NEW YORK (25 October, 2016) – The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) today announced a partnership with TripIt® from Concur® that will help APEX launch its Official Airline Ratings™ program. This innovative industry program will gather passenger feedback based on travel itineraries, and provide an audited third-party analysis of the insights gathered. APEX will then share the feedback with its member airlines and honor the highest-rated airlines each year.
Serving nearly every major airline as the only non-profit membership trade association dedicated to improving passenger experience, APEX designed this program to provide the airline industry with a new way to measure the quality of a passenger’s experience. By partnering with TripIt, it also gives travelers an opportunity to provide feedback that will help shape future in-flight experiences.
“Mobile apps serve as the number one source of engagement during travel and after a flight. With a strong base of more than 13 million travelers worldwide, TripIt is a service that helps passengers keep their travel plans organized regardless of the airline they fly, making it the perfect partner to help us launch the Official Airline Ratings™ program,” said APEX CEO, Joe Leader. “APEX member airlines will be able to use the targeted, objective, and anonymous insights provided by the Official Airline Ratings™ to create an elevated personalized passenger experience.”
Through this partnership, travelers who use the TripIt mobile app will have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on their flight. Using a five-star scale, passengers will be able to rate their overall flight experience, along with five subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. This feedback will then be analyzed by a third-party auditing service, and used as the basis for the airline’s Official Airline Ratings™. In addition, APEX airline members will receive exclusive access to the anonymous feedback provided by the airline’s passengers, which can be used to curate best practices and improve in-flight experiences for travelers.
“By partnering with APEX to provide the airline industry with the information it needs to make meaningful decisions about the passenger experience, we’re also giving travelers a bigger say in those decisions,” said Jugdeep Bal, Concur’s senior director of business development for TripIt.
The initial ratings period for the Official Airline Ratings™ will open in the coming weeks, and will continue through July 2017. The airlines awarded four and five stars will be announced in September 2017 at APEX EXPO in Long Beach, California.
Additionally, insights derived from the passengers’ ratings of their in-flight features will be used to help determine the 2017 APEX Passenger Choice Awards (PCAs). Maintaining the tradition of honoring airlines based on passenger feedback, APEX has elevated the PCAs using passenger feedback from the Official Airline Ratings™. Airlines will be honored for outstanding performance in five categories: cabin service, seat comfort, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. Awards will also be presented to the best in region and the top airline in the world will be given the top award: Best in Passenger Experience.
For more information on APEX or the Official Airline Ratings™ program visit apex.aero, or contact [email protected]. For more information on how TripIt delights more than 13 million travelers worldwide visit www.tripit.com.
