Airline Benchmark in a nutshell
Every year, team neusta conducts a comprehensive analysis of the airline portals of the 40 largest European airlines with NetFed.
How effectively do they convey transparency, promote exchange and offer efficient booking processes? Which companies set the standard? Which best practices stand out and which current communication and service trends dominate?
We use these findings to develop individual digital strategies for our clients.
Structure and
approach of the analysis
The
Study period
The study was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The
Key question
How can airlines use their portals strategically to effectively combine transparency, dialog, services and technology and thereby strengthen their business in the long term?
The
Scope
For the airline benchmark, we analyzed the portals of the 40 largest European airlines.
The
Results
Why is the first impression so important?
The digital presence as a point of impact for the first contact is a decisive success factor for airlines today. Airlines that invest here in trust-building information, customer-oriented services and technical excellence will benefit in the long term from stronger customer loyalty, a higher proportion of direct sales and a better reputation. Digitalization remains the key to successfully meeting the challenges facing the industry.
Winner lufthansa.com
Lufthansa leads the ranking with 70% of the criteria assessed, setting the standard in the industry. The analysts were impressed by the breadth of the digital service offering, the technical quality of the customer journey and the transparent corporate communication.
The high differences in quality between top and low performers are surprising
A total of 40 airlines were analyzed. The quality density of the first 10 places is very high, with only a few criteria making the difference. The next 20 ranks (between 50%-60% degree of fulfillment) form the midfield.
The results of the Airline Benchmark 2025 show that although there are positive examples, the industry as a whole still has a lot of catching up to do. The most important finding: the analysis reveals an enormous range in the quality of the airlines' digital offering. Everything is represented, from excellently implemented digital strategies to websites that do not live up to their own brand claim. Enormous potential is being wasted here that could be eliminated with simple actions.
Airline Benchmark
Analysis, methodology and target group
For whom is the
study relevant?
The airline benchmark analyses the current trends in digital communication in the aviation industry and offers valuable insights for IT managers, marketing managers, communication managers and website managers. With these insights, companies can target their content more precisely, optimise interaction with customers and stakeholders and develop effective strategies to strengthen their digital presence
How did
we proceed?
Our study is based on a comprehensive catalogue of questions with 135 criteria, developed over many years, which enables a thorough analysis of the airline portals. In order to realistically simulate user behaviour, we apply the 30-second rule: Information must be findable on the website within this period of time. Otherwise, it is deemed not to be available.
How are the
criteria weighted?
Each criterion is given a specific weighting to ensure a precise assessment. Criteria categorized as "very important" are weighted threefold, "important" twice and "standard" once. The maximum score for an airline portal is 1,000 points, which corresponds to 100% fulfilment of all criteria.
HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT
How good is your
airline portal?
Find out now with our free check!
We analyze your digital presence and provide you with an individual evaluation - including optimization potential, recommendations and best practices!
Your benefits
Your individual airline check combines in-depth specialist knowledge: Professional web analysis, well thought-out content strategy and state-of-the-art technology. Our approach is based on a solid foundation: over 20 years of experience.
Ranking
Find out how your digital communication compares to the top 40 airlines in Europe.
potential
Optimization
potential
From quick wins to strategic changes - discover how and where you can optimize your airline website.
Trends
Learn about the current standards and trends for successful airline communication. Discover ways in which you can make your portals more transparent and interactive,
Inspiration
With current good practices from leading airline sectors, we offer you valuable inspiration for your digital communication.
Measurable results
We provide you with precise data and facts that serve as a reliable basis for well-founded decisions. This helps you to plan targeted improvements and strategically drive your digital airline communication forward.
Monitoring
Control enables you to actively manage the success of your digital airline communication. Targeted monitoring allows you to identify optimization potential and continuously refine your strategy.
Handout
You will receive the complete airline check as a clear handout. This means you can refer to it at any time and implement the insights gained.
What happens during the airline check?
Our offer begins with a customized screening of your booking portal. We analyze your website based on 135 specific criteria in the areas of information provision, dialogue capability and user-friendliness. If required, we carry out a benchmark comparison in which we compare your digital airline communication with the standards of the portals of the 40 largest European airlines.
We present the results to you in a clearly structured online meeting. We not only present the results of the analysis, but also discuss the latest trends, standards and functions for modern airline portals. You will receive specific recommendations for optimizing your digital capital market communication and benefit from clear recommendations for action that provide targeted support for your digital work.
Benefit from the tourism expertise of the team neusta group!
team neusta has been a digitalization partner for tourism professionals for 32 years. The group of companies currently supports around 500 tour operators, destinations, organizations, transport companies and hospitality providers. In the tourism sector, the group of companies recently achieved an annual turnover of 25 million euros. With our experts for tourism, we are a digital, IT and marketing partner for players in the industry. For reasons of transparency, we would like to mention here that we work for TUIfly (9th place in the ranking).
NetFederation has been part of the team neusta Group since September 2024. NetFed is a management consultancy and agency for digital communication based in Cologne and takes over the analysis and evaluation, strategic conception, visual design as well as the technical implementation and support of digital presences. NetFed has 20 years of experience in the field of benchmarking.
Find out more about our services and get to know our team. Take a look at the projects we have successfully implemented for our clients.