Face to Face: Richard Young, Sales and Distribution manager at Heathrow Express

Richard Young joined Heathrow Express in 2016 as Sales and Distribution Manager within the B2B team. Having previously worked for a number of reputable travel companies including Amadeus, Hillgate Travel, Hertz and KLM, Richard brings with him a wealth of managerial and business development experience.

Tasked with driving Heathrow Express’ partnership strategy forward, Richard will be responsible for forging new relations with TMCs and travel technology suppliers as well as growing the business within the business travel industry.

How is Heathrow Express embracing the digital age?

More and more, we have been embracing the digital age to provide our customers with an enhanced experience. We know how important it is to be ‘connected’ and this is what drove us to offer complimentary Wi-Fi to all of our passengers as well as 4G connectivity throughout the 15-minute journey, which is just as effective out in the open as it is in the tunnels.

We have also spent time improving the smart screens in the baggage reclaim zones, which saw us scoop the ‘Digital Pioneer Award’ at the UK Rail Industry Awards. Heathrow passengers now receive a warm welcome to the UK in their own language and the screens provide live information on the speed and price of a journey on board Heathrow Express compared to a black cab. The screens take feeds from The Met Office’s super computer on weather, GPS tracking on speed and flows of traffic from Tom-Tom and google maps and the journey times are fed through a bespoke algorithm, which using information from Transport for London, calculates a fare estimate. Meanwhile, information from Network Rail systems constantly monitors and delivers up to the minute rail status. At the moment, the screens can be translated into Spanish, Finnish, German, French, Italian, Arabic and Cantonese, but we’re looking to add more languages this year.

Thinking about more behind the scenes work – we have been working on booking solutions for agents and travel management companies. We now work with solutions via XML technology which means that Heathrow Express tickets can be integrated into airline booking platforms. The booking process is much simpler and offers the buyer with a quick solution to organise onwards travel.

In what areas has Heathrow Express been most successful over the past year?

I think the results of the recent National Rail Passenger Survey encapsulate our success over the last year. We received an overall satisfaction rate of 96% placing Heathrow Express head and shoulders above the national average of 81% and 17 percentage points ahead of the London & South East average of 80%.

The consumer poll also put a spotlight on our unique selling points including speed – where it scored 96% compared to the region’s average of 80% and punctuality and reliability where we scored 93% compared to the London and South East average of 69%.

But for us, the largest improvement has been value for money, which improved by 11 percentage points increasing to 53% compared to the London and South East average of 43%. New offers starting at £5.50 per journey and a permanent commitment for children under 15 to travel free mean these offers have resulted in growth of digital sales and leisure passengers. 

What has been the biggest challenge?

It’s well known that the introduction of Crossrail will impact upon Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect and I think the biggest challenge for us perhaps has been figuring out just what the impact will be. The Elizabeth Line link to Heathrow will offer passengers another sustainable choice of getting to and from the UK’s hub airport. While the new line will replace Heathrow Connect, Heathrow Express will continue to provide the only non-stop service to Heathrow from central London and will still be the fastest way to and from Paddington. In addition, we will continue to offer a premium service with super-fast Wi-Fi and plenty of space for work, luggage and legroom.

What new initiatives do you have planned for 2017?

From a sales and distribution perspective, we will be furthering our partnerships to increase the accessibility of tickets for both business and leisure passengers. At the moment, we are in conversation with the likes of KDS regarding XML technology development. Everything that we’re doing and working on is designed to enhance the whole experience – not just the 15-minutes on the train.

In what ways are you interacting with the travel trade? What are the incentives for the agents to promote HEx when making bookings?

We are working with the travel trade – it is a huge part of our strategy moving forward and it’s all about simplifying their experience booking with us on behalf of their clients. As a result, we have started working with Travelport Smartline to facilitate and streamline agent bookings to encourage engagement with Heathrow Express and ultimately drive sales. We have developed an app in the process that works in conjunction with GDS systems to aid the booking experience, incorporating time-saving credit facilities.