good leadership look like?
Leadership is so important because our industry is under-resourced at the moment; everyone is tired and stretched so we need to lead by example.
I’m a strong proponent of servant leadership: I serve my employees, but I don’t believe they are there to serve me.
Another philosophy that I follow is to listen, act, listen.
It is easy to listen and act, but we don’t always follow up to see if what we have done is right. Whether that be for your employees or your customers, it’s something that I think is important.
What would you like to see change?
It would be great to see the many amazing people our industry lost due to covid come back.
We lost so much skill in this industry. I would love to see those great people return to the industry that they love.
I know they may feel there is a risk, but I would love to see them return.
How key is collaboration in the industry?
Absolutely key. It’s a new world now, so we have to learn from each other and support each other. Collaboration is the best way to get through this uncomfortable time.
Collaboration within your team is important, too, because teams are under-resourced, and everyone is tired.
Do you think enough emphasis is being placed on sustainability in travel and addressing the climate crisis?
Some suppliers are doing it really well and others are just talking about doing it really well.
I would love to see more action.
What are your personal learnings from the pandemic?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Control the controllables.
What’s your message to the industry?
Be kind. Embrace any opportunities. Support each other.
You can find out more about Nicole or get in touch with her via her LinkedIn profile.
