Lufthansa Group subsidiary Eurowings has launched what it is calling the ‘Ideas Get Wings’ challenge, encouraging the public to submit ideas for products, ground processes or digital customer service innovations which would be indispensable for travel in the post-coronavirus era.
The competition is running until May 13, and the carrier is offering a prize of “up to €10,000” for the best idea – in practice this is either a marketing and travel package with a value of up to €10,000 for a company, or a ticket voucher with a value up to €5,000 for an individual.
The airline says it is looking for ideas which “would help customers with their main concerns (eg: social distancing) and give them a peace of mind when planning a holiday and/or travelling with Eurowings)”.
Ideas should focus on one of two areas – either a solution embedded into the (digital) customer journey, or the (digital) enhancement of operational processes such as check-in, boarding, inflight, etc.
Proposals should be able to be implemented quickly (ideally within three months), and must bring “concrete added value for passengers”.
“They should, for example, help to ensure that private and business travellers feel particularly comfortable on board an aircraft again, even after the global corona pandemic, and book their next holiday with anticipation,” Eurowings said.
Commenting on the initiative Jens Bischof, recently appointed CEO or Eurowings, said:
“As challenging as the current phase is, we are using the de facto travel ban to make Eurowings even more customer-friendly for the period after the Corona crisis and to position the airline as a strong and popular brand. The innovation challenge is only one of many measures on this path.”
Lufthansa Group is currently in talks with governments regarding possible state aid, with Reuters reporting that Carsten Spohr (Lufthansa’s CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Group ) “expects a deal with Germany shortly”.
More information on the ‘Ideas Get Wings’ challenge, criteria for entries, and the judging process can be found here.
