by Chris Clarke, event blogger

Philippe Der Arslanian offered a glimpse of the future.  Through a series of demonstrations he painted a picture of what is, and what will be, possible with web 2.0 in the not too distant future.  (If you want to learn about web 2.0 in under five minutes, Professor Mike Wesch’s video gives a fun tour of how it’s being used at the moment).

Exciting developments included new ways of shopping online to create a more intuitive user experience and convenience. 

It is clear that web 2.0 functionality offers airlines boundless opportunities to innovate in how they relate to customers.

Nonetheless, online selling, merchandising and servicing still remains a priority for airlines.  John Lonergan when charting the progress of Qantas.com expressed it’s not all about the sale.  Just as important is being able to service customers online beyond the purchase.  It is here that big opportunities exist to deliver a consistent experience to customers, build loyalty and get to know customers and their needs better. 

To hear more about how airlines can meet the needs of both the ‘digital natives’ and the ‘digital immigrants’ listen to the interview we will be posting with Philippe Der Arslanian, Global Director, Airline Direct Channel at Amadeus and Tehmton Cooper, Head of e-Commerce at Etihad.  (Currently the uploading function on youtube is not working and hasn’t been for the last few hours, I could continue to vent my frustration but i’ll spare you all!)