What if we made every interaction, from booking to arrival — embody effortless sophistication?

Elevating luxury travel for a leading airline.

The Etihad challenge

When your brand is synonymous with luxury, every interaction, no matter how small, must reflect the highest standards of excellence. For Etihad, the challenge was clear: their digital experience needed to match the elegance and sophistication of their physical services. The airline’s passengers expected nothing less than perfection at every touchpoint, from booking to arrival. Our goal was to create a digital experience that was not only seamless and intuitive but also reflected the personalized service their customers had come to expect.

Research approach

Creating an experience that resonated with luxury travelers required a deep understanding of their unique needs and expectations. However, reaching this exclusive group presented a challenge. High-net-worth individuals are typically time-poor, very selective, and often shielded by layers of privacy, making traditional research methods less effective. To overcome these barriers, we employed a personalized approach. We sent handcrafted invitations that highlighted the importance of their input and were delivered through trusted channels. Research was conducted in premium settings with senior researchers, making participants feel valued and respected.

Our research was designed to be concise yet insightful, allowing us to gather valuable insights into preferences without being intrusive. Throughout the process, we emphasized confidentiality and the impact their feedback would have on the final experience. This bespoke approach granted us rich, qualitative insights that were instrumental in designing a journey that exceeded expectations.

Design approach

The cornerstone of our approach was the integration of Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX) to elevate the luxury experience:

CX focused on the entire customer journey, encompassing all touch-points, from initial awareness to post-purchase support. This included considering emotional responses and satisfaction levels at every stage of the journey.

UX zeroed in on the specific interactions customers have with touch-points, products, and services, ensuring that these interactions were intuitive, seamless, and enjoyable, reflecting the luxury ethos in every detail.

Together, CX and UX ensured that every touchpoint in the customer journey — whether digital or physical —delivered a consistent and cohesive experience. This alignment was critical for delivering highly tailored luxury experiences, making customers feel valued and understood across all channels and allowing them to move effortlessly between different touch-points. By combining CX's focus on emotional engagement with UX's attention to detail and an iterative, continually testing and refining mindset, we were able to frame both the 'jobs to be done' and the 'joy to be had'.

Journey mapping

Our integrated journey mapping led us to design a suite of new products that allowed the airline to offer personalised and immersive experiences. These products were designed to make each traveler feel valued and unique. We incorporated personalisation options that catered to each traveler’s specific preferences. For example, frequent flyers were presented with curated flight options based on their prior travels, while new customers received personalised recommendations based on their stated preferences. We also designed content features tailored to the traveler’s interests. During the booking process, passengers could choose from a selection of add-ons, such as private transfers or personalized dining options. These offers were dynamically generated based on the traveler’s profile, making the journey feel bespoke and uniquely catered.

Designing personalisation

Our integrated journey mapping led us to design a suite of new products to allow the airline to offer personalised and immersive experiences. These products were designed to make each traveler feel valued and unique.

We incorporating personalisation options to catered to the traveler’s specific preferences. For instance, frequent flyers were presented with curated flight options based on their prior travels, while new customers were offered personalised recommendations based on their stated preferences. We also designed content features that would tailor to the travellers interests. For example, during the booking, passengers could choose from a selection of add-ons, such as private transfers or personalised dining options. These offers were dynamically generated based on the traveler’s profile, making the journey feel bespoke and uniquely catered.

Beyond design

Delivering luxury requires more than just excellent design — it demands seamless integration of technology, data, strategy, and brand ethos. To achieve this, we worked in cross-functional teams, incorporating multiple disciplines to ensure that every aspect was aligned. We integrated analytics into the design process, enabling more informed decisions that aligned with the overall business strategy.

Our collaboration extended beyond the customer experience and into the operating model. By working closely with business strategists, we redefined processes and workflows to support the delivery of the digital experience. This included new operating models, enhancing customer service protocols, and ensuring that every touchpoint was supported by back-end systems capable of delivering on the brand’s promise of luxury.

Results speak for themselves

By focusing on user-centered design and leveraging the best practices in UX and CX, we were able to design a journey that not only met but exceeded the expectations of luxury travelers. The success of this project highlights how great service and thoughtful design can drive significant business outcomes, reinforcing the brand’s position as a leader in luxury travel.

Enhanced experience The digital journey we created became as delightful as the physical experience, providing luxury travellers with a seamless and personalised service from start to finish. The new features made the entire travel process more engaging and stress-free, driving higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Business impact The implementation of these changes resulted in a 25% year-over-year incremental growth, reflecting the increased engagement and satisfaction among customers. There was a 50-point increase in the booking engine conversion rate, demonstrating the effectiveness of the redesigned digital experience in attracting and retaining customers. Over five years, the program delivered a $400 million benefit, proving the substantial return on investment from enhancing the digital experience.