Delivering flexibility to customers and keeping the purchase process simple: the constant challenge of low-cost airlines

Juan Cristóbal Andrews, Ecommerce & Marketing Director, Jetsmart Airlines

Juan Cristóbal Andrews, Ecommerce & Marketing Director, Jetsmart Airlines

Low-cost airlines are here to break with the traditional schemes of commercial aviation and disrupt the market. Paying only for what you use, offering ultra-low-fares starting at 1 dollar, one-way trips, and, in the case of JetSMART, developing a system of interregional routes are just some examples of the game changer innovations we introduced when we started in 2017 in Chile, then in Argentina and this year in Peru.

Being a low-cost airline means delivering a high-quality service at affordable prices for people who had never been able to get on a plane before because of highfares. To deliver a flexible and high-standard service, it is essential to have the necessary technology.

We are convinced that to achieve a high standard of service using world-class technology, it is not necessary to spend millions of dollars. We need to implement good practices and make efficient use of the tools provided by our vendors, thus, generating a methodology that allows us to periodically test new features on the website in a controlled manner and delivering continuous improvement in the service we provide to our customers.

To date, one of our key lessons has been to focus our internal capabilities on the core of the business and keeping critical know-how in-house. To achieve this, we rely on the execution through not one but multiple technology partners that offer us customized solutions that both adapt to our needs and provide fast time to market, which allows us to generate and gather information to enable continuous experimentation.

With this constant "trial and error" and quick resolution, we can offer passengers flexibility and a simple purchasing experience. The challenge is not simple; although technology is essential, we cannot leave aside the human factor. None of this would be possible without a proactive team, with the right skills, savvy and prepared, and with specific knowledge of these areas so that they can put together these methodologies, processes, learn and execute them.

The case of Latin America is very particular because payment technology is incipient and still in early development, unlike other regions. At the same time, a significant proportion of transactions continue to be out of the banking system, and cash payment still has a predominant role in countries such as Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay. Since JetSMART targets price sensitive customers, they typically pay with debit, cash or transfers. Because of this context, we had to adapt to these parameters, invest in developing certain technologies, and manage multiple negotiations throughout the regional payment ecosystem to achieve sufficient reach to cover the great diversity of customers.

We Need To Implement Good Practices And Make Efficient Use Of The Tools Provided By Our Vendors, Thus, Generating A Methodology That Allows Us To Periodically Test New Features On The Website In A Controlled Manner And Delivering Continuous Improvement In The Service We Provide To Our Customers

In 2017 when JetSMART started operating, we defined that this company would be 100 percent digital which not only implied that the entire process from purchase to check-in would be through the web -no paper and no desks- but that everything we do would be with that philosophy. Thus, we were the first airline in the world to launch its brand through a WhatsApp viral, and today everything onboard is sustainable and paperless, from the QR code menu to the navigation manuals.

Every upgrade we make to our website, we measure in terms of the final impact on the customer. The challenge is constant, but it is in the DNA of a low-cost airline to adapt quickly to changes in the ecosystem.