.jpeg)
In this interview with Prince Okafor, the Country Sales
Manager for Nigeria and Ghana at United Airlines, Oluwatomi Bola-Sadipe, shed
light on the airline’s global strategy, technological advancements, and
commitment to sustainability. Excerpts:
How is United Airlines’ expanding presence in Nigeria and
Africa
By providing frequent, reliable and great value air
connectivity, United is actively enabling economic activity, people-to-people
ties and helping to create new opportunities in tourism, hospitality and a raft
of other sectors across Nigeria and West Africa.
When United launched the Washington D.C. – Lagos non-stop
service in November 2021, we said the route reinforced United’s ongoing
commitment to growing its network in Africa and providing more convenient
service to the destinations our customers want to fly to most.
Today, in addition to Lagos, our flights from Washington
D.C. serve Accra and Cape Town, and we have also established non-stop
ultra-long haul services from New York/Newark to both Cape Town and
Johannesburg. Customers flying with United to and from Lagos will experience
one of the most advanced, efficient and comfortable aircraft, the Boeing 787-9
Dreamliner.
Demand on this route reflects the growth we are seeing on
our international routes across the network where the average seat load factor
rose by over 4 per cent to 83.8 per cent for the first three quarters of 2023,
compared with the same period in 2022.
In addition, United has great reach into most of the key
African markets through its codeshare partners, Brussels Airlines and Airlink,
which provide comprehensive services into Western, East and Southern
Africa. Also, United has close
symbiotic ties with its Star Alliance partners based on the continent and those
serving African destinations from hubs in other regions.
How are you adapting to trends and embracing technological
innovations
The most significant trend has been the adoption of
smart-phone digital technology and solutions to remove as much hassle from the
customer journey as possible.
Today, nearly three-quarters of our customers worldwide
travel with the United mobile app and they feed back their appreciation in
respect of time-saving, prompt personalised service and peace of mind.
The key to this technology adoption is developing relevant
solutions that deliver genuinely meaningful benefits to customers.
A great example is this past Thanksgiving season, twelve
days in November, during which United carried almost six million customers on
its flights. In anticipation of this,
the United customer experience team worked all year on a series of
industry-first innovations to help travellers prepare for their trips, at the
airport and on board our aircraft.
What’s your plan on fostering innovation for future aviation
challenges
As well as work with
start-ups on SAF, the United Airlines Ventures’ fund also supports work by
several other start-ups on electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft and
propulsion solutions. They include,
Archer (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles for “air taxi” services
in urban markets). Heart Aerospace (a 19-seat electric aircraft with the
potential to fly customers up to 250 nautical miles which could enter the
market by 2026)
ZeroAvia – 100 percent hydrogen-electric engines suitable
for commuter aircraft. United expects to
buy up to 100 of these for its United Express aircraft as early as 2028.
What’s United Airlines technological leap towards
sustainability
While our new Bluetooth Enabled cabin programme, which is
being rolled out across United’s fleet between now and 2032, is a customer
service and connectivity feature, it should be seen in the context of United’s
broader adoption of Apple iPads and iPhones for operational uses. In 2011, United began issuing pilots with
iPads to achieve the first paperless flight decks and replacing heavy files of
navigation charts and manuals. Since
then United has provided over 120,000 Apple devices to United employees to keep
them connected in real time and streamline operations. For example, using iPad
with Touch ID, it now takes just minutes for dispatchers to get sign-off of the
documents that release aircraft for departure and prevent delays.
Environmental sustainability and meeting the aviation
industry’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 is vitally important. United’s
new aircraft – which are designed and manufactured using advanced structural
materials, flight control systems and engines – will continue to reduce the
airline’s per-seat carbon emissions compared with the older models of aircraft
they replace. United operates Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on its Lagos,
Accra, Cape Town and Johannesburg services.
According to Boeing, the 787 is about 25 percent more fuel
efficient and achieves a similar improvement in carbon emissions per seat,
compared with older aircraft. United is currently taking delivery of an Airbus
A321 neo sub-fleet for trans-continental routes. According to Airbus, those
aircraft will reduce noise by 50 percent, with a 20 percent fuel saving and CO2
reduction compared with previous-generation single aisle aircraft. United
expects three quarters of its fleet will comprise new-generation aircraft by
2030.
Elaborate United Airlines Pioneering Role in Sustainability
and ESG Principles
United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, has summed up United’s approach
to climate change and sustainability: “We’re embracing a new goal to be 100%
green by 2050 by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 100%. And we’ll get
there not with flashy, empty gestures, but by taking the harder, better path of
actually reducing the emissions from flying.
We realize there’s a limit to what a single company can do
alone. That’s why we are continuing to seek opportunities to collaborate with
other industries.
We must reach across industries to develop coordinated
efforts to accomplish what must be our collective goal of carbon neutrality.” –
Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United At United, our purpose of
“Connecting People. Uniting the World.” extends beyond just getting you to your
next destination. Our commitment to operating an environmentally sustainable
and responsible airline means acknowledging our climate impact, working to
chart a more sustainable course for the future, and holding ourselves accountable.
We recognize the role we play in contributing to climate change and our
responsibility in solving it.
The aviation sector as a whole is responsible for about 3%
of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
That’s why we’ve embraced the goal of becoming 100% green by
reducing our GHG emissions 100% by 2050 – without relying on traditional carbon
offsets such as planting trees or voluntary offsets. Instead, United aims to achieve its target
with a combination of interventions, including reducing its own carbon
footprint, investing in carbon capture and sequestration, sustainable aviation
fuel (SAF), aircraft modernisation and operational efficiency and innovations
for the future.
This involves collaboration with employees, customers,
airports, suppliers, crossindustry partners and policymakers.
A key achievement this year was the Science-Based Targets
Initiative (SBTi) approval of United’s 2035 near-term emissions reduction
target. This is an independent, external validation that our near-term target
is science-based. We have established
United Airlines Ventures, which is a fund that lets us invest in companies
sharing our vision for the future. We want to improve travel by funding work on
new technologies and solutions, while also supporting sustainability, aerospace
and tech start-ups.
SAF is the cleanest substitute to traditional fossil-based
jet fuel with up to 80 percent reduced lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. It can be produced using a variety of
feedstocks, including used cooking oil and agricultural waste, but in future
could be made from household trash.
Starting with more than $100 million in investments from
United and our partners, the fund will support start-ups working on SAF
research, production and technology.
To date, United has invested in the future production of
over 5 billion US gallons of SAF. In the past two years, United Airlines
Ventures has invested in a range of start-ups working on SAF, the development
of sustainable aircraft and other technological innovations in aviation.
United’s partners in the fund include Boeing, American
Express, Aramco, Honeywell, GE Aerospace, JetBlue Ventures, Air Canada, Bank of
America, BCG, Hawaiian Airlines, Aviation Capital Group, Groupe ADP and JP
Morgan/Chase. For our corporate customers who want to contribute, we have also
established the United Eco-Skies Alliance.
It lets corporates pay for the additional cost of SAF (which is more
expensive than traditional jet fuel because it is not yet produced at the same
scale and volume). This contribution
goes beyond traditional carbon offsets and shows there is demand for low
emissions fuel solutions.
Tell us about your revolutionising passenger experience and
operational efficiency
United has launched and enhanced many new innovations in its
mobile app, at its airports and on board its aircraft to help travellers
prepare for their trips – offering more transparency, saving time and reducing
stress from booking to departure.
For the pre-flight preparation, United is the only airline
providing customers with a dynamic seat map that allows for free pre-booked
family seating when travelling with children younger than 12.
United’s “bag drop shortcut” lets customers who check-in
using the app to drop their bags off curbside or at dedicated airport lobby
kiosks, cutting bag drop and tag times to one minute. As United rolls out this service to more
airports, the bag shortcut locations will be shown on the app.
United in-flight food and drinks can now be pre-ordered any
time from five days to 24 hours before departure, giving passengers their
preferred options.
By closely matching catering to customers’ preferences,
United is able to reduce wasted food, beverages and catering equipment. For the
day of travel, our app now includes an airport wayfinder to guide a traveller
through the airport to their departure gate.
It is also able to provide personalised automatic flight
notifications to customers, with a countdown clock to their departure time. It
has helped millions of travellers access their boarding passes and
entertainment options.
One of United’s most helpful innovations is United’s
ConnectionSaver, which scans flights for customers with tight connections, to
determine if the connecting flight can be held to enable the traveller make the
flight, without inconveniencing other customers.
So far this year it has helped over 600,000 United customers
make their tight connecting flights. Since June this year, United’s app has
been able to automatically assist customers when there are flight delays or
schedule disruptions.
It presents personalised re-booking options, bag tracing
information, as well as meal and hotel vouchers when eligible – getting them on
their way again without having to queue in a line or hold on a call for a
contact centre agent.
For those who do want to speak with a customer support
agent, by scanning a QR code on United’s “Agent on Demand” function, they can
video chat, text or call a customer service representative.
So far this year, over 1.5 million United customers have
used this function. It is available at
all airports where United flies. A few weeks ago we announced United’s new
“WILMA”, or “window-middle-aisle” system to help make the flight boarding
process more efficient. This is proving
to be a time saver and removes some of the hassle and stress passengers
otherwise often experience trying to locate their seats, stow their belongings
and get comfortable.
United is currently enabling its fleet for Bluetooth
connectivity. This means that once
settled in their seats, customers can link their personal wireless headphones,
such as the new AirPods Pro, with their seatback screens and communicate with
cabin attendants. To achieve this, the
system uses the latest Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and Noise
Cancellation technology. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, United’s new
and retrofit planes also include several customer amenities, technological innovations
and fuel efficiency benefits.