Ryanair has unveiled what it is calling “a suite of digital customer improvements”, including a ‘Day of Travel’ Assistant within the carrier’s app, and new commitments to customer refunds.
The new assistant will offer live updates on airport, terminal, flight and gate information, as well as updates on new departure time / routings during periods of disruption, and live webcasts from the carrier’s operations centre where there is major disruption.
There will also be a digital self-service hub, where customers can track claims and interactions and access self-help videos.
In addition the carrier has introduced a commitment to pay out refund requests to the original form of payment within five working days, and customers will be able to get real time updates on refunds via the My Ryanair Wallet.
Ryanair said that the new initiatives were a direct result of its first Customer Panel meeting which took place in September, adding that the six-person panel would sit twice per year “to continually drive customer improvements”.
Commenting on the news Ryanair’s director of marketing, Dara Brady, said:
“We are pleased to launch these innovative customer improvements which will enhance the travel experience of our guests. Driven by customer panel input, these improvements allow our guests to self-serve online when changing flight dates or passengers’ names, updating contact info or adding bags/seats.
“For customers who need extra assistance they can now track their interactions with Ryanair across calls/email/chat/social and receive live status updates online. Ryanair delivers the best customer service with the lowest fares and best on time performance and now our new Day of Travel Assistant (within the Ryanair app) will make travel easier and hassle free with live updates on departure times, terminals and specific gate info for boarding.
“In the small number of cases where we suffer disruption, customers will receive regular updates including live video and webcasts from our Ops Centre, ensuring they are kept as up to date as possible with what’s happening and how their disruption will be resolved.
“In rare cases of cancellations, customers who request a refund will now get confirmation and access to it within 24hrs in My Ryanair and will be refunded to the original form of payment within five working days.”