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Accessibility in Times of Disruption: Why Airlines Must Rethink the Experience

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:55:14 GMT

Airline disruption is stressful for everyone. But for millions of disabled passengers, delays and diversions can quickly shift from a simple inconvenience to a moment of vulnerability.

In a recent fireside conversation at Grounded 2025, accessibility manager for Virgin Atlantic , John Fishwick and customer experience expert from Empathyce , Jerry Angrave highlighted how the industry can—and must—do better.

Their message is clear:

Accessible disruption response isn’t a “nice to have” – It is essential to safe, dignified, modern air travel.

Understanding the Experience

Disabled travellers often manage layers of planning long before they reach the airport—medical routines, mobility devices, sensory triggers, assistance bookings, and unfamiliar environments. When plans shift suddenly, the impact is far greater than frustration:

A delay may impact medical treatment timing
A change in routine may trigger anxiety or sensory overload
Lack of communication may leave passengers unsure where to go or what to do
Mobility device uncertainty can create fear of losing independence
Clear, proactive communication isn’t just good service—it’s protection.

Why It Still Goes Wrong

Despite progress, airlines face persistent gaps:

Training Gaps

Frontline and crew teams aren’t always empowered to recognise or respond to diverse needs—especially during disruption.

Process Gaps

SSR codes provide limited insight; information doesn’t always move between airport, crew, and customer.

Cultural Gaps

Staff can be afraid to ask, “How can I help?”Airlines often avoid discussing what might go wrong, even though disabled passengers want that honesty.

Leadership Gaps

Sustained progress only happens when leadership embeds accessibility into strategy—not as a regulatory requirement, but a core value.

What Good Looks Like

Airlines that lead in accessibility share common traits:

Proactive Preparation

Encourage early disclosure of needs
Offer realistic expectations, including what the airline can’t do
Provide guidance for passengers with complex requirements

Personalised Support During Disruption

Ask: “How can I help you right now?”
Prioritise disabled or vulnerable customers for rebooking and accommodation
Create centralised support spaces during major events
Empower staff to make judgement calls—guided by the “Daily Mail Test” :
If this moment appeared on tomorrow’s front page, who would look unreasonable?

Better Measurement

Airlines should measure not just speed, but dignity and experience:
Was communication timely and clear?
Did the customer feel safe and respected?
Was mobility equipment handled with care?
Did processes accommodate individual needs?

The Industry Is Improving—But Not Evenly

Airports, airlines, and ground handlers are learning together. New standards and advisory boards—like the Virgin Atlantic Accessibility Board—are raising expectations. But consistency is still the biggest challenge.

The opportunity is huge:
Those who lead in accessibility will set the benchmark for the entire industry.

Watch the Follow-On Discussion

Transforming Passenger Disruption Management with Human-Centred Design

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:58:11 GMT

Why the future of disruption recovery lies at the intersection of integration, transparency, and empathy.

This is The Technology Perspective and it is the third part of a series called The State of Play, taken from a keynote delivered at Grounded, 2025.

Why Technology Is the Missing Link in Airline Disruption Management

Technology sits at the center of the gap between what passengers expect and what airlines are able to deliver. It acts as the critical connector—yet it often falls short not because systems are insufficient, but because they were designed from the inside out. Modern disruption management requires a shift in perspective: technology should not bend passenger needs to system constraints, but rather shape systems around the real needs of passengers.

True progress emerges when airlines begin with an understanding of the passenger’s experience during disruption and then adapt or build technology to meet those expectations. It’s not a matter of replacing everything; it’s about reframing how systems are conceived, integrated, and used.

Start With Passenger Needs, Not System Limitations

Traditional airline technology initiatives frequently begin with existing system capabilities, asking, “What can our platforms do?” The more transformative approach starts with the passenger: “What does the traveler need right now?”

In 2025, passenger-centered design is more than an approach—it’s a competitive differentiator. Airlines that audit real passenger expectations from the outset are better positioned to build digital ecosystems that are efficient, empathetic, and resilient.

When technology is shaped around what passengers value, it becomes a tool for delivering care, not just operational tasks.

The Three Passenger Expectations That Define Modern Travel

Urgency
Passengers want immediate acknowledgement and visible progress. Speed of communication matters as much as speed of resolution, and even automated updates can create a sense of momentum while operations work to solve the problem.

Personalisation
Recognising each traveler’s context—travel purpose, itinerary, preferences—turns disruption recovery into a more human, tailored experience. Admittedly, personalisation is the drum the aviation industry has beat for the last decade, and in the context of data privacy and regulations can be difficult to navigate, however, it can be as simple as asking the passenger how they would like to proceed, rather than assuming.

Control
Providing meaningful options—such as self-service rebooking, alternative routing, or compensation choices—gives passengers a sense of agency at a time when they typically feel powerless. The goal isn’t to shift responsibility onto the traveler, but to offer flexibility that aligns with their priorities.

What Airlines Can Learn From Mobility and Digital Banking

Industries that have reinvented customer experience have done so by starting with user needs, not system constraints.

Mobility: Visibility Reduced Cancellations

When mobility platforms reimagined the ride-hailing experience, they didn’t begin with dispatch systems or fleet upgrades. They focused on three core user questions:

Where is my car?
How much will this cost?
Am I in control?

By meeting these needs with real-time visibility and transparent communication, they reshaped an entire sector. Lyft later demonstrated this clearly: simply improving real-time driver tracking reduced cancellations and “Where is my driver?” support calls—without making cars arrive any faster.

Airlines face a parallel challenge: the biggest problem during disruptions is often not the delay itself but the lack of visibility. Technology that provides continual updates and clear next steps dramatically reduces anxiety and improves experience—without requiring fundamental operational changes.

Between people, acknowledgement is always the first response to struggle; it’s the first step in empathy. And it is no different in customer recovery—acknowledge the problem.

Banking: Practical Innovation That Feels Personal

Banks invested in modernizing their back-end systems for years, yet what customers valued most were small, practical features: instant fraud alerts, real-time balance updates, and faster transfers.

Monzo demonstrated this shift clearly—its instant transaction notifications became a signature feature, resulting in:

Reduced fraud concerns
Decreased support calls
Greater trust simply by keeping customers informed in real time

These improvements didn’t require re-engineering the entire industry. They made customers feel informed and in control.

Airlines can take the same approach. Practical, human-centered enhancements—push notifications, intuitive self-service tools, real-time disruption updates—can meaningfully shift passenger perception of both the brand and the disruption moment itself.

Low-Lift Technology Improvements That Deliver High Passenger Impact

Bridging the gap between systems and passenger expectations doesn’t always require sweeping transformation. Some of the most effective changes are targeted enhancements that create smoother experiences with minimal operational lift.

Examples of High-Value, Low-Lift Enhancements

Unified interfaces
Bringing rebooking, accommodations, and communication into one connected platform.
An obvious barrier to execution would be access to the underlying data sources required to deliver this; airlines with heavily siloed legacy systems may need foundational integration work before the interface truly becomes unified.

Self-service tools
Allowing passengers to manage their own recovery with simple, flexible options.
That said, self-service is easiest to deploy when policies are already standardized; airlines with complex regional, regulatory, or fare-rule variations must first simplify rules for self-service to function reliably.

Proactive notifications
Reducing uncertainty through regular, automated updates rather than reactive communication.
Automated messaging requires reliable, real-time operational data—if upstream data is incomplete or delayed, notifications may increase confusion rather than reduce it.

These enhancements shift technology from being a purely operational resource to becoming an experience enabler—while still acknowledging that even “small” improvements require the right foundational conditions to succeed.

Why Transparency Is the New Competitive Advantage

The most impactful technological improvements share a unifying principle: visibility.
Transparency provides emotional reassurance. When passengers understand what’s happening and why, frustration decreases—even if the delay remains the same.

Consistent, honest updates build trust. Silence, by contrast, amplifies anxiety. In this sense, technology becomes a mechanism for delivering empathy at scale.

Shifting From Operational Infrastructure to Experience Infrastructure

Historically, airline technology has been built around operational efficiency—aircraft utilization, crew management, load factors. The next evolution is experience infrastructure: systems built to serve human needs as seamlessly as they support operations, eliminating the need for any tradeoff between the two.

This evolution does not require abandoning legacy systems. Instead, it calls for integrating them into connected ecosystems that prioritize visibility, personalization, and empowerment.

When this shift happens, operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction stop competing and start reinforcing one another.

The Future of Airline Technology: Human-Centered, Connected, Transparent

The path forward lies in blending integration with empathy. Airlines that design technology around people—rather than processes—move from reactive problem-solving to proactive trust-building.

Bridging the gap between passengers and systems doesn’t mean doing more. It means doing what matters most:

simplifying workflows
connecting siloed tools
communicating consistently
enabling meaningful choice

When technology is designed with these principles, it becomes more than infrastructure—it becomes a bridge of trust between airline and passenger.

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

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�� Reykjavik, Iceland Sept. 2–3
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What Passengers Expect From Airlines During Disruptions

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:57:33 GMT

Why speed, transparency, personalization, and control now define the modern disruption experience.

This is The Passenger Perspective and it is the second part of a series called The State of Play, taken from a keynote delivered at Grounded, 2025.

Passengers don’t live in a vacuum. Their expectations aren’t shaped by other airlines - but by everyday experiences with companies like Starbucks , Spotify , and Marriott that deliver immediacy, frictionlessness, and personalisation as a standard. In aviation, effective service delivery is not just about moving passengers from point A to point B. Today’s customers bring expectations shaped by their daily interactions with world-class consumer brands, and those expectations are redefining what “good service” means – especially during moments of disruption.

Passengers Don’t Just Compare Airlines to Airlines

When evaluating their travel experience, passengers aren’t only comparing one airline to another. They’re comparing airlines to global leaders in customer experience. These companies – Amazon , Netflix , Uber , etc. – have raised the benchmark for what constitutes “good service.”

Consider a few examples:

- Starbucks uses in-app purchases and skip-the-line pick-up to ensure seamless delivery, while offering personalisation down to the amount of ice or the temperature of the milk.

- Spotify anticipates personal preferences with eerily accurate playlists customized based on past listening habits, down to the day of the week and the time of the day.

- The Marriott Bonvoy App lets guests tailor their stay down to their preferred type of pillow with the touch of a button.

These experiences are immediate, frictionless, and personalised. They meet the expectations of today’s consumers and upwardly redefine the standard for what effective and satisfactory service should look like.

Passengers don’t leave those standards at home when they come to the airport – they carry them with them. And when disruptions occur, the gap between expectation and reality becomes especially glaring.

The Research: What Passengers Value in Disruptions

To better understand passenger expectations, Grounded partnered with the Center for Research in Marketing and Consumer Psychology at Reykjavík University .

More than 500 passengers were surveyed and asked to make trade-offs between recovery provisions in two scenarios: a three-hour delay and a cancellation. Using conjoint analysis, the study uncovered how passengers assign value to different recovery outcomes.

Two Categories of Recovery Attributes

Tangible fixes – rebooking, hotel accommodation, vouchers, compensation.

Intangible fixes – empathy, transparency, timeliness, apology.

Tangibles fix the problem. Intangibles fix the feeling. Both are critical to recovery.

Why Intangibles Matter More Than You Think

Market simulations revealed a clear pattern: passengers place less value on outcomes that offered only tangibles. Instead, outcomes that combined functional solutions with empathy and transparency captured the majority preference – even when some tangible fixes were excluded.

For example:

In the cancellation scenario , a balanced mix of tangibles and intangibles outperformed purely tangible remedies – even without compensation.
In the delay scenario , nearly 68% of passengers preferred the balanced approach – even when it meant giving up a voucher.

The takeaway: intangibles can offset the need for extensive tangible remedies , allowing airlines to achieve cost savings while still satisfying passengers.

While functional fixes are still necessary – restoring trust in the moment – intangible remedies define how passengers remember the disruption (and the airline) weeks or months later. This recall shapes loyalty, word-of-mouth, and long-term retention.

Different Passengers, Different Needs

Segmentation analysis – clustering passengers into groups based on similar preferences – showed clear customer heterogeneity. While rebooking and compensation were top priorities for some groups, others placed greater value on intangibles like empathy and transparency.

This reinforces a critical point: one-size-fits-all recovery is not effective. It wastes resources on remedies that some passengers don’t want and risks alienating those who prioritise emotional support.

The Power of Passenger Choice

The research also revealed a strong desire for choice. When passengers were given options – such as selecting their new flight, hotel, or compensation method – preference levels soared.

In fact, options combined with immediacy and transparency captured 78% of passenger preference.

Why Choice Matters

Respects individuality
Provides autonomy
Reduces stress during disruptions
Eliminates guesswork for airlines by revealing what passengers truly value

Key Takeaways for Airlines

From this research, two opportunities stand out for airline leaders:

Strengthen intangibles

Deliver empathy, transparency, and timeliness alongside functional fixes.

Remember: functional fixes restore trust in the moment; intangible fixes shape how your airline is remembered in the long run.

Offer choice

Let passengers participate in their recovery.

Empowering passengers with autonomy not only improves fairness perceptions but also strengthens loyalty and reduces operational strain.

Ultimately, recovery that fixes the problem, fixes the feeling, and respects passenger heterogeneity through choice is the new standard for the modern passenger experience.

Why This Matters for Airline Leaders in Customer Experience

For Heads of Customer Experience and disruption management teams, the implications are clear:

Empathy and transparency are not “soft” strategies – they are core business drivers.
Choice is not just a nice-to-have – it is a loyalty multiplier.
Balancing intangibles with tangibles reduces costs while increasing retention.

Airlines that adapt to evolving customer expectations will not only manage disruptions more effectively but also build trust, goodwill, and long-term profitability.

Fix the problem. Fix the feeling. Give passengers control — that’s the new baseline for disruption recovery.

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

Join us at Grounded 2026
�� Reykjavik, Iceland Sept. 2–3
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. Workshops. Zero Exhibitors.

�� [ Reserve your seat now → ]

The State of Play: Airline Passenger Disruption Management in 2026

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:56:22 GMT

How airlines are rethinking disruption recovery as a strategic advantage—not just an operational necessity.

This is The Airline Perspective and it is the first part of a series called The State of Play, taken from a keynote delivered at Grounded, 2025.

Disruption Recovery Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

Airlines are under immense pressure during disruption—balancing operational demands with the need to care for passengers in their most stressful moments. Across the industry, disruption management is no longer viewed as a back-office function; it’s becoming a defining competitive advantage.

And the biggest breakthroughs aren’t coming from sweeping overhauls—they’re coming from small insights. A single data signal, a subtle behavioral pattern, a moment of clarity in the chaos can completely reshape how an airline recovers from disruption. These micro-insights are proving to be the levers that unlock faster recovery, stronger loyalty, and a smoother experience for both passengers and staff.

After more than 200 global airline engagements, one thing is clear: every carrier wants to do better. Legacy giants, low-cost disruptors, regional specialists—everyone is chasing the same goal. Disruptions hit trust, reputation, and cost, and no airline can afford to stand still.

Where New Entrants Hold an Advantage

Younger airlines often benefit from the freedom to build their systems from the ground up. Without the burden of legacy infrastructure, they can choose providers, craft customer experiences, and design tech stacks with the passenger journey as the central blueprint. This customer-first architecture gives them a natural advantage in modern disruption management.

That said, even with this flexibility, new entrants must still navigate strict regulatory and compliance requirements, integrate with industry partners who may rely on older technologies, and invest meaningfully to ensure their modern systems scale effectively as the operation grows.

Why Legacy Systems Both Help and Hinder

Legacy systems have real strengths: they’re stable at scale, deeply battle-tested, and tightly aligned with decades of regulatory and operational requirements. But the same systems that keep airlines running reliably are also some of the biggest barriers to progress. Outdated architecture limits what airlines can deliver, widening the gap between customer expectations and operational reality. And traditional RFP processes often reinforce those constraints—shaping solutions around internal limitations instead of what passengers actually need.

Transformative improvement requires inverting the process: beginning with a rigorous examination of the passenger experience, then challenging providers to meet those expectations. Without this shift, airlines risk delivering incremental change instead of industry-shaping innovation.

Fragmentation: The Industry’s Most Common Pain Point

One of the industry’s most widely shared frustrations is the fragmentation of disruption response. Ownership of the disruption journey is frequently split across operations, customer service, commercial teams, and finance. This siloed architecture leads to:

Disconnected passenger experiences
Limited personalization
Gaps in real-time visibility

The absence of a single source of truth

Without unified operational views, both passengers and staff remain stuck in a reactive cycle. This environment creates what many describe as the “anxiety dead zone”—the information vacuum where passengers feel most stressed, often regardless of actual resolution times.

What Other Industries Teach Us About Visibility

Domino’s: Transparency Reduces Anxiety

Domino’s transformed customer expectations with a simple idea: show people exactly where their order is. The Pizza Tracker didn’t make ovens faster or drivers quicker, yet complaints plummeted. Customers felt informed, respected, and reassured. Transparency alone—without operational change—proved powerful enough to reshape how people experienced waiting.

Uber: Clarity Reduces Cancellations

Uber demonstrated a similar effect in mobility. By improving real-time ride visibility and offering clearer updates throughout shared trips, cancellations dropped significantly. The ride wasn’t faster—the uncertainty was. Giving riders accurate ETAs, driver location, and status updates increased trust and reduced frustration, proving that clarity can meaningfully change behavior.

The Lesson for Airlines

The message is clear: visibility can be as impactful as speed. Even micro-updates during disruptions can materially improve passenger sentiment, regardless of whether the underlying operational timeline changes.

Why Passenger Disruption Management Needs a Clear Definition

A surprising finding is that Passenger Disruption Management (PDM) lacks a universally accepted definition. Depending on the airline, it may include:

Passenger and crew management
Ground transport and accommodation
Delay communications and voucher distribution
Rebooking and reaccommodation workflows

This variability makes it harder for airlines to benchmark performance, for vendors to innovate effectively, and for regulators to establish meaningful standards. Aligning the industry around a shared definition could enable more consistent improvement, clearer expectations, and stronger passenger outcomes.

A Working Definition for the Industry

Passenger Disruption Management encompasses all actions an airline takes to support passengers before, during, and after a disruption. This includes real-time communication, rebooking and reaccommodation, onward travel and welfare services, policy application, and coordination across operations, customer service, airports, and partners. Its purpose is to turn an unavoidable operational issue into a managed, transparent, and empathetic customer experience.

Why Disruption Management Will Define the Customer Experience in 2026

The industry stands at a pivotal moment. Passenger expectations continue to rise, shaped by seamless digital experiences in other sectors. Airlines can no longer afford to treat disruptions as isolated operational issues—they are critical moments of truth that can either repair or erode trust.

Airlines that lead the way will:

Use data to anticipate passenger needs and personalize recovery
Integrate systems to eliminate silos and streamline workflows
Communicate clearly and transparently in real time
Treat disruptions as opportunities to build stronger customer relationships

Conclusion: Turning Disruption Into Opportunity

The drive to improve is universal, and so are the obstacles: fragmentation, legacy systems, and the absence of a shared definition. The opportunity lies in identifying the subtle yet powerful insights within disruption data—the small signals that can unlock disproportionate value.

By embracing these insights and moving toward greater standardization, airlines can turn disruptions from operational burdens into opportunities for loyalty-building, customer-centric innovation. In a world where the passenger journey is increasingly shaped by real-time expectations, carriers that master the nuances of disruption management will gain a decisive competitive edge.

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

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�� Reykjavik, Iceland Sept. 2–3
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. Workshops. Zero Exhibitors.

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140+ Airline Leaders Convene in Iceland to Drive New Standards for Passenger Disruptions

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:30:58 GMT

More than 140 airline leaders from the world’s top carriers convened in Iceland this month for Grounded 2025, the only global summit dedicated to passenger disruption management (IROPs).

With airline disruption costs now exceeding $60 billion annually, the two-day event gathered over 40 airlines, representing 20% of global passenger volumes, to collaborate on strategies aimed at transforming how the industry manages disruption and supports travelers.

Why Passenger Disruption Management Matters More Than Ever

From labour disputes to geopolitical instability and severe weather events, 2025 has been a defining year for operational resilience. The pressure to modernize disruption management has never been greater.

Now in its second year, Grounded has become the central hub for airlines committed to improving the disrupted travel experience—focusing on collaboration, innovation, and measurable impact.

Over two days, airline executives participated in panels, workshops, and case studies, ultimately voting on the most actionable ideas capable of reshaping industry standards.

Key Takeaways from Grounded 2025

The summit generated a clear roadmap for elevating disruption management across the airline ecosystem. Among the top outputs:

Cross-functional operating models linking customer experience to financial outcomes
Two-way omnichannel communication for faster, more transparent passenger updates
Expanded digital self-service capabilities to empower travelers during disruptions
AI-assisted decision support tools for real-time operational insight
Unified passenger management dashboards providing a complete view of disruption status
Predictive operations platforms to anticipate and mitigate delays
Real-time passenger context layers enhancing situational awareness across teams
Industry Voices: Collaboration Driving Change

“Grounded brought together an unparalleled depth of airline expertise, sparking outcomes that could shape industry standards for years to come.”
— Lee Mitchell , Director of CX Servicing & Disruption Recovery, Southwest Airlines

“Grounded has created lasting value by bringing together airline leaders responsible for IROPs to share experiences and build stronger collaboration going forward.”
— Alexia Leong , Head of Customer Happiness, AirAsia

“With that many airline leaders in the room, it’s such a valuable way to get straightforward feedback on how to better design passenger disruption management.”
— Guðný Halla Hauksdóttir , Director of Customer Experience, Icelandair

A Strengthening Global Commitment

“Airlines are increasingly recognising the ROI of effective passenger disruption management,” said Sveinn Akerlie , CEO at Plan3 and Co-creator of Grounded . “With a 25% rise in participating airlines since last year’s summit, the industry’s commitment to improving the disrupted passenger experience is clear—and we expect this momentum to continue into 2026.”

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

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�� Reykjavik | Sept. 2–3
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. Zero vendor fluff.

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Turning Turbulence into Trust | Elevating Passenger Experience During IROPS

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:58:39 GMT

Proactive Communication and Seamless Self-Service Are Redefining Passenger Disruption Management

In today’s travel landscape, disruption is inevitable—but disempowerment doesn’t have to be. For airlines, irregular operations (IROPS) have long represented a high-stress flashpoint for both passengers and frontline staff. The real opportunity now is not just minimizing disruption but transforming how it’s handled. With the right tools, communication, and mindset, disruption can become a moment of trust-building rather than frustration.

This blog explores how leading airlines are adopting digital-first approaches, proactive service models, and human-centered design to give passengers control when it matters most.

What Passenger Empowerment Really Looks Like During Disruption

Empowering passengers goes beyond offering apologies—it’s about providing actionable choices and timely updates. Putting passengers “in the driving seat” means equipping them with clear, real-time communication and tools to resolve issues on their own terms.

As Esther Calvo, Client Director at Volotea described, “When a disruption occurs… you want to know everything and you want to have a solution. And you want to decide and you want to have control.”

That expectation is fast becoming a baseline—and airlines are rising to meet it.

Francesca Marshall, Sr. Manager of Customer Care at British Airways reinforces this shift toward choice and autonomy: “If the customer’s happy with an option they’ve been provided in disruption through automation, they don’t need to speak to us. But if we provide them a proactive link, we’re there for them.”

Self-service doesn’t replace human support—it complements it.

Lessons from Outside the Aviation Industry

From Uber to Amazon, modern digital experiences have raised the bar for customer service. These platforms prioritize proactive updates, intuitive navigation, and rapid resolution—all of which passengers now expect from airlines.

Francesca Marshall acknowledged this shift: “There’s so much more available today… that it’s almost put that pressure on a complex industry like aviation to kind of keep up.”

And forward-thinking carriers are responding by acquiring or building app-like disruption tools.

For example, Francesca Marshall shared a tangible step: “We launched our first form of automated delay messaging for customers delayed more than 30 minutes.” These are the kinds of app-like efficiencies passengers recognize and appreciate.

What’s Holding the Airline Industry Back?

Despite these advances, systemic challenges still limit full empowerment. Legacy systems, fragmented data, operational silos, and cultural resistance slow progress. Even well-meaning efforts are often hindered by complexity and outdated processes.

“It’s actually the moving goalpost of what the driving seat is… customer expectations have changed,” said Francesca Marshall. As those expectations evolve, agility becomes just as important as infrastructure.

Operational dependencies also remain an obstacle. Aley Larkin, Sr.Customer Recovery Strategist at Southwest pointed out, “We rely on the front line to code flights when there’s delays… we’re relying on that human to provide the accurate data.” Without accurate inputs, even the smartest systems can’t serve customers effectively.

Designing for Self-Service and Resilience

The most successful strategies combine proactive service with optional human support. Airlines are learning to anticipate needs through segmentation, automation, and real-time interventions—before frustration builds.

“Intercepting customers before they know they have an issue... essentially trying to offer a form of response to reduce that effort…” Francesca Marshall explained. This anticipatory approach mirrors the design logic behind leading digital apps: solve problems before they’re reported.

And as Aley emphasised, the human touch still matters: “We encourage self-service… but also make sure there's always a human available.” The key is flexibility—giving passengers options based on their comfort and context.

A New Standard for Disruption Care

Today’s disruption strategies are about more than damage control—they’re about trust. Giving passengers control, clarity, and compassion turns difficult moments into defining brand experiences.

As Francesca Marshall summed up: “Be proactive. Admit ownership... you’ll end up hopefully reducing that customer effort.”

By embracing a mindset of empowerment—through smarter systems, better communication, and authentic empathy—airlines can transform IROPS from a source of friction into a source of loyalty.

Beyond the Delay | Smarter Airline Disruption Management

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:41:39 GMT

Redefining Airline Disruption Management Through Data and Passenger Impact

Insights from Grounded 2024 on what truly drives smarter, more responsive disruption management .

For airlines, disruption isn’t just operational—it’s emotional, financial, and reputational. Yet too often, disruption response is reactive, fragmented, and compliance-driven.

At Grounded 2024 , airline leaders went deeper: What if we redefined disruption through the passenger's lens? What if data, not just duty-of-care rules, guided the response? What if CFOs, customer teams, and operations were aligned from day one?

Below, we unpack seven moments that show how airlines are reframing disruption—from tactical choices to strategic investment.

1. Letting Data Drive Tradeoffs Between Cost and Continuity

Guðný Halla Hauksdóttir , Director Customer Experience , Icelandair :

“We had an aircraft AOG... This would impact six flights. So we gathered revenue data, average claim uptake, ACMI quotes... We ended up delaying by 10 hours instead of canceling. The data drove the decision.”

Disruption decisions often hinge on urgency. But at some airlines, they hinge on real-time financial modeling . Gudny's quote reflects a shift toward quantified, scenario-based decision-making , where the cost of delay is weighed against passenger claims, charter costs, and reputational damage. Delay became a strategic decision, not just a scheduling one.

2. Planning the Day with Personas—Not Just Pax Counts

Diederik-Jan Bos , Director of Crew , SAS :

“We have more than people traveling. We have animals with layovers who can't enter the country. So in the morning, we look 12 hours ahead—six animals, five unaccompanied minors, 200 connections…”

Effective planning means more than knowing the number of passengers —it means understanding who they are and what they need. From live animals to UMNRs, the diversity of passengers introduces operational complexity that demands personalized resourcing and foresight.

3. Winning CFO Buy-In with Commercial Impact, Not Just OTP

Guðný Halla Hauksdóttir, Director Customer Experience , Icelandair :

“Include the CFO in how you build the new journey—with both cost reduction and future revenue building. Don’t just talk OTP—it maintains loyalty, it doesn’t build it.”

On-time performance (OTP) is a comfort metric. But it’s not a commercial growth lever. As Jerry points out, true disruption ROI lies in connecting operational fixes to long-term revenue impact —whether through reduced churn, higher ancillary uptake, or better NPS. And that’s what gets the CFO to fund change.

4. The Communication Black Hole: Third-Party Data Gaps

Diederik-Jan Bos, Director of Crew , SAS :

“We try texts, emails, airport boards… But we often don’t know how to reach passengers who booked via third parties. Sometimes we don’t even know who they are.”

Even the best-laid disruption response plans fail if you can’t reach the passenger . Diederik’s quote hits on a persistent problem: third-party bookings that strip airlines of direct communication. It’s a reminder that data completeness is a prerequisite for passenger care .

5. Reframing Disruption from the Passenger’s Perspective

Diederik-Jan Bos, Director of Crew , SAS :

“Would you rather arrive 17 minutes late with your luggage, or on time without it? Passengers define disruption differently—but the industry defines it by compensation rules. That’s a mismatch.”

This single quote reframes the entire conversation. It highlights the gap between regulatory definitions of disruption and how passengers actually experience it . A delay without impact may be preferable to on-time arrival without essentials. The real opportunity? Designing disruption response around passenger priorities, not compensation thresholds.

6. Using Personas to Shape Service in Crisis

Jerry Angrave , Director CCXP , Empathyce :

“Shouldn’t we be using personas during disruption? Those in wheelchairs, on medication, or with critical connections—their objective for the flight is different. So the service should adapt.”

Not all passengers are equal during a disruption. Some can flex. Others simply can't. The operational response must reflect that. This quote argues for context-aware service models , where personas aren’t just a marketing tool—they’re the foundation of tailored recovery.

7. Budgeting for Disruption, Per Passenger

Andri Geir Eyjolfsson , COO , PLAY Airlines :

“Our target is under $2 per passenger for disruption. Summer is smooth, winter is heavy with de-icing. I take the year-long budget—1.5 million passengers gives me $3 million. Then I justify tools to reduce that.”

Andre’s approach puts hard numbers behind disruption tolerance. It’s a reminder that disruption isn’t a surprise—it’s seasonal, predictable, and plannable . Budgeting per passenger makes it easier to justify investments in mitigation tools, rather than treating them as reactive costs.

The Future of Disruption Management Is Cross-Functional, Not Just Technical

What ties these stories together isn’t just better data—it’s better decision-making across roles. From CFOs to customer care to crew ops, smarter disruption management means aligning around granular data, diverse personas, and shared outcomes .

Airlines that embrace this approach won’t just reduce costs—they’ll turn disruption into an opportunity to build trust.

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

Join us at Grounded 2025
�� Reykjavik | Sept. 9–10
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. Zero vendor fluff.

Over 150 Airline Leaders from 50+ Airlines to Gather in Iceland for Grounded

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:46:58 GMT

Airline Leaders from the Top Airlines Descend on Reykjavik this September for Passenger Disruption Summit

Reykjavik, Iceland – This September, more than 150 senior leaders from over 50 global airlines will convene in Reykjavik for Grounded 2025, the only airline summit dedicated entirely to solving passenger disruption. Hosted by disruption management specialists Plan3 , the second annual Grounded summit will take place September 9–10 at the iconic Harpa Convention Centre.

Designed exclusively for airline decision-makers—including Heads of IOCC, Operations, Customer Experience, and IT & Innovation—Grounded offers a unique space to explore forward-thinking strategies, technologies, and cross-functional collaboration to improve disruption response across the passenger journey.

To ensure a focused environment for those shaping the future of airline operations and customer experience, attendance is free but strictly for airline leaders tasked with solving passenger disruptions.

Diederik-Jan Bos , Director of Operations at SAS expressed:

“I firmly believe in the value of collaboration and learning from others which is why I highly recommend that other airlines participate in Grounded 2025. Bringing together those who manage teams dealing with daily disruptions and the impact on the passenger journey fosters meaningful, in-depth discussions focused on real-world challenges.”

Jenia Rasekhi , Director of Customer Strategy & Innovation at United said:

“Grounded brought together top airline leaders for invaluable peer-to-peer learning and it was fantastic to see the different approaches – a must for airlines looking to do passenger disruption management better."

Ryan Daniels , Head of OCC & Customer Care at TUI Airways stated:

“An energising conference, an informative, and interactive session, hosted in beautiful Iceland; building relations and partnerships across the industry to enhance the customer experience. Honestly, one of the best conferences I have ever been to.”

Sveinn Akerlie , CEO at Plan3 [and former CIO at WOW air] added:

“Those responsible for managing passenger disruptions are among the hardest-working people in travel. Since airlines don’t compete on safety or service recovery, Grounded creates a rare space for honest, practical collaboration. It brings together the right stakeholders for real-world insights, frank discussion, and actionable takeaways. Attendees will not only leave with fresh ideas to improve disruption strategies—but also a taste of Icelandic hospitality and a sense of renewal.”

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

Join us at Grounded 2025
�� Reykjavik | Sept. 9–10
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. Zero vendor fluff.

�� [ Reserve your seat now → ]

The Anatomy of Airline Tech Decisions: Build vs. Buy Isn’t the Real Question

matt@plan3.aero (Matthew Walker) — Thu, 29 May 2025 09:23:59 GMT

Few debates in airline technology are as enduring—or as divisive—as the question of whether to build solutions in-house or buy them off the shelf.

At Grounded 2024 , Scott Allard , former CIO of Spirit and Allegiant Airlines, brought a fresh perspective to this age-old dilemma, drawing on hard-won experience from two radically different airline cultures.

His takeaway? Build vs. buy is not the question. Governance is.

Disruption as the Default

Allard’s journey began at Priceline during the dot-com boom. With its “name-your-own-price” model, customer confusion was rampant.

“Almost every transaction was a disruption. Seventy percent of online customers called the call center after booking.”

This relentless friction between technology and expectation shaped Allard’s approach to system design: fix the root cause, not just the symptom. It’s a lesson that carried through to his years in airline leadership, where the stakes—and complexities—were much higher.

Spirit Airlines | When Buying Doesn’t Mean Solving

At Spirit, Allard inherited an underperforming, in-house reservation system infamously named SARS (renamed TASAR for obvious reasons). The team faced a critical decision: continue building, or switch to a vendor platform?

“Leadership made the call—we were moving to Navitaire’s ‘New Skies,’ whether it was ready or not.”

The implementation proved brutal. The vendor product was still maturing, and integration failures became the norm.

“They had 225 man-years into development—probably half of what they needed. Every build we dropped in was rejected by the business.”

The result: delayed launches, broken trust between teams, and ultimately, a forced exit for Allard himself. The platform may have been purchased, but alignment wasn’t.

Allegiant Air | When Building Becomes a Belief System

At Allegiant, Allard stepped into the opposite culture: a DIY ethos taken to the extreme.

“We built a general ledger system from scratch. Why? Because the CEO believed ownership equaled control—even though accounting hasn’t changed since the abacus.”

Every component, from crew scheduling to inventory, was built in-house—even when the ROI didn’t justify the effort. And because it was a monolithic platform, changing one component (like a website calendar) could break another (like maintenance logs).

Eventually, even the build-first believers blinked.

“We were millions into a maintenance system before ops and IT both said, ‘We don’t want to do this. Let’s buy.’”

The lesson: control can become a liability when it ignores scale, speed, and practicality.

What Actually Goes Wrong?

Across both case studies, the biggest failure wasn’t the platform. It was the decision-making process .

At Spirit, business teams were absent from critical meetings.

At Allegiant, IT promised seamless execution—without involving operations.

“Then we wondered why it didn’t work.”

Allard observed that siloed decision-making, unclear ownership, and politics— not code —were the root causes of tech project failures.

The Real Takeaway: Own the Process, Not Just the Platform

According to Allard, the question isn’t whether to build or buy. It’s how you govern tech decisions.

“What matters is owning your backlog. Having a seat at the table. Don’t wait for IT—solve your problem collaboratively.”

Success comes from cross-functional governance, empowered teams, and iterative, inclusive decision-making. Whether the product is vendor-supplied or custom-built, the process must be strategic, transparent, and participatory.

Tech Decisions Reflect Culture

Allard ended with a candid reminder:

“The process is messy, political, and often a blood sport. But the airlines that get this right? They’re the ones that innovate.”

Technology decisions aren’t just operational—they’re cultural. They expose the health of your leadership, your silos, and your ability to adapt. In an industry with tight margins and high expectations, how you decide is more important than what you decide

Grounded 2025 | Where These Conversations Continue

�� Reykjavik, Sept. 9–10
�� 150+ airline leaders. Real-world case studies. No vendor fluff.

From Legacy Practices to Passenger Centric Recovery

Wed, 28 May 2025 07:15:37 GMT

What if disruption wasn't a liability—but your biggest loyalty driver? That was the provocative question posed by Dr. Valdimar Sigurðsson , Professor of Marketing at Reykjavik University, during his keynote at Grounded 2024 , the only airline summit dedicated to solving passenger disruption.

In a session titled “Airline Consumer Behaviour: From Legacy Practices to Passenger-Centric Recovery,” Dr. Sigurðsson challenged the airline industry to rethink the way it approaches service disruptions—urging a shift from outdated systems to data-driven, personalized recovery experiences that meet the evolving expectations of passengers.

The Paradox Airlines Can’t Ignore

While post-pandemic travel demand is surging, customer dissatisfaction is rising just as fast—especially when things go wrong. Despite the frequency of delays and cancellations, most airlines are still stuck in reactive mode.

“Only 50% of travel leaders have developed robust disruption management technology strategies,” Sigurðsson noted.

This gap is especially stark when compared to industries like hospitality or tech. Brands like Disney , Apple , and Ritz-Carlton are famous for turning service failures into loyalty moments. Airlines, meanwhile, often become cautionary tales in service recovery literature.

What Passengers Really Want: Autonomy and Transparency

One of the most consistent findings across Dr. Sigurðsson’s research is that passengers value being in control —especially during stressful moments.

“It’s not just what happens—it’s how you handle it,” he said. “Apology, explanation, and choice can dramatically shift customer preference.”

Simple gestures—like proactively communicating the reason for a delay, or offering recovery options via mobile—can change the emotional tone of the experience. His research consistently shows that when passengers feel informed and empowered, satisfaction goes up—even when the disruption itself is significant.

Personalised Disruption: Not a Buzzword—A Business Imperative

Using techniques like conjoint analysis and predictive modeling , Sigurðsson and his team have identified the specific actions passengers want during disruptions. The headline? One size does not fit all.

In one study:

85% of passengers preferred mobile-based recovery solutions—such as canceling, refunding, or rebooking via link—over queuing at a service desk.
Many showed high comfort levels with automated, staff-free solutions—provided they were fast and transparent.

“We need to win one customer at a time,” he emphasized. “This is what Netflix and Amazon are doing. Why not airlines?”

Don’t Treat Disruption as a Side Note — Design for It

Too often, disruption management is bolted onto operations as an afterthought. But Dr. Sigurðsson argues that service recovery deserves its own design language .

“Recovery isn’t just a fix—it’s a branding moment. When things go wrong, that’s when your brand has the most to prove.”

He cited examples like Ritz-Carlton, where frontline staff are empowered to resolve issues on the spot with a $2,000 discretionary budget. Airlines, he said, need similar frameworks—clear protocols, tech enablement, and the authority to act fast in the passenger’s best interest.

From Reactive to Experimental: The Role of Testing

What makes Sigurðsson’s approach unique is his embrace of experimentation . He encourages airlines to treat every disruption not just as a recovery task—but as a test case.

“Every customer interaction is data. Every failure is an opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t.”

His team runs simulated disruptions to test variables like communication tone, compensation types, and staff behaviors—tracking which combinations generate the most goodwill and long-term loyalty.

The Road Ahead: Mobile, Proactive, Personal

The future of disruption management isn’t just faster—it’s smarter and more human . The best systems will be:

Mobile-first : putting recovery tools where passengers already are.
Data-informed : offering relevant options based on context and preference.
Proactively triggered : not waiting for passengers to complain.

“Flight disruptions are inevitable. But dissatisfaction doesn’t have to be,” Sigurðsson concluded. “The right tools, the right data, and the right mindset can turn recovery into your strongest brand asset.”

Want to Be Part of the Future of Disruption Management?

Grounded 2025 | Join 150+ airline leaders focused on transforming the passenger disruption experience. This is your event. These are your people.

�� Reykjavik | Sept. 9–10

LAUNCHING Grounded [In Iceland]

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 05:25:29 GMT

Join 90+ Airline Leaders from 35+ Airlines in Reykjavik to share insights, discuss new technologies, and enjoy some of the finest wellness and relaxation Iceland has to offer.

Reykjavik, Iceland - Experts in passenger disruption management, Plan3 , with the support of more than 30 airlines is launching Grounded - the first Airline Leaders Summit entirely dedicated to Passenger Disruption Management.

This is the first airline summit of-its-kind and it will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, September 11th–12th.

Over two days 100 airline leaders, specifically heads of IOCC, Operations, Customer Experience and IT & Innovation will gather at the iconic Harpa Convention Centre in Reykjavik to share insights, discuss new technologies, and enjoy some of the finest wellness and relaxation Iceland has to offer.

“Airline disruptions happen everyday, but passenger disruption management - the intersection of airline operations and the customer experience is an underserved niche in the industry. The aim of Grounded [In Iceland] is to provide the space for that dialogue.” Simon Dempsey , CCO at Plan3

“Safety and disruption management are two areas in aviation where airlines try not to compete, but rather work together to find better industry solutions,” said Jay Fulmer , Snr. Manager of Strategy & Innovation at United Airlines . “Grounded offers a forum to connect with each other and share ideas - but also experience Iceland and its legacy in aviation.”

“Since the post pandemic restart there has been a renewed and increased focus on irregular operations (IROPS) both in terms of cost management and passenger experience, with new exciting tools and approaches being worked on across the industry,” said Diederik-Jan Bos , Director of Operations at SAS Connect. “To my knowledge, Grounded is the first summit focussed on bringing experts from across the airline industry together to listen, learn and share their experiences around the customer experience in the context of IROPS.”

Sveinn Akerlie , CEO at Plan3 [and former CIO at WOW air] added “In my opinion, those responsible for solving passenger disruptions are some of the hardest working people in travel. Our hope is that Grounded attendees will gain great insight from the summit to continue optimising their approach to passenger IROPS, but also experience some Icelandic goodness and leave here more refreshed than when they arrived.”

If you are an airline leader that is tasked with solving disruptions for passengers, the next Grounded summit will take place in Reykjavik [September 9th–10th, 2025], don’t miss out!