Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
FLYR, IBM
Travel technology platform FLYR and IBM Consulting have announced a partnership that combines IBM’s transition and systems technologies and FLYR’s airline retailing technologies to allow customers to make travel purchases in one order.
“The airline industry is shifting toward a retail-oriented model, using an order-based platform that mirrors the flexibility of top e-commerce companies. Partnering with FLYR, we’re helping airlines lead this transformation,” said Dee Waddell, global industry leader and consumer, travel and transportation industries, IBM Consulting. “FLYR’s innovative platform, paired with IBM Consulting’s expertise, enables a seamless retail experience for travelers, modernizing airline infrastructure, improving efficiency and unlocking new revenue opportunities.”
Combining IBM Consulting’s proven and deep expertise in helping airlines evolve with FLYR’s open and modular technology foundation for airline retailing, we unlock fast-paced innovation for our airline customers,” said Alex Mans, CEO of FLYR. “As we continue to help airlines adopt modern digital retailing solutions, it is important that we integrate fully with the vast technology ecosystem that supports an airline.”
Travelport, Delta Airlines
Travelport, a global technology company that powers travel bookings for travel suppliers worldwide, announced it has signed a multi-year renewal agreement with Delta Air Lines, including NDC content.
The company recently debuted its Content Curation Layer (CCL) to sift through aggregated multi-source content and return the right range of accurate search results that are easier for agents and travelers to understand.
“Our renewed agreement with Delta underscores our shared commitment to modernizing travel retail for agents and travelers with a seamless, personalized shopping and servicing experience,” said Damian Hickey, global head of travel partners at Travelport. “As we prepare for the future delivery of Delta’s NDC content, our ability to deliver multi-source content in a retail-ready way ensures that agents and travelers will be able to easily shop and compare all of Delta’s product offerings in one place.”
TPConnects, Qatar Airways
TPConnects Technologies, a provider of cloud-based travel technology solutions, has announced that Qatar Airways, the national carrier of Qatar, has chosen TPConnects to modernize its retailing capabilities.
This agreement enables Qatar Airways to provide trade partners with access to an agent portal powered by Astra, TPConnects’ airline retailing platform, which leverages IATA’s NDC standards.
"Travel seller adoption of airlines’ NDC channels is a critical component of a modern retailing strategy. Trade partner support demands agent-centric sales and servicing with differentiated content,” said Kristiaan van Dijken, vice president of product management at TPConnects. “At TPConnects, we are committed to delivering intuitive agent experiences to leverage the NDC opportunity for our valued airline partners, such as our latest customer, Qatar Airways."
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Nezasa's Copilot
Travel technology specialist Nezasa has introduced an artificial intelligence-driven Planner Copilot within its TripBuilder platform. The solution aims to boost efficiency and revenue for travel businesses by simplifying the trip planning process and enabling brands to design trips more quickly.
The Planner Copilot enables the use of natural language to improve the experience and provide more personalized itineraries.
Manuel Hilty, CEO of Nezasa, said: “Planner Copilot elevates the travel planning process. As AI matures, the question has shifted from when it will be ready to how it can truly add value. With Planner Copilot, travel providers can effortlessly create and book itineraries, and its seamless integration with third-party B2C apps adds further value to travel businesses."
Booking.com, Speakspots.com
Speakspots.com, an AI travel planning assistant, has announced the integration of hotel inventory from Booking.com.
This partnership will allow travelers using Speakspots.com’s AI to plan their trip and receive hotel options tailored to their preferences in one click. The company has also developed Smart Budgets, a feature that uses AI to recommend budget adjustments to users based on real time data.
“We’re seeing a growing demand for travel assistants, powered by artificial intelligence - they can take into account a traveler’s personal preferences, requirements and budgets and save an incredible amount of energy and time, due to their tremendous data analysis and customization capabilities,” said Andrés Martínez Artal, founder and CEO of Speakspots.com.
Riskline, Osprey Flight Solutions
Riskline, a global travel intelligence company, has announced a new partnership with Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation risk management platform for commercial airlines, cargo carriers and private aviation operators.
This collaboration will allow Osprey to enhance its risk management platform by offering additional real time information about the risks associated with different countries around the world, including individual risk ratings like terrorism, political stability and weather.
"Partnering with Riskline allows us to significantly enhance the capabilities of our Risk Manager platform,” said Andrew Nicholson, CEO of Osprey Flight Solutions. "This integration brings an additional layer of critical insight to our clients, helping them navigate the complex landscape of travel risk with unprecedented accuracy. We are excited about the value this partnership will bring to the aviation industry.”
Zoku Travel rebrands as Byrdli
Zoku Travel, a platform that empowers creators to build and scale their own travel businesses, has rebranded as Byrdli.
The company says that Byrdli marks a transformative step in creator-led travel, empowering creators to build and grow their own Travel Clubs, deepen connections and drive a new era of personalized travel experiences.
“The decision to rebrand as Byrdli reflects our vision to create a new paradigm in travel,” said Vanessa Richards, co-founder of Byrdli. “While Zoku Travel empowered creators to build travel businesses, Byrdli takes it further, cultivating a dynamic community where travel isn’t just sold but inspired and experienced. Byrdli equips creators with everything they need on one platform.”
Hostaway appoints new CRO
Global vacation rental property management software, Hostaway, has appointed Cassie Fields as chief revenue officer.
Fields, with a decade of experience scaling vertical SaaS businesses, plans to lead the company’s growth strategy, focusing on driving the company toward surpassing $100 million in revenue.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been in the trenches of vertical SaaS, growing teams, driving revenue and unlocking opportunities in underserved market,” Fields said. “Hostaway is in a prime position, and now it’s about executing at scale. We have the talent, the product and the market opportunity to make this leap, and I’m here to ensure we not only hit our ambitious revenue goals but continue growing sustainably and strategically beyond that.”
WorldVue appointments
WorldVue, a provider of video, advanced connectivity and professional services to guest-centric properties worldwide, has appointed three executives who will strengthen its global footprint across the Middle East, Africa, Indian Ocean (MEAI) and Oceania.
The company has appointed Mansoor Ahmed Khan as vice president and general manager for the MEAI, Duncan Browne as director of technical operations for and Peter Ollerton as director of sales for Oceania.
“WorldVue is pleased to have these three dynamic executives as valued members of our international team as we continue to embark on further expansion in our global footprint and the full suite of WorldVue products and services,” said Chris Coles, chief business development officer, WorldVue. “We are following our objective to cover the world with property technology and local teams to better service our customers.”
Journey Mentor appoints EVP of sales
Journey Mentor, a leading travel-tech SaaS company, has announced the appointment of Mark Anzur as its executive vice president of sales.
Prior to joining Journey Mentor, Anzur held senior positions at Air Montenegro, Adria Airways and Stobart Air Holdings in London and Dublin.
“I am excited to join Journey Mentor. Throughout my career in the airline
and business strategy sectors, I have experienced firsthand the challenges
posed by outdated legacy technologies,” Anzur said.
“I firmly believe that Journey Mentor's
advanced suite of technologies and innovative solutions effectively address
these issues. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to develop and
implement impactful sales strategies that will drive the business forward.”