Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Head of Customer Excellence Taskforce at Lufthansa Group, has ambitious plans for the future of air travel, including a move away from the traditional Passenger Name Record (PNR) system. In an interview with Linda Fox, Senior Reporter for PhocusWire, Pour discussed his vision for a “PNR-free world” and the importance of customer experience in the airline industry’s post-pandemic recovery.

“We want to have a PNR-free world quicker than 5-7 years from now,” Pour declared. Offer-order, a concept gaining traction in the industry, would replace the PNR system. Offer-order focuses on presenting travelers with various travel options based on their needs, rather than a single, pre-defined itinerary.

Pour acknowledged the complexity of such a shift, “it could take longer, depending on how many players get involved, and the exact point in time when a PNR-free world exists will be debatable: at what point do you have enough industry penetration to say, it’s here?”

Looking ahead: Growth, recovery, and customer focus

Despite the challenges, Pour remains optimistic about Lufthansa’s future. “We are on track for double-digit growth this year, but at 92% of 2019 levels,” he explained. “This year is the year of catch-up, and we are optimistic. We have severely suffered from strike action, but we have experienced demand over summer, so it will pick up again.”

However, Pour acknowledges the lingering effects of the pandemic and recent disruptions. “Two summers post-Covid, there’s been lots of issues,” he said. “We still have to do a lot of brick and mortar fixing in this third summer.”

Rebuilding customer trust is paramount for Pour. “The key things for airlines to be reliable,” he outlined. This includes “stable flight plans, not canceling at the last minute,” improved punctuality, and “a very good baggage service.” He emphasized the impact of poor service on travelers, stating, “it is an agony for any customer that suffers from it, and has a profound impact on NPS scores [Net Promoter Score, a customer loyalty metric].”

Pour sees digitization as a key driver of improved customer service. “The mix between digital and human – there has to always be a human safety net – someone the customer can always talk to,” he explained. “We learned that through Covid times.”

Lufthansa Group is putting its money where its mouth is with significant investments.  “We are investing 2.5 billion euros in products and services by 2025,” Pour revealed. “Roughly 500 million of that is on non-aircraft, including the digitization side.” Additionally, the group is investing 3 billion euros in financing new aircraft.