Rick Boender

Rick Boender is a Dutchman who has lived, studied, and worked in the Netherlands, Qatar, and Malaysia before moving to Austria. In Austria, he joined the Masters in Management program at MODUL University Vienna, and currently works as a research consultant and programmer at marketmind GmbH.

Rick’s research is mainly focused on the tourism industry and especially with airlines. His current study investigates the gap between passenger’s experiences and expectations when it comes to airlines and flying, and through the Sawtooth software, he hopes to find out the areas where airlines can improve.

According to various studies, tourism and airlines are expected to grow. With the number of airplanes expected to double within the next 20 years (Calder, 2018), and the number of tourists increasing (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2018; International Air Transport Association, 2017), airlines will have to differentiate more and more to attract passengers. Opening up new destinations is one thing, but improving current services according to the wishes of passengers might show better results. Therefore, Rick’s study focuses on improving an airline’s experience design by matching traveler’s expectations and experiences, ultimately showing the airline’s sweet spot for service and quality.