Back to Delta Case Study
Delta virgin atlantic

Dual-Brand Customer Journey Map

RCX — Responsive Customer Experience · AKQA San Francisco + London · 2018–2019

Scroll horizontally to explore all journey phases
Delta Virgin Atlantic
Inspiration /
Discovery
Shop / Book
Prepare
to Travel
At Airport
In-Flight
Transfers
At Destination /
Back Home
Actions
RCX Specific
Get inspired to travel
Learn of need to travel (business)
Save for specific travel
Build mental model of travel (Flight + Hotel, weather…)
Learn about membership and benefits; sign up
Research and compare by destination, price, date…
Share with network (family and friends)
Find the best value deal (price tracker)
Redemption awards flight
Book / Purchase flight, hotel, car, package…
Save and use preference: seat, meal, airport, wallet…
Confirmation email / notification
Update profile: name, saved companions
Enrollment
Pre-travel services — Manage booking, select trip extras, notifications, IROPs…
Check-in Online / At the airport
Getting to the airport
Bag drop (+airport check-in)
Security (TSA pre check)
Terminal services
Lounge — Medallion/Tier status
Boarding
Priority boarding — Medallion/Tier status
In-flight entertainment
In-flight services
Bag collection
Connect
Transport
Arrive and stay
Post flight services
Loyalty — Retain and attract
Advocacy
Account management
Touch­points
External & Internal
Social + Advertisement OTA (Kayak, Kiwi, Google…) Social News, Blogs… Search engine GDS / Provide .com / Inspire, Educate, Booking Mobile app / Booking Calendar Inspire and Booking (online + physical) Advise
CRM Mobile app / Booking Calendar GDS / Managing Managing Book · Advise
.com / Managing @Boarding pass Mobile app / Managing, Boarding GDS / Managing Managing Amend · Advise
Airport facilities and crew / Onboarding Airport + Lounge / Attending Personal devices / Organize, Entertain Attending Track · Advise
Flight crew / Attending IFE / Attending Mobile app / Tracking
Airport crew / Attending Attending Track · Advise
CRM .com / Following OTA + GDS / Following Mobile app / Following Social Compensation · Contact · Advise
Thinking
& Feeling
Positive / Negative
Excited to reach travel goal
Happy to be welcomed back

Frustrated over log-in
Uncertain that loyalty would be beneficial
Confused on how to get the next membership status
Tempted by a really good deal
Wonder if booking hotel and flights together is worth it
Feel safer to finish my booking on my computer

Want to validate that my mileage will count
Frustrated over not being able to find or book interesting redemption flight
I wish Alexa could just book this trip for me
Unclear if I can pay with my miles for this flight
Not trusting My Wallet and wishing it would store more payment options
Hope to speed process by being logged in and verify that it is the case
Relieved by confirmation email reception

Frustrated by username and password rules during enrollment
Annoyed by lengthy process to change personal information
Confused on how this trip will affect my membership
Annoyed that not all information is saved in the same place (flight, documents…)
Stressed by not being able to confirm seats or cancelled flights
Happy to pay a bit more for personalized service with the airline that knows me best
Wishing for an upgrade

Confused over check-in
Frustrated over boarding pass options
Nervous about leaving anything I need
Anxious to handle documents for my whole group
Unclear on how to communicate my disability to the TSA
Nervous that I have everything I need
I appreciate the perks I get in the airport lounge

Nervous about boarding with a disability
Unclear on boarding process
Excited by in-flight services (e.g. WiFi)
Unfamiliar with what to do during layover

Nervous about luggage location and retrieval
Lost and stressed about having to get to hotel
Anxious that my cab driver won't know that the flight has been delayed
Hopeful that my loyalty will pay off

Confused about information from loyalty activities
Annoyed of seeing irrelevant features (e.g. dream trip or hotel preferences)
Unclear of what my status is or how it changes
Confused on how to get the best of my miles between flights
Research
Insights
Data & VOC
46% of US Travelers would consider an impulse trip Google Travel Study 2017
1/3 travelers across countries are interested in digital assistants to help book or research travel Google Travel Study 2017
2/3 of elite U.S. air loyalty program members would pick a different airline for a better price/schedule/route Google Travel Study 2017
36% of travelers in the US are likely to pay more for personalized service Google Travel Study 2017
Low percentage of respondents using itinerary services; most look through emails or use the app Delta internal study 2018
78% of respondents didn't seem interested by upgrades or add-ons other than automatic credits AKQA internal study 2018
Visitors spend on average 6min 7sec on the check-in flow; 2min 22sec approx. are spent on passenger information
VA Pain Points
70%+ of US travelers agree they always use their smartphones when traveling Google Study 2018
Complaints submitted by disabled passengers have gone up 5% year over year 2017 Aviation Consumer Reports
35% of survey respondents with a membership also own a loyalty credit card AKQA internal study 2019
2 of 5 SkyMiles members do not earn miles with partners
RCX VOC Analysis
Wallet does not seem like an intuitive category for receipts
RCX VOC Analysis
Opportu­nities
1/3 of survey respondents expressed problems with log-in AKQA internal study 2018
Leisure IROP customers are 2.5x more likely to have login problems RCX VOC Analysis
Nearly half of those that come to book award trips are unable to or experience difficulty RCX VOC Analysis
Those who do not store forms of payment on My Wallet have concerns about storing credit card information in general Consolidated user research for My Delta
Delta customers have expressed that they book hotels ahead of flights as there is more flexibility to cancel Consolidated user research 2018
Unable to come up with a user name or password that would meet unknown criteria, after several tries RCX VOC Analysis
Users not able to check in different PNRs together VA Pain Points
Android users would want more options than email or Apple Wallet; customers want Google Wallet or a reminder Consolidated user research for My Delta
Surface map to lounge during long layovers
All users clicked on the My Trips widget in the header to find their previously purchased trips Consolidated user research for My Delta
Stop withholding miles expiry information AKQA 2018 Red Journeys