Blockchain takes to the skies : an assessment of blockchain applications in the airline industry

• Autor(a) principal: Riechmann, Janes Matthaeus
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/31182
• topic: Blockchain; Blockchain technology; Airline industry; Blockchain applications; Blockchain use cases; Use case evaluation; Blockchain implementation; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

Recently, the airline industry increasingly turned towards blockchain technology and started investigating potential use cases. Despite the clear interest in the emerging technology, academic contributions in this field remain scarce. This dissertation strives to close this research gap and explore promising blockchain use cases and their value for the airline industry. Moreover, factors important for the successful implementation of the use cases are discussed. The research questions were answered following a qualitative approach in the form of ten expert interviews, supplemented by the examination of secondary literature. A quantitative approximation of the qualitative insights was adopted to capture the value of the use cases. An order of relevance was established for the initial 14 use cases based on which four promising blockchain use cases, namely “loyalty points”, “aircraft parts provenance”, “travel distribution landscape” and “passenger ID management” were identified. Quantitative approximation of qualitative insights indicated that the use case “loyalty points” is likely to create the most value as compared to the remaining three use cases. For successful implementation, it is vital to avoid considering the technology as a solution searching for problems to be solved and clearly identifying the measurable economic impact of a given use case. Additionally, strategic implications, enablers and roadblocks, as discussed in this study, must be considered. Looking ahead, mainstream adoption of blockchain technology in the airline industry is only expected by approximately 2024. Future research could be directed towards the individual analysis of promising use cases presented in this study.