Breaking off the engagement

Engagement seems to be a real buzz-word at the moment, but what if passengers don’t want to engage?

With the rise in technology and digital engagement, there seems to be a drop off in human engagement.

As a business traveler, I want autonomy, independence and generally to be left alone. I have very little interest in who operates the metal tube, so long as it gets me from A-B at a decent time and for a reasonable price.

If anything, with online booking and mobile phone check-in, I feel far less connected to the airline than I did in years gone by, despite them ‘knowing me’ better than ever before.

My first human contact is when I get to security, hit the scrum at the gate and do battle for overhead locker space. After enduring those stressors, it’s any wonder that people want to immerse themselves in their devices as soon as they get on board.

One cabin crew member told me that passengers don’t communicate any more, either between themselves, or with the crew because technology has taken over. “It’s reduced our passenger interactions to ‘chicken or beef?’,” she said.

People don’t go online, they live online, checking their mobile phones an average of 150 times per day. With the rise in connectivity and virtual reality, this disconnect will only become greater. This creates some safety questions too. After all, if you’re completely immersed in another world, you could literally come down to earth with a bump.

But will this trend continue? At the recent Future Travel Experience Europe conference in Amsterdam, it was suggested that technology will become invisible, creating seamless processes and less stress. People won’t want to be flooded with information. Instead, they will use technology as a tool to be more ‘present’ and able to enjoy the moment.

However, as a pretty anti-social traveler, all I want is space of my own and to be disturbed as little as possible. I don’t see that changing anytime soon and I suspect I am not alone.