Etihad Airways has decided to make investment in digital transformation across the airline and its equity partners.
The national airline of the United Arab Emirates has partnered with IT outsourcing company Cognizant in a three-year, multi-million dollar deal.
The aim of the digital transformation is aimed at improving the guest experience. In 2014, Etihad Airways carried 14.8 million passengers. Etihad Airways has made equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline.
As per the IT outsourcing deal announced on Monday, Cognizant will study Etihad Airways’ business and technology footprint to outline digital ecosystem, enabling multi-channel distribution, customer segmentation and marketing techniques.
Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our guests are increasingly turning to digital channels to connect with us. The scope of the deal includes digital tools and data insights for our customer-facing staff to further enhance their ability to provide a more customized and personalized service to our guests.”
Robert Webb, chief information and technology officer of Etihad Airways, said that the IT deal is core to its technology and innovation strategy to redefine an exceptional digital guest experience that matches remarkable inflight and on-ground experience.
Cognizant will manage Etihad Airways’ existing web applications and portals and integrate them into the new digital platform. A new Digital Centre of Excellence will be established to drive innovation with the airline’s key technology partners.
Image caption: John Burgin, head of Cognizant Digital Works, APAC and Middle East (left) and Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways
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