Managing Mass Disruptions in Airline Support

Travelers judge airlines by their worst day, not their best one. A large-scale disruption tests more than operations: it tests trust. When communication breaks down, rebooking feels chaotic, or empathy disappears, the brand damage can last far longer than the disruption itself. This session by Simply Contact focuses on how airlines can prepare for that reality and respond with confidence when it matters most.

Session summary

Al Tredinnick of 15below, which works with 72 airlines carrying over a billion passengers a year, said airlines can now automate around 85% of schedule changes and rebooking without a passenger ever needing to call. The remaining 15%, such as vulnerable travellers, VIPs, or passengers with a missed connection, are the ones who need a human agent, and keeping them out of the same queue as everyone else is what determines whether disruption support holds up under pressure. His research found that poorly communicated disruptions cost airlines roughly 17% of affected customers outright, and each of those lost customers goes on to influence four or five more people against booking again. Simply Contact’s Tamara Maleta flagged the 24 hours before departure as the highest-priority window for any airline’s contact centre, since cancellations inside that window leave the least time to manage passenger queues before people are already at the airport.