Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines achieves data transformation at the highest level with Tableau


Mobile app puts highly prioritised data into hands of executives at Austrian and Lufthansa Group

Greater data access leads to operational savings and faster decision making

Data insights at highest level inform key decisions from resourcing to when to restart operations

With every aspect of the aviation industry becoming increasingly digitised, rapid access to accurate data and analytics is more important than ever before.

Headquartered in Vienna, Austrian Airlines AG, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, is Austria’s largest carrier, operating a global route network of approximately 130 destinations. Here, Christian Novosel, Head of Business Development, Digitisation and Fleet at Austrian Airlines and Lukas Rudari, Senior Manager Digital Delivery & Strategy, discuss how the company’s new mobile analytics app uses Tableau to put powerful data insights directly into the hands of executives. Doing so enables them to make fast, data-driven decisions on the spot and identify invaluable operational savings during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

How important is data to Austrian Airlines and the Lufthansa Group?

We generate vast amounts of data every day which, with the help of the right systems, can be harnessed to improve our operational excellence across the board - from customer bookings to aircraft maintenance scheduling. Finding and unlocking the insights hidden in our data allows us to continually refine business processes and achieve clockwork operations at scale, which is key to long-term success in the modern aviation sector.

How do the data needs of Austrian Airlines’ senior executives differ to the wider business?

Our executives are extremely busy, so data needs to be tailored to their specific requirements. When looking at any dashboard the ‘so what’ or key message needs to be immediately clear.

Data also has to be highly accessible, even when out of the office or on the road. For this reason, we recently created a custom mobile analytics app. The app is designed to provide round-the-clock access to highly prioritised, highly curated Tableau dashboards and PDF reports, which contain all the latest data and KPIs our executives need to make fully informed business decisions from anywhere.

Thanks to the app, executives have access to data and analytics wherever they go, they can pull up the latest operational information, compare year-over-year performance and even drill down into specific data points, all in just a few seconds.

How has the app brought executives closer to data?

We were already a highly data-driven organisation, but the introduction of mobile analytics has helped us take it a step further and achieve real cultural transformation at the highest level. Thanks to the app, executives have access to data and analytics wherever they go. This means they can pull up the latest operational information, compare year-over-year performance in key areas like punctuality, and even drill down into specific data points, all in just a few seconds. As a result, they can use data as a key part of the day-to-day decision making process, rather than relying on gut feel most of the time.

The simple tile-based interface also makes it really easy to use. Each tile represents a different dashboard and tiles can be removed or quickly added whenever necessary, meaning the app always contains the most relevant information at any given time. Dashboards can also be ‘favorited’ and re-arranged by individual users based on personal importance, so they are immediately visible when the app is opened. In such a volatile environment, this level of data agility has proved absolutely invaluable. Initially launched at Austrian Airlines as “Crisis Management App”, the app has now been rolled out for top management at Austrian and the broader Lufthansa Group where it is used for various reporting purposes.

Can you share some examples of how Tableau mobile analytics has helped keep executives informed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

It goes without saying that the aviation industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. When lockdown measures were first announced, we received tens of thousands of booking cancellation requests in just a few days, so our call centres were working day and night to try and process them all as quickly as possible.

In order to keep executives updated, we created a new Tableau dashboard that provided detailed data on the total number of incoming cancellation requests and refunds processed, and we put it straight in the app. This immediately gave our executives access to the latest figures - updated hourly - which could be used to inform decisions, as well as respond to the huge number of press enquiries coming in.

We’ve also had to lower our operational costs as much as possible during this period, so have reduced working hours for our staff. However, we’ve still needed key sections of our workforce, such as call centers, flight crews, engineering and legal, to keep things moving at different points in time.

Using the app, executives can accurately track all of these resourcing needs and clearly see how staffing levels are stacking up against productivity throughout the business. This high level of visibility has made discussions much more data driven and helped the leadership team pinpoint the exact moment when bringing staff back from reduced working hours will have the biggest impact.

[By analysing the data on their mobiles], executives can accurately track all of these resourcing needs and clearly see how staffing levels are stacking up against productivity throughout the business impact.

Why is fast, data-driven decision making more important now than ever?

Lufthansa is under a high level of scrutiny at the moment. Our flights form a key part of the DACH region’s infrastructure, which is incredibly important for the transportation of medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the repatriation of citizens from affected countries. Using Tableau and our mobile app, we can visualise and share critical logistical information quickly and efficiently, ensuring everyone has the data they need to make fast, informed decisions whenever required.

Do you have any advice for other organisations looking to drive a better data culture?

Make sure you produce tangible outcomes - like an app - and that the data can be easily understood by the respective target audience. Don’t waste too much time trying to perfect everything before making it available either. It’s often better to get a starting point out there as soon as you can, which can be refined later using input from users.

Finally, be relevant. Be where the question is, not behind the curve. Use lighthouse projects that decision makers can see and use, which will help get them more invested in data as a whole. Then, once you’ve made a case, ask for additional resources needed to transform your company into a more data driven organization.