The only passenger-friendly airline on mobile: PEGASUS

A flight application is not just a tool for buying tickets. A good mobile app recognizes the user, anticipates their needs, and simplifies the flight process. The two most used airline applications in Turkey, THY and PEGASUS, represent two different worlds in this regard.

The THY application, perhaps due to the overconfidence of having been around for years, unfortunately neglects the user experience. If you have a Miles&Smiles membership, you have to log in every time you open it. Some flights are not added to your points (even though I bought my tickets through the app for my last two or three flights, I couldn't add them no matter what I did), and support channels hide behind system errors instead of solving this problem. If a loyalty program doesn't recognize its customer, why should one remain loyal to that program?

The PEGASUS application, on the other hand, recognizes you. As soon as the app opens, it shows your next flight in the bottom bar; moreover, they have even made a widget for iOS, and all details from the gate number to the check-in time are easily accessible. Their loyalty program, BolBol, shows your points instantly even if you never use them. Furthermore, they reach out via email days in advance.

The THY application is also behind the times in its payment system. You have to re-enter your card information every single time. PEGASUS, however, does not forget after you enter it once. Additional services such as extra baggage and seat selection are also resolved with a few clicks on PEGASUS. Even though extra payment is required, you can easily see where your payment is going.

Personally, THY's loyalty program is the most inefficient program I have used to date. I thought I would at least transfer my points to another system. But this time, it deleted my Starbucks drinks before I could even use them. It makes one lose interest in the loyalty program. You cannot use your points for either an upgrade or a fast pass.

While I was writing this article, an email arrived from THY. It asked if I wanted to participate in a survey. The survey participation button in the email leads to a voting site. So, is this voting site a serious, official program? I am not an aviation industry professional; I cannot look at it from that perspective, but as a technology writer, I cannot say that a voting structure that relies on Google Ads is doing very serious work. Looking at it from this side, I felt even more saddened by THY's situation. In other words, in terms of the application, loyalty program, and communication, THY is seriously making one miss its good old days.

Let's come to the AJET application. I haven't used it yet. It is new, after all. But I downloaded and examined the app. My first impression is this: It has taken the THY infrastructure but hasn't applied anything it learned from it. The login screen is simple. The application version is 1.9.4... However, while signing up and choosing a password, it unfortunately does not accept the passwords used by automatic password applications. Basic operations like check-in and seat selection work, but it is far from the automation and ease of use offered by PEGASUS. It is a system that has not yet settled. Perhaps it will improve over time, but in its current state, it does not make a difference.

In this state, the list and rating of mobile applications in the air transport sector in Turkey are as follows:

1. Pegasus (8/10)

2. AJet (5/10)

3. THY (3/10)