Big Data Analytics in Airlines: Opportunities and Challenges

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Big data refers to the huge amounts of information in the structured and unstructured form that cannot be processed using traditional data systems. Big data technology facilitates the utilization of high volumes of external and internal data to create new products, services and improve business operations. In the era of big data, airlines can provide services that are more satisfying to customers and to stay competitive in their fierce marketplace. Airlines can reap many benefits from big data, but many challenges still remain. This study illustrates how airlines successfully adopt big data technology. The paper also explores the opportunities and challenges of big data in the airline industry. Based upon the qualitative approach, 27 semi-structured interviews with employees and experts at airlines in Egypt were conducted. The findings reveal that big data has a great importance in providing broad opportunities for airspace management, enhancing flexibility in dealing with each passenger, boosting problem solving, supporting decision, providing safe flights, boosting predictive maintenance, and improving performance. The findings illustrate a range of challenges that airlines may face when dealing with big data, such as shortage of qualified human resources, absence of data-driven culture, dealing with and processing huge amounts of data, as well as data privacy and security issues. Finally, implications for practice as well as future researches are discussed.