Business Enquirer Issue 111 | Transavia Airlines | March'23

MAKING AIR TRAVEL ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL TRANSAVIA AIRLINES

MAKING AIR TRAVEL ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL

On the ground, the Netherlands boasts the highest bicycle modal share in the world (at 27%). As well as bicycle, bus, cars and rail, it also has a network of boat transport.

So, it’s no surprise that they’re seeing success in the skies, too.

Leading the way in low-cost air travel is Transavia, who serve 16 million passengers from Netherlands and France travelling to 150 European and North African destinations per year.

Where possible, Transavia is now functioning at its pre-Covid levels, and Chief Information Officer, Jeroen Cornelissen, is positive that it is now time to invest in the future.

Low Cost, Local and Loved

Transavia, which is considered the number one low-cost airline in the Netherlands, boasts a fleet of 44 Boeing 737 aircraft.

The flight operator has been a staple within the Netherlands since 1965, and in 2007 it also established a base in France.

It is renowned for being accessible and affordable for all.

“The founder established the business based on the ethos of making “flying accessible for all”, and this is at the heart of our product offering,” shared Jeroen.

And, behind every successful brand, is a strong, passionate team.

“It’s important to position your people as the most important asset to your business,” explained Jeroen, “we have a positive culture which fosters an environment of learning from failure, being proud of the product, and being results driven”.

For its people, of which there are around 2500 in Netherlands, Transavia implements a human capital strategy which focuses on investing in and enriching its people, encouraging a happy employee lifestyle.

When it comes to modes of transport, the Dutch just seem to know how to get it right.

TRANSAVIA AIRLINES

TRANSAVIA AIRLINES

PROJECT DIRECTED BY: CHARLOTTE ROPE

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: LAURA WATLING

Chief Information Officer, Jeroen Cornelissen

“Wehavecreatedafriendlybrandwhich hasagoodpositionintheDutchairtravel market, andthatstartswithourpeople whodeveloptheproductandareinfront ofthecustomer,”saidJeroen.

The Feel-Good Flight Factor

Currently,thebusinessisfocussingon howtocreatea“goodfeeling”forits customers-thisstartswithsustainability andtheenvironment, somethingwhich hasbecomeincreasinglyimportant tothe Transaviacustomer.

Of course, a port of call is to ensure the basics are being covered, such as garbage recycling and switching from plastic to cardboard on board, as well as planning efficient flight programmes.

In addition, it’s currently undergoing a fleet renewal process, transitioning over to a more efficient model of Airbus.

“Work is being done across the industry to test sustainable fuel and hybrid fuel options” explained Jeroen, “electric aircraft is also something we foresee in the future”.

The commercial aviation industry is seeing a period of twin-transition, with digitisation playing a role, too: ‘greening by IT’.

“Our new fleet of aircraft will be more digital, which brings with it opportunity and challenge,” said Jeroen.

Whilst digitisation of the industry will see more data being collected, this will mean increased data protection and more agility from Transavia’s business technology team.

“Digitisation will provide a platform for us to develop more distinctive, more datadriven products which will ultimately offer a better experience for our customers,” Jeroen said.

Flying into the Future

Transavia’s strategy focuses on maintaining and optimising its existing flights, whilst enhancing its product offering to meet the requirements of its customers.

“Logistically, we need to make the best use of the flight slots we have giving our Dutch passenger a good flight,” shared Jeroen.

The business also foresees a collaborative path for the future, starting with developing an efficient travel ecosystem.

“There is an opportunity for us to integrate products on the market to enhance our offering and improve our customer experience,” explained Jeroen, “of course,

“We don’t play the game. We change the game.” Are you looking for good IT talent? If you continue to search the way you always did, you probably won’t find them. Try creating IT instead of searching. Jeroen van der Made, founder of Createment, explains how.

Createment took the search for IT talent to a higher level. They do not focus on diplomas of years of IT work experience. Instead, they focus on finding and selecting profiles with a very high level of ability, aptitude, skills, analytical strength, logic and personality.

“We don’t play the game. We change the game. We only start the selection process with candidates who manage to convince us during our first two assessments,” Jeroen clarifies.

“Our promise to clients? A process in which the very best talent surfaces. Always. And talent sometimes comes from the most unexpected places. Last year, a dolphin trainer, a firefighter and a ballet dancer started with us. Now they are all rock-solid software engineers.”

“We train IT professionals in a world-class, pro-sports environment”

When Jeroen and his colleagues are in doubt, they don’t move forward. “We make no concessions to quality, willpower and discipline. If we are not 100% convinced about a candidate, we don’t begin our unique process. If we are convinced, we place our client at the centre

of the process: tell us your company culture and we will match your new colleague with the skills and character you need. We will train them specifically for this”.

What follows is the Createment differentiator: a unique assessment that enables a tailor-made training programme. A close partnership between our team and the HR professionals of our client is critical, Jeroen points out.

“By investing time, patience and a long-term strategic approach in creating unique talent, we achieve incredible results in terms of retention rates and diversity of the IT profiles we create. When clients tell us there is no time or space to train people, we always ask: ‘Is outsourcing or interim a better long-term solution? Do you have a plan B, or is it business as usual? What we do is not a magic formula, but a matter of hard work. At Createment, we train trainees in a world-class, pro-sports environment. Our track record? 97% of our trainees sign a longterm contract with our clients.”

Jeroen van der Made, founder of Createment

we can consider collaborating with car hire companies and hotels to offer a onestop shop for travellers which we do with Transavia Holidays. But also the option for customers to have a meal delivered in the airplane, or to have their suitcase collected and checked in from home. By becoming more data driven, the opportunities for Transavia grow in the chain of services. To fulfil this strategy we may support our staff in becoming more digital literate using the metaverse as playground”.

In addition, Jeroen is key to see collaboration across the aviation industry to share knowledge and expertise, especially in scarce domains like technology where there is a need to be distinctive or integrate third parties in a growing eco-system of technology.

“Its key to select and manage our providers of business technology on their product vision and strategy. For example, functional and non-functional. Do they

really understand business continuity in combination with agility and data management. At what level is their digital mastery?” Shared Jeroen, "Suppliers who have a vision and roadmap for digital transformation have a plus, if they can also show that they master privacy, security, compliance and observability. We want to be ahead; but safe, secure, affordable and sustainable!”

“As part of the Air France KLM Group and the World Aviation Forum, we already

have the opportunity to learn from our counterparts, but, as we step into Industrial 4.0 there is a lot more knowledge sharing we can be doing to optimise the industry,” he continued.

“At this stage, it’s crucial for Transavia to consider what our product will look like in two years, five years and so on, and become a visionary of the airline industry,” he said.

www.transavia.com