Comment: How 30 years of Priority Pass lays the groundwork for the next 30

Collinson Joint CEO David Evans assesses three decades of evolution at Priority Pass, the world’s largest independent airport lounge access programme, and how the next stage of traveller engagement will look.

 Priority Pass is 30 years old; we’re celebrating not just because it is an achievement that we’re proud of, but also as a way to recognise the members, partners, clients and our people who helped make the business what it is today. Over the past 30 years, we’ve helped to shape the way we travel – delivering seamless, airport experiences that allow travellers to love the whole journey.

Celebrating this landmark means reminiscing at how things have changed beyond lounge access alone and looking ahead to the next three decades and what we can deliver to our clients and partners, providing the very best choice of travel experiences that continue to meet evolving expectations.

And evolve things have. Priority Pass has come a long way since it launched with just 49 lounges globally and a handful of dedicated employees. Today, twice as many people are travelling than in 1992, which is why our network now boasts 1,300 airport lounges and travel experiences all over the world.

We work closely with leading travel, finance and retail brands, evolving our propositions to create premium experiences across the entire travel journey. By being at the heart of the travel industry, we are able to see the bigger picture and look at it in the same way customers do – the complete end-to-end travel journey.

30 years of evolution

The past 30 years have seen a great deal of change for most industries, but especially in travel. We’ve learned to pivot and shift our propositions in line with some of the biggest world events. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic is still fresh on everyone’s minds and, indeed, still affecting the ability to travel in some regions.

But, before that, we had to nimbly adapt to other events. For instance, natural disasters like the Icelandic ash cloud which wreaked havoc across Europe, while 9/11 resulted in the introduction of many new security protocols that are still in place today.

As Priority Pass marks 30 years, Collinson is investing to ensure the next 30 are marked by further expansion and innovation

There has also been a great deal of positive change too. The introduction of budget airlines opened up the world to a far broader audience. Business class started offering seats that turn into flat beds, and more and more super long-haul flights are being introduced all the time. Who knew that one day there’d be the option to fly non-stop from London to Sydney? And how exciting it is to think ahead to space travel.

The pandemic sped up innovation, and equally we’ve seen an increase in consumers’ expectations of a connected digital experience. Even before COVID, travel companies were looking at more digital, contactless offerings – e-tickets, online check-in, self-service bag drop kiosks, digital passport control and even mobile F&B ordering. Many of these services received further investment due to the pandemic, all with the idea of making the process of getting from A to B contactless and more enjoyable for passengers. And with travel bouncing back, there’s a huge opportunity to bring the sector further into the digital era.

So, following 30 years of adapting to give travellers the best experiences, what’s next for Priority Pass – and the wider industry – for the next 30 years?

A whole new audience

To keep growing, the industry will need to make sure it is catering for a whole new customer demographic – Gen Zs. Already, Millennials and Gen Z passengers make up three-quarters of the travel market today, and it will, of course, be pretty much saturated with these generations in 30 years’ time.

For Gen Zs, technology is king. This is the first generation that hasn’t really known a world without technology at their fingertips, who have been able to grab hold of their parents’ smartphones and tablets since they were tiny. For them a connected seamless journey is imperative.

A new generation demands that technology is part of the entire journey

Technology therefore won’t be so much a ‘wow’ experience in travel, but something passengers come to expect as par for the course when travelling. The quicker travel brands can provide or improve this frictionless digital experience, the better.

An experience economy

Of course, as well as being digitally-savvy, this group is one that is extremely focused on experience. We’re already living in an experience economy, with consumers expecting the very best experiences from the brands and providers they use. And that expectation is only going to grow.

Consumer data is critical here, but so is forging partnerships and collaborations across the travel ecosystem, so we can come to understand exactly what travellers want and need throughout the travel journey. Those that are doing this now, will continue to create the best experiences as expectations continue to evolve in the future.

New spaces, new experiences: Priority Pass has deepened its relationships with relevant service partners

Celebrating 30 years, Priority Pass has spent a lot of time looking at our propositions and we’re constantly evolving them to ensure great experiences are offered at every touchpoint. We already provide travellers with access to experiences in over 650 airports in 148 countries, but we’re going bigger than airport services.

Our portfolio now means that Priority Pass Members can access premium experiences throughout their journey. Over the past 12 months, we’ve already made it possible for members to book ground transportation through our partnership with CarTrawler, choose a spa treatment through our partnership with Be Relax, and order takeout and avoid the queues with Airport Takeout through Servy. Plus, they can maintain their daily exercise routines from anywhere in the world, thanks to our partnership with WithU.

To the future

Just as we know there’s been a great deal of change in the industry over the past 30 years, we know that there’s a lot to come. Understanding the traveller and delivering relevancy of proposition, underpinned by seamless digital experiences within a connected journey will be key, as will partnering with those companies who can offer them to your customers.

It’s an exciting time and, while travel was on hold for a couple of years, it’s back with a force – just in time for our 30th birthday. We’re celebrating by looking ahead to what the future holds – growing and evolving with more experiences globally that help elevate every journey into something special.

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