How Korean Air pivoted to new ways of working and customer expectations in travel

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted many businesses, but the airline industry was perhaps one of the most affected. With travel bans that took place almost overnight, travel and transportation companies had to rethink and restrategize their business plans. In this episode, Theo chats with Kenneth Chang, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Korean Air, on how a business of 53 years had to pivot from its traditional ways to navigate the pandemic. Chang takes us through the challenges the airline faced, and how they leveraged technology to support quick decision-making that enabled the business to pivot quickly in turbulent times, taking advantage of the new opportunities presented to them during the pandemic. As a leader with foresight, Chang also shares how he instilled change management from an organizational viewpoint, building trust among employees. Keeping to the company’s environmental values, we hear about the airline’s green initiative, and how they are bringing in more fuel-efficient planes, steering away from the ‘bigger is better’ mindset. But one of the most exciting things to look out for in the company’s digital transformation journey is in the way they are looking to leverage the large pool of customer data, analyzing them to improve customer service. From building an app that gets employees their meals on time, to one that can help passengers track their luggage in transit, listen in to find out how the airline is innovating as it prepares for the future of travel in this post-pandemic season.