Digital Platforms and Ecosystems in Air Passenger Transportations: Interpretation of Definitions and Offering a New Perspective

This article analyses the concepts of digital platforms and digital ecosystems, often used interchangeably in current practice, which results in divergent understandings of their significance. To classify the definitions of a digital platform and ecosystem collected during the research, the authors propose to distinguish between marketing (focuses on the ability to provide digital products and services to meet customer needs), resource (focuses on the resources necessary to create and operate the platform) and process (process-oriented and interactions between platform participants) approaches. The authors propose the term “digital cooperation” which goes beyond both concepts, reflecting the author’s model of new economic relations. Digital cooperation embodies the dynamics of modern economic interactions on a user-oriented platform, combining different businesses and services to enhance the user experience, reflecting the interpenetration of the physical and digital worlds. This term helps to untangle the overlap between interpretations of the concepts of digital platforms and ecosystems, leading the way for exploring the directions of development and implementation of digital cooperation in air passenger transportations to provide omnichannel service. “Omnichannel” refers to the consistency of services and interactions in both the digital and physical worlds. The envisioned model integrates different types of businesses and services for travelers, providing an unparalleled experience through a comprehensive offering delivered through an anthropomorphic digital assistant. The technological, physical and human elements that work in unison to deliver a seamless, integrated and enhanced user experience. This shifts the focus from segmented interactions across different channels to a holistic approach.