Flight by flight, it’s good to see the flying industry change. But it’s even better to find other businesses that push that change further, in the same way we do. Such is the case of GOL, the first Brazilian airline to innovate its processes and make air travel widely accessible.
Flight by flight, it’s good to see the flying industry change. But it’s even better to find other businesses that push that change further, in the same way we do. Such is the case of GOL, the first Brazilian airline to innovate its processes and make air travel widely accessible. GOL is a pioneer. It launched the first mobile check-in service, provided services like mobile geolocation to every passenger, and even redesigned its website to feature accessibility resources to assist people with visual and motor impairments. All smart solutions that help democratize flying. And to find out more about GOL’s modus operandi and what else we have in common, we invited Ricardo Oliveira, Product & Partnerships Manager at GOL, for a talk.
With the world in lockdown, commercial flights took a harsh nose dive and airlines had to adapt fast. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that our customer’s first reaction was this fear of flying”, Ricardo recalls, “with that in mind, we focused on reassuring our customers by showing that getting onboard was safe.” This was about the time GOL started a partnership with Einstein, a company specialized in certifying the cleaning and safety of the whole operation. An extra seal of approval to calm passengers and ensure a better inflight experience.
“Despite the challenges this new reality brought upon us, we were able to make quick adaptations, offering as much virtual interaction as possible, such as giving out incentives for everyone to check in digitally”.
Smart solutions like these, in addiction to the public health measures, such as social distancing during boarding, worked synergistically to conquer the public’s fear.
The no-flight scenario impacted every budget in the industry. And when cuts have to be made, it’s understandable how IFE content can seem expendable and one of the first things to go. But GOL has a different view on this: “Right at the start of the pandemic, we realized the entertainment market would have to change to remain relevant. So, we adapted our content to be short, bingeable and useful. Like having more podcasts that focus on business and tech, educational content and courses, and also videos on meditation and other content that focus on the mental health of our passengers.” Doing this, GOL became the first Brazil airline to offer content on mindfulness and meditation onboard in every flight. A brilliant example of adapting to the context and making smart decisions to create a unique selling proposition for your business.
For Ricardo, “onboard entertainment is more than a ‘moment of escape’. It’s increasingly valued, and makes all the difference to the customer’s inflight experience”. And for us, this is gold. Having businesses adopting more flexible solutions, personalized catalogs, and making content work for them and bring value to the passenger’s time. “We offer a variety of content that allows passengers to get the news, acquire knowledge, or even take the opportunity too just to relax and unwind with their favorite movie or series.” Deliver this variety of content with flexibility, personalization and subscription-based packages, and that’s the future for IFE content we believe in.
Changing an industry is a long process. But the pandemic seem to have accelerated the change. Fail to adapt at the right moment, and you can lose the flight. In the end, it all comes down to smart decisions. And we believe GOL has made quite a few. “We knew how to take advantage of this challenging moment and learn from it. We showed that both the aviation and entertainment industries will emerge even stronger. We took this time to appreciate how important it is to place our clients as the focus of our decisions, listening to them and understanding their wishes. At GOL we believe that the comeback of aviation, combined with accurate IFE, can further strengthen the link between passengers and companies. And we want the client to always feel like he’s on the couch at home!”
That sounds great, Ricardo. Let’s see what the future brings!
Subscribe our newsletter and receive our latest updates
