CHALLENGE 1

Flight Cancellation

Scenario

A traveler is in an airport waiting for the last leg of a flight home when their flight gets abruptly canceled due to bad weather.

Challenge

Write a message from the airline app notifying them of the cancellation and what they need to do next.

Headline: 45 characters
Body: 175 characters max
Button(s): 25 characters max

Goal

To provide information on the current situation and guidance for how to proceed, all conveyed with some empathy.

This will help the passenger feel like a valued customer who is in control of their travel. Being able to provide that level of comfort is important when dealing with a situation that can evoke anxiety, stress, or a number of other strong emotions.

Considerations

  • Users of the app are travelers with the goal of reaching their destination as safely and efficiently as possible.

    • Delays to that goal can be frustrating, and can also have a domino effect, impacting plans and affecting other people who were dependent on the original itinerary.

  • The airline aims to bring in new travelers while keeping current travelers as customers.

    • Users of their app have already shown increased engagement with the company, so it’s in their best interest to ensure they are satisfied - or even better, very happy!

  • Other teams (specifically the airline’s scheduling team, and possibly the logistics of each airport).

    • We can only plan for a rescheduled flight if the airline is able to engineer those changes quickly and get that information to the development team.

    • We can only welcome travelers to the lounge if we have confirmed access to lounges in airports.

  • The air travel industry.

    • In 2019, the FAA reported ~45,000 flights and 2.9 million U.S. air travelers daily. Yet the industry continues to suffer financially. Ensuing higher fares and reduced services have caused travelers to be more fickle, and airlines would benefit from taking every opportunity they can interact and develop relationships with travelers.

 

Suggested Solution

In the situation of a canceled flight, the airline should express empathy for the inconvenience of the schedule changes, even if they had no control over the cause of the delay. Additionally, an act of good will can go a long way, whether it is rescheduling a flight (first two mockups below) or simply offering travelers entry to the airline’s lounge (third mockup).

By injecting some personality and empathy into the messages, the user feels valued. And by giving clear information and instructions, they also feel in control of their travel plans.

The following solutions reflect two different situations:

  1. The airline can reschedule the passenger.

  2. The airline is unable to quickly reschedule the passenger.

The airline can reschedule the passenger.

Collapsed

  • Headline: Flight FA54 Canceled Due to Weather

  • Body: Hi Tim - We can’t control the weather, but we can book you on a new flight. You are now booked on flight FA65, departing at 4:52pm from gate 61B.

Expanded

  • Headline: Flight FA54 Canceled Due to Weather

  • Body: Hi Tim - We can’t control the weather, but we can book you on a new flight. You are now booked on flight FA65, departing at 4:52pm from gate 61B. We apologize for the inconvenience.

  • Buttons: View New Flight Details / Call Help Desk / Close

The airline is unable to quickly reschedule the passenger.

Collapsed & Expanded

  • Headline: Flight FA54 Canceled Due to Weather

  • Body: Hi Tim - Please contact us through the FlyAir app to reschedule your flight. We apologize for the delay and invite you to join us in the FlyAir Lounge.

Visible on Expanded

  • Buttons: Open FlyAir App / Call Help Desk / Close