Technology is taking to the skies. Airlines are staking new competitive territory with tech on and off planes. Data-driven applications, on-board Wi-Fi connectivity, and virtual reality are just some things they are offering to tech-savvy flyers.

Alaska Airlines Inc. is among those looking to leverage technology to revolutionize flyers’ experiences. It merged about two years ago with Virgin America. On the list of new initiatives from Alaska Airlines include seating and dining improvements, as well as various technological advancements to do things like order-ahead snacks and beverages from airport lounges.

Alaska is not just jumping on the technology bandwagon, according to Annabel Chang, vice president, Bay Area, at Alaska Airlines. “Alaska Airlines was the first ever to have the kiosks and mobile check in,” she said. “And we continue to look for ways to be top in the field.”

This is only natural for an airline surrounded by the most advanced technological innovation. Alaska Airlines is based in Seattle, Washington, America’s fastest-growing tech hub. And it now serves six locations in Northern California, the tech capital of the world.

“We want to be your top West Coast airline, and the West Coast is obviously the tech hub of the entire world,” Chang said. “We know that our travelers care very much about technology, so we’re looking at ways to be creative.”

Chang spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the recent Alaska Airlines Elevated Flight Experience event in San Francisco. Chang, along with other Alaska employees and partners, discussed the Alaska-Virgin merger and Alaska’s latest plans to enhance flyer experience with technology and more.

Watch the complete video interview with Annabel Change below:

First stop: trip planning

Airlines are changing the way people travel, from the moment they begin planning a trip to the time they return. European airline EasyJet Airline Co. Ltd. is using data analytics for everything from customer trip-planning to predictive analytics. EasyJet hoards all of the data it can get — on its planes, on its customers, where they go, what they do, what they eat. No data set is discarded as rubbish, Phil Wood, director of IT service delivery at EasyJet, told theCUBE in January.

“Every day, we’re coming up with new ideas or new bits of information that, at the time, we never thought we needed to know, but that actually turns out to be an absolutely crucial part of our offer,” Wood said.

EasyJet is using data from customers and other sources to map out entire trips for users. Its web application has a feature that plans an entire trip in one tap. Users enter whatever amount of money they’re willing to spend, and the app returns an itinerary, complete with a flight to a particular city, a hotel, and a local event to attend.

What many travelers would like most is for tech to eliminate the dreaded lines and security checks at airports. Many airports are now using biometrics to help travelers quickly cut through the identity and security holdups. Seventy-one percent of airlines and 77 percent of airports plan research and development projects in biometrics ID management in next three years, according to SITA’s “Air Transport IT Insights 2018” report.

Air travelers may have noticed the kiosks from Clear (by Alclear LLC) in airports around the country. With a subscription to Clear, users can breeze through airport security in under five minutes, the company claims. Users verify their identity with a fingerprint or iris scan at kiosks to bypass some lines.

“Up until now, any time you want to increase security, it diminishes the consumer experience,” Ken Cornick, co-founder, president and chief financial officer of Clear, told theCUBE in 2017. “We can increase security while making better consumer experiences.”

And anyone who has ever missed a flight has no doubt wished the pilot could have waited five darned minutes to take off. It turns out, many planes can afford to wait for late passengers. United Continental Holdings Inc. is piloting a program called Dynamic D-0 at its Denver airport. It leverages special software and coordinates data with United’s connecting passenger roster to determine whether a brief delay can be made up for in flight. Its operations center then selects the flights to hold for late passengers. So far, Dynamic D-o has saved thousands of passengers from missing a flight.

Blockchain gives loyalty programs a makeover

Airlines are interested in blockchain distributed ledger technology, for everything from identification to loyalty programs. In fact, 34 percent of airports are planning to fund blockchain R&D programs by 2021, according to the SITA report.

Blockchain can also help flyers track and manage their loyalty rewards. “A third of points never get redeemed,” Al Burgio, founder and chief executive officer of Fusechain Inc., told theCUBE in 2018. Fusechain helps companies tokenize points on a blockchain so customers can easily track and transfer points.

“As a result of that, consumers have an ever-growing desire to want to be part of these programs and earn points,” Burgio said.

Last year, Singapore Airlines Group’s frequent flyer program, KrisFlyer, launched KrisPay. The airline claims it is “the world’s first blockchain-based airline loyalty digital wallet.”

All the high-tech comforts of home and then some

Technology is also altering the experience aboard the plane. Airlines are trying to make flyers’ hours in the air enjoyable rather than just tolerable.

“We’re unveiling our Airbus with new seating — new first class, premium class, main cabin,” Ben Minicucci (pictured), president and chief operating officer of Alaska Airlines, told theCUBE during the Elevated Flight Experience event.

Alaska is collaborating with a number of partners to perfect every detail of flyers’ experience. “What we want to do is partner with brands that share our same values … for producing a great product,” Minicucci said. 

Watch the complete video interview with Ben Minicucci below:

New seating aboard Alaska planes features tablet integration and power/USB connections, according to René Dankwerth, general manager of Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas LLC, who also spoke to theCUBE during the event. “And  you will also see smart solutions, lots of storage options,” he said.

Many airlines, mercifully, have realized that few can give up their devices during a flight. More than 80 percent of U.S. airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi, according to Routehappy Inc.’s “2018 Wi-Fi Report.”

Alaska Airlines plans to multiply the number of planes with high-speed Wi-Fi this year. “We have about a dozen right now. By the end of 2019, we’ll have about 125,” Brett Catlin, aviation and travel leader and head of alliances and product at Alaska Airlines, told theCUBE during the Elevated Flight Experience event.

This opens up new opportunities for in-flight entertainment, service, ordering, etc. For, example, travelers can watch livestream video on their devices.

Alaska has also partnered with SkyLights Inc. to offer passengers Allosky VR headsets. The airline is piloting the headsets — which display 2D, 3D, and forward-facing 360° films on a full HD cinema screen — on first-class flights. The solution will be piloted as a first-class amenity onboard Alaska Airlines’ Seattle-Boston and Boston-San Diego routes.

Watch the complete video interview with Brett Catlin below:

Of feedback and airplane food

Flyer-feedback data collected over time is helping Alaska revamp in-flight offerings. “Every guest receives a survey after every flight,” Catlin said. “We have hundreds of thousands of responses every year, which allows us to make small tweaks around the margin, but also more material changes.”

Some of the small tweaks include changing people’s perception of airline food. “Regional,” “adventurous,” and “made within hours of boarding” may not be words people associate with soggy sandwiches and packaged nuts.

“I work a lot with distributors trying to get hyper-regional products from San Francisco, Seattle, LA distributed nationwide, so that we can feature those great local flavors on our menus,” Joshua Rappaport, executive chef, menu design and product engineering at LSG Group, told theCUBE during the Alaska Airlines event.

Flyers can also expect small-batch artisan ice cream. “For a couple of months now, we’ve been offering a little single-serve container that we actually developed in conjunction with Alaska,” Kim Malek, president and chief executive officer of Salt & Straw, told theCUBE. 

Watch all of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s video interviews at the Alaska Airlines Elevated Flight Experience event.

Photo: SiliconANGLE