Building Reputation in a Changing Environment: The Competitive Edge for Airlines in 2025
The effects of the pandemic on air travel are still being felt today with capacity issues, supply chain problems, crowded planes, and higher prices affecting satisfaction.
These factors present a challenge for airlines seeking to engage and retain their customer base. Reputation management and fostering goodwill through strategic marketing and consistent messaging is now more critical than ever.
A key to successfully nurturing these relationships is gaining a solid understanding of the significant role that brand image and reputation can play, as discerned from independent customer research found in the annual JD Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study.
Why Reputation Matters
It should come as no surprise that customer satisfaction is a key driver of retention. While service quality is essential, positive experiences with an airline play a significant role in reducing customer churn and building a strong reputation among travelers.
Reputation is not built overnight; rather, it is a blend of service, value, and reliability that is consistently experienced by the passenger across multiple flights. Brand reputation becomes an even more critical differentiator when price and convenience are converging across competing airlines. Reputation becomes even more important in premium and upper-class cabins, where price is often less of a concern. While a direct flight to a final destination remains a primary decision driver for travelers, their final airline selection is also influenced by an airline's reputation and the traveler’s past experiences with that airline.
What can airline marketers do to attract and retain their customer base?
Airlines can drive perceptions of value among travelers by emphasizing brand reputation in their messaging. Airline marketers should strategically feature reputation and credibility-building content in campaigns, especially those targeting premium and upper-class travelers.
How can they do this?
- Consistency is key: Even loyal customers can become susceptible to new marketing messages and entreaties from competitors after enduring inconveniences or issues. Consistently communicating a commitment to customer satisfaction and delivering reliable, excellent service can help to build the goodwill and brand resilience necessary to retain loyalty despite potential issues or competitive appeals.
- Highlight ease of travel and reliability: Emphasize ease of travel in the messaging. Topics might include check-ins; comfortable flights with adequate amenities; and accessible, knowledgeable, and interactive staff. Take time to understand the specific needs and expectations of target customers and integrate these insights directly into marketing strategies and messaging.
Leverage third-party credibility boosters: Customers are seeking independent third-party decision support backed by personal experience. Each year, the JD Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study independently surveys more than 9,500 passengers who have flown on a major North America airline within the past month and recognizes the airlines with the highest customer satisfaction ranking in each class segment. Marketing awards that are based on thousands of first-hand customer experiences can provide a critical way for airlines to demonstrate to travelers that they are reputable and worth consideration.
Stay tuned to learn which airlines are rising above the competition when the results are released on May 7, 2025. In the meantime, learn more about the JD Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study Awards.
