Airline links legacy systems to improve access to customer details

British Airways is linking legacy systems to create a single view of customers’ relationships with the business.

By pooling data from global distribution and passenger service systems, the airline has created a central order data store (ODS) covering the whole lifecycle ­ from booking the ticket to completing the journey.

A key IT challenge facing airlines has been to link data and workflows between standalone systems, said BA chief information officer Paul Coby.

“The technology allows us better control over the fundamental building blocks,” he said.

“A lot of our core customer data is in legacy systems. Our vision was to pull that together in a modern relational database.”

The central ODS has allowed BA to reduce the problem of duplicate booking, so more seats can be returned to sale at an earlier stage. It has also enabled a service that monitors transfer times for passengers as bookings are made.

The Calidris application used by BA will help solve operational issues and identify revenue opportunities, said Coby.

“A customer’s history is the total sum of the different orders ­the technology makes it easier to understand the interactions and help improve the business,” he said.
With the basic system in place, BA can gradually add new data sources.

“We have switched some feeds out of the basic booking system and will add feeds from the departure control system and e-ticketing data,” said Coby.

BA is an industry leader in technology use, according to Martin Atherton, an analyst with Freeform Dynamics.

“BA has made good progress in using technology over the past five years to improve customer service,” he said.