Released in the same week that International Airlines Group announces its latest results and the global travel community convened for World Travel Market London, a new report from Raven has set out a bold vision for the future of aviation.
Raven, the global growth consultancy known for transforming the customer experiences of some of the world’s most iconic brands including Expedia, Domino’s, TikTok, and Amazon, has published Aviation’s New Flight Plan: How Experience Will Power Aviation’s Next Decade in collaboration with Breaking Travel News.
The report argues that the next decade of aviation will be defined not by how efficiently airlines move people, but by how confidently they make them feel. Drawing on exclusive interviews, data, and case studies, it explores how experience, trust, and human design will become the industry’s most valuable form of performance.
Contributors including Caroline Whyatt, Head of Seamless Travel at British Airways, Mark Kramer of KLM, Mauro Oretti of SkyTeam, Tim Hutchinson of Collinson, Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, Senior Aviation Consultant describe an industry on the cusp of transformation, shifting from operational recovery to emotional reliability.
Confidence as the new currency
With global air travel demand forecast to reach 9.7 billion passengers by 2034, the study finds that fewer than half of travellers feel confident their journey will run smoothly. Airlines that integrate customer experience systems across their operations see up to 11 percent higher returns on capital and reduce disruption costs by almost 20 percent.
For the modern traveller, reassurance now outweighs punctuality. Airlines that can anticipate disruption and communicate transparently will lead the market.
Mauro Oretti of SkyTeam said, “Passengers want to feel known and looked after, not simply transported. Technology must anticipate, not apologise.”
Timothy O’Neil-Dunne, a veteran consultant who has advised major carriers through digital transformation, underlined trust as the critical factor, “The ability to anticipate disruption before passengers feel it – that’s the real frontier of reliability.”
The Architecture of Experience
The research highlights the rapid evolution of predictive intelligence and interoperability. By 2030, 80 percent of airlines expect to use predictive customer experience tools that enable real-time coordination between carriers, airports, and alliances.
Caroline Whyatt of British Airways said, “Within Oneworld we’re not just digitising each carrier. We’re connecting the journeys between them.”
The Human Dividend
While technology is transforming aviation, the report finds that empowered people remain central to the customer experience. Airlines that give their frontline teams access to real-time data and decision authority resolve issues faster and improve satisfaction scores.
Peter van der Veen of CX Unravelled said, “Airlines aren’t short on data. They’re short on decision rights. Empowerment converts information into experience.”
Rebuilding Trust through Transparency
Trust is fast becoming aviation’s most valuable currency. The report reveals that passengers are 45 percent more likely to rebook with airlines they view as transparent and fair, even at a higher fare. Younger travellers, in particular, reward visible ethics, clarity, and honest communication more than status or perks.
A New Blueprint for Leadership
The report concludes with five practical principles for airlines that want to turn customer experience into infrastructure. Integrate data before adding new technology, automate empathy, empower at the edge, redesign loyalty around transparency, and treat experience with the same rigour as safety.
Louise Croft Baker, Experience Director at Raven and author of the report, said:
“Airlines once competed on efficiency; the next decade will be won on experience. Confidence, not capacity, will decide who passengers trust, and who they fly with.”
The full report, Aviation’s New Flight Plan: How Experience Will Power Aviation’s Next Decade, is available to download here.