HRS’ Crew & Passenger Solutions Wins Innovation Award from Skift

With Automation that Elevates Service to Disrupted Airline Passengers, HRS is Honored for “Developing a New Industry Standard, Guiding the Digital Transformation of the Future”

Cologne, Germany – 7 August 2023 – HRS’ Crew & Passenger Solutions, a proprietary software as a service solution serving airline and rail passengers and crews, is gaining traction for its pioneering automation. The technology, building off the success of HRS’ industry-leading Lodging as a Service platform, is focused on guiding the airline industry forward on its journey of digital transformation. In a milestone achievement, the online travel media publication Skift last week named HRS among a select group of technology companies to win an IDEA Innovation Award. HRS is one of eight Innovation Award winners chosen from more than 300 submissions.

Judges evaluated a case study HRS shared that detailed the scope, efficiency and savings that this technology has delivered to Norwegian, Norway’s leading airline – the carrier who deployed the HRS service to serve disrupted passengers. An excerpt of the case study illustrates how this technology – delivered to the mobile devices of travelers at the moment of disruption – seamlessly addresses exactly what they need, at the precise moment they need it:

“A flight flying into Oslo was significantly delayed, with a new arrival time of 1:00 AM local time. One hundred passengers who were rebooked to a flight the next day because of missed connections were instantly informed about HRS’ self-service solution. More significantly, 75% of passengers were able to select their overnight stay via the HRS solution prior to the actual departure. Once landed in Oslo, each passenger also easily arranged the transfer to the hotel through the same HRS application.”

As noted by Norwegian’s Executive Vice President of IT and Business Services Knut Olav Høeg: “We are able to build a digital backbone of the future together with HRS, enabling a fully digital self-service solution for our disrupted passengers that turns an unavoidably stressful situation into a more positive experience.” Across the first 90 days of the deployment at their hub airport in Oslo, Norwegian recorded savings of 80% in time and efficiency for dealing with passenger disruption due to the digital HRS solution.

Skift Awards Celebrate Excellence in Design, Creativity, and Innovation in Travel

Skift judges shared in last week’s IDEA Awards announcement that “HRS has developed a new industry standard powered by its platform and smart usage of business insights to replace complex and fragmented journeys of the past. By elevating experiences of crew and passengers, HRS is helping companies grow brand loyalty pioneering the digital transformation of the future.” Beyond customer-facing attributes, Skift also noted that “Operations teams benefit from an end-to-end solution, streamlining processes, driving cost savings, and simplifying budgeting and forecasting.”

HRS’ Crew & Passenger Solutions enables airlines to provide passengers with instantly bookable hotel accommodations, local transportation, meals, and monetary compensation directly when disruption strikes. When a passenger’s flight is disrupted, options are communicated via SMS, email, or voice call directly to a passenger’s mobile device. Additionally, HRS’ reimbursement technology allows passengers to simply take photos of their receipts, upload digital images, and be instantly reimbursed for appropriate expenses such as meals and refreshments. This capability eliminates the need for paper vouchers that typically entail lengthy administrative processes.

Airlines on multiple continents have contracted to deploy the new HRS solution, with most brands first deploying the technology for travelers flying into/out of hubs. Most recently, Deutsche Bahn, Europe’s largest rail carrier, published a case study sharing the fact that they have recorded nearly 90 percent time and efficiency savings for their crews via use of the HRS technology. “This award really belongs to our dedicated collection of travel technologists. HRS is committed to developing and enhancing automation that first and foremost serves passengers, and that focus shows not only via this award but from our increasing engagement with like-minded airlines around the globe,” said Luca De Angelis, CEO of the HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions. “We thank our customers, advocates and early adopters for their impeccable support and enthusiasm.”

About HRS 

HRS is reinventing how businesses and governments work, stay and pay in today’s evolving global marketplace. Our unique Lodging-as-a-Service platform brings together hotel procurement, booking, payment and reconciliation data to drive newfound transparency and savings for program management while making everyday business travel better for employees. HRS’ innovative platform approach to corporate lodging elevates hotel automation to new heights, while the company’s award-winning Green Stay Initiative technology helps companies achieve their climate targets. HRS’ groundbreaking Crew & Passenger Solutions leverages automation to enhance experiences for air and rail operations. Find out more about why one-third of the Fortune 500 work with us today at www.hrs.com/enterprise and follow HRS on LinkedIn.