ANA embraces Agile Development to improve the customer experience through a smartphone app for stress-free travel

The ANA app was released in 2013, integrating travel information and international booking functions from the company’s previous apps. Due to a simple design emphasizing ease and user-friendliness while cleverly leveraging the smartphone experience, the app has expanded its user base, particularly among business travelers, with over 10 million downloads as of June 2022.

In 2017, a major redesign enhanced boarding support and increased convenience by displaying ticket reservation status on the home screen, and sending push notifications for delays, cancellations, and other flight details. Meanwhile, ANA switched to cloud-native architecture by building a back-end platform on AWS to connect critical passenger systems and moved to an agile development style.

“At the time of the redesign, one of the medium-term management strategies of the ANA Group was to improve customer satisfaction and strengthen sales capabilities through one-to-one communication. We therefore positioned smartphones as an important digital touchpoint in the customer experience and aimed to let users complete all procedures—from booking to boarding—within an app,” says Takeshi Murakami of the Service Innovations Department of ANA.

Since refreshing the app, ANA has used agile development and various AWS services to enhance existing features and add functionality to meet customer needs. Features planned in the Digital Transformation Office are completed with a quick average lead time of two to three months.

The app's International Check-in feature released in May 2019 provides a classic example of agile development. Users can complete all procedures from check-in to boarding pass issuance on their smartphones, enabling them to smoothly board their flights after arriving at the airport. “The main function for international check-ins is built with Amazon API Gateway, AWS Lambda, and Amazon S3,” said Ryosuke Maki from Marketing System Solutions Department, ANA Systems Co., Ltd., which handled development.

“The serverless AWS Lambda service holds the logic required for checking in, while master data is kept on Amazon S3 storage, improving development efficiency. With this framework, we can reflect newly developed functions automatically in the app, so users don’t have to update the app manually. For security, the app connects to internal systems via Amazon VPC and access is controlled with API key authentication through Amazon API Gateway. And for operational management, we implement an automated alert detection function by combining Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon SNS.”

Check-ins from the ANA app doubled in the month following the release of the international check-in function. The app also helps reduce crowding at airport check-in counters, which improves customer satisfaction. To elevate the digital experience, the app also lets users change the background pictures of their online boarding passes and has an automated passport scanning function.

“The boarding pass background picture function came from our desire to let users preserve their travel memories and enhance the excitement of their journeys,” says Murakami. “It started with an internal idea on enhancing customer experience.”

In July 2021, ANA added another function to the app: My Timeline. This feature links to flight booking information, both domestic and international, allowing users to add information about their travel plans, including intriguing spots or restaurants they’ve found on the web, and manage their travel plans and schedules all in one place.

“We initially released My Timeline with minimal functionality and continued to add features in short monthly development cycles to bring it closer to our vision,” says Maki. “We’ll continue to expand our services by adding and improving functions based on customer input.”

The ANA app enhances customer experience through its functions for planning flights, booking and buying flight tickets, checking in, and receiving boarding passes. It also facilitates on-time departures by guiding passengers through security checks early to reach their boarding gates effortlessly. In May 2022, ANA introduced a new service model, ANA Smart Travel, leveraging smartphones. This major evolution unites travelers with digital technology, realigning the old travel experience with customers’ changing expectations. This helps users prepare for boarding, check-in, complete boarding procedures, and access in-flight entertainment from their smartphones, taking care of customers on their journeys from beginning to end.