Reshaping the Airline Organization for the Future of Retail Hero Rectangle

Related Expertise: Airline Industry, Retail Industry

Reshaping the Airline Organization for the Future of Retail

By Gabriele FerriAlberto GuerriniMarcelo CirelliYanik HoylesOlivier Hours, and Sebastien Touraine

Retail capabilities are getting an upgrade across the airline industry—but the transition isn’t happening overnight. To get a better sense of what the move to offer management means for carriers, we spoke with dozens of airline leaders. Our conversations yielded critical insights into the steps airlines are taking, the challenges they face, and what it will take to overcome them. Key insights:
  • Many airline executives are confident that moving to new retail capabilities will benefit their organization and their customers, but progress has been uneven across the industry. So far, most airlines have been focused on enhancing their technical capabilities.
  • To realize enhanced retailing capabilities, many airlines are rebuilding their organization’s structure, rethinking roles, processes, and teams to make their aspirations a reality.
  • Standing in the way of many carriers—beyond technical and structural challenges—is an ongoing battle for talent, a lack of inspiration and engagement from the most senior leadership, and a reluctance to adopt new modes of thinking and new ways of working.
Those leaders who act boldly, make the needed investments, and instill the right accountability and mindsets across their organization will find themselves in a materially better position than the competition.

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