United Airlines MD of International Sales, Marcel Fuchs, stopped by the Karryon office to share the story behind thousands of saved connections and how the airline had our backs during the pandemic.
Want to know all about the airline’s #ArrivalRevival, the new Virgin partnership, sustainability, where to get a decent cup of coffee, and how missed connections are a thing of the past, thanks to amazing new technology? You’re in the right place.
You didn’t stop flying between Australia and the USA over the pandemic. Why was that important to United Airlines?
Australia is a strategic market for us and always has been. Through the pandemic, the restrictions on limited passenger caps were extremely challenging, but we wanted to continue flying, so we focused on cargo.
We have always had a high appreciation for cargo, so we made the decision to maintain the cargo service, with the small numbers of passengers we were allowed. Eventually, we could add a second service.
We are very glad we made that decision; we felt that it was important to do so and we are still getting rewarded for being there when many were not.
What does it mean to United now the Aussie borders are open, and business and leisure travel can resume?
Since visiting Australia, I have met with a cross-section of customer segments and they all know people that are planning to fly to the US for different reasons.
To visit friends and relatives, to finally have that skiing holiday, or to take that city trip. Of course, there is also a strong demand for business travel and strong demand for meeting and events business.
I think for Australia, America is an aspirational destination, and it’s something to take time to plan.
When the borders opened, we had a surge of bookings for families and repatriation, but now people are actually planning their long vacation here and vice versa.
17 April will be another milestone in terms of customers gaining the confidence to fly again.
The Virgin Australia announcement is exciting, can you tell us more about what that partnership means to Aussie travellers?
Yes, foremost it improves the connectivity. It really provides fantastic connectivity from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and smaller regional cities which is great.
We are looking forward to implementing the codeshare when we can. And so, we have a bit more work ahead of us and of course, we have the regulatory approval pending as well.
I think it will be a massive improvement for Virgin Australia customers and vice versa, especially because the frequent flyer benefits are massive. We hope to implement some components of it in the second quarter.
We are very excited about it, not only for customers but also for the trade. The reception from our trade partners has been overwhelmingly positive.
It will also elevate our presence in Australia as the Virgin Australia relationship grows.
What enhancements can we expect from United Airlines for the customer experience?
We have implemented software that has saved hundreds of thousands of customers from missing connections. The days of having missed a flight by five to ten minutes, with the door being closed right in front of you, are over.
We have a new AI that scans the passenger list if a flight is delayed and if they have a connection it lets the other flights know to hold the plane if it is only a small wait time for them. So if the plane you are connecting with can wait for you, without inconveniencing others on board, it will.
This technology saves hundreds of thousands of connections that would have traditionally gotten missed when it was a manual process.
We’ve made it easier at the airport too. If you have any issues, such as you are delayed or have missed your connection, you can now scan your QR code at the transit desk and be directly connected to a customer service agent on your phone, meaning you don’t have to call a number or wait in line at the airport.
Because you are scanning your QR code, which connects your United profile from your app, your customer service agent will have all your details in front of them. Having this immediate help can be very powerful.
The Travel Ready Centre feature on the United App is also a very effective tool because it provides customers with a clear outline of any requirements they have to travel. Once they complete a task, say for example uploading their vaccination certificate, they get a green tick. This can all be completed 24 hours before travel so it will also help with confidence.
We were the first full-service network carrier to eliminate change fees in the US which was a big thing for us too.
We are also very excited about United Polaris, our international premium travel experience. We’ve opened up six Polaris lounges in the US so far.
It’s just a wonderful product, the ability to take a shower, to have a meal with a fine dining option. And the departure gate is usually only 80 metres away, so super convenient to maximize your time in the lounge.
There’s a huge focus on the aviation industry’s impact on our environment. What is United doing to operate more sustainably?
This is such an important part of our business, and both our leisure and corporate customers want to know what we are doing.
We are deeply committed to reducing our carbon footprint. We have three pillars that drive our sustainability.
Firstly, we are the airline with the largest volume of sustainable aviation fuel. In fact, we are partnering in a process to produce more sustainable aviation fuel, because there’s simply not enough volume in the market.
Secondly, we are working on carbon sequestration, which is literally capturing the carbon from the air and burying it in the ground.
And the third pillar is the electrification of airplanes through hydrogen-powered engines. We are partnering with some amazing companies in this space and looking forward to sharing more on that.
Additionally, we have a massive new order for much more fuel-efficient airplanes which we’ll be seeing over the next couple of years; a fleet of over 500 new aircraft. Next year alone, we would have around 105 new airplanes onboard.
And just last week we launched a new Sustainability Dashboard on United Jetstream, so Jetstream users can see their carbon footprint, which can help them make more informed decisions.
Our sustainability is championed by our CEO, he personally runs a leadership team. So you’ll see him on many YouTube videos and in public papers. He’s at the forefront of the industry and he is truly passionate about it.
True or False. It is actually possible to get a good cup of coffee in the USA?!
True. Our guests are served Illy both onboard and in our lounges. It’s a wonderful, wonderful product that I’m sure you’re all familiar with. Illy is a certified B Corp, backing up our ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Guests can also get a good XPA. We have Beach Beer Bondi XPA on board now! You will not be disappointed with our refreshments.
What would you like to say to our community of travel advisors?
I want to thank them sincerely for the massive support they have given us during Covid.
They were at the forefront of really accommodating our customers. So I want to thank every single travel consultant. They’ve been amazing.
What’s been your biggest personal learning in the pandemic? What will you take forward?
Well, there are so many lessons. I didn’t know how much I would miss travel. I’ve always taken travel for granted because it’s what I did. I’m just grateful to be able to do that again.
I’ve also gained an understanding of how agile and nimble you have to be when things don’t go well. And to be an optimist and know that things will be better.
For more information visit www.united.com
