Mike Brown

The question isn’t just “Will TMCs adopt LLMs?” but “Can they move fast enough to stay relevant as AI-native challengers reshape the market?” I'd bet on the latter. The next wave of travel management products will be built on AI from the ground up-global, and radically efficient. Fascinating times, indeed. Curious to hear how others in the space are thinking about this shift. #AI #TravelTech #Innovation

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Modern Airline Retailing: A Journey from Product to Lifestyle - Any truly modernised retail company doesn’t stop at selling a product. It begins with a product, expands into a service, evolves into a platform, and ultimately becomes the backbone of an ecosystem. That ecosystem is where real value is unlocked — it enables experiences, creates marketplaces, and integrates with the customer’s lifestyle. Airlines are still in the early stages of this transformation today. Most remain stuck between "product" and "service." Few have reached the platform stage, and fewer still are building a genuine ecosystem around the traveller. To truly become modern retailers, airlines must undergo a fundamental shift in mindset and technology. Key Trends Shaping the Future of Airline Retail: 1. Real-Time Selling and Servicing: Travellers expect frictionless, instant transactions and updates — from shopping to rebooking. 2. Demand for Personalisation: Generic fare bundles and static pricing no longer satisfy. Travellers want context-aware, personalised offers that reflect their individual preferences and behaviours. 3. Need for Instant Flexibility: Post-pandemic habits have undergone significant changes. Flexibility is no longer a premium; it has become a baseline expectation. Yet today’s airline tech stack — largely fragmented, legacy-based, and distribution-limited — is not built to support this transformation. Where Airlines Fall Short Today? 1. Limited product content restricts differentiation. 2. The shopping experience doesn’t reflect modern consumer behaviour. 3. Enterprise-level AI adoption is lacking, leaving value untapped. Start-up and challenger airlines are uniquely positioned to leapfrog legacy constraints. With fewer technical debts and cultural inertia, they can: 1. Adopt modular, headless, cloud-native platforms from day one. 2. Leverage AI to drive real-time retailing and servicing decisions. Serve as benchmarks for Tier 1, 2, and 3 carriers still wrestling with modernisation. So what’s the Imperative Ahead? To thrive, not just survive, airlines must transition from selling seats to curating experiences. From offering fixed products to enabling dynamic ecosystems that anticipate needs, embed flexibility, and build lasting traveller relationships. Modern Airline Retailing isn't a tech upgrade. It's a business model transformation — and it's overdue. Thank you, again, Mark, David, Branchspace - digital reinvented, and Joonas, Finnair! #FTEEMEA #DigitalRetailing #AirlineTechnology #AirlineRetail #AviationInnovation #TravelTech #ModernRetail #AI #EcosystemThinking #FutureOfTravel #StartupAirlines

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Sustainability is a significant topic in the mobility sector, as more travelers are choosing to rent hybrid or electric vehicles (EVs). Flight Centre Travel Group's Joe Beevis shared his insights on this at last year's Amadeus Distribution Summit in Nice, France. He also engaged in a detailed conversation with Peter Altmann, VP of Mobility and Travel Protection, Hospitality, Amadeus, about the industry's transformation, the move towards eco-friendly car rentals, and the obstacles travelers encounter when selecting electric vehicles - especially regarding infrastructure issues like locating dependable charging stations. At Amadeus, we're collaborating with our partners to build an ecosystem where sustainable travel becomes not just an option but a seamless experience for everyone. Watch the full discussion here: https://gag.gl/Hux2ZE

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Almost a year into my journey at Amadeus, I’m still blown away by the people, the ambition, and the pace of innovation across the business. One area that has particularly energised me is seeing firsthand how Amadeus is accelerating its journey with AI. Amadeus has been leading in AI for many years, and today we mark an exciting new milestone with the acquisition of SkyLink. As the industry shifts from experimenting with proofs of concept to truly adopting AI at scale, this acquisition reinforces our commitment to delivering meaningful, value‑driven AI across the entire travel ecosystem. It’s a pivotal moment — not just for Amadeus, but for our partners and customers who are ready to unlock what’s next. If you’re curious about the deal or want to see how we’re applying AI across the travel ecosystem, you can read more here: https://lnkd.in/gTD4zBr8

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A great article from The Beat highlighting the industry problem we at 3Victors are working very diligently to solve: the efficient, cost-effective sourcing of relevant competitive data as dynamic customized offers and NDC become the norm.

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This series is designed to be a quick snippet of recent Concur Travel product updates. In Episode 3, we share how we now have a direct connection with Ryanair, not requiring GDS or NDC. You can now book your Ryanair flight with an AMEX lodge card, and it doesn't require a CVV.

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I found today’s International Airport Review breakfast briefing incredibly insightful. Hearing from Doug Wycoff, Maurice Jenkins, A.A.E., IAP, Jordi Valls and Chris Runde really brought agentic AI to life, from checkpoint optimisation to data-driven passenger insights. I think the best quote from the talk really sums it up: “Airports can no longer scale by adding people, they need smarter systems.” Read more by following the link in the comments!

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@Jet2.com and Jet2holidays is the UK’s largest tour operator and third-largest airline – when you’re the UK’s largest tour operator and third-largest airline, staying on top of your customer communications is no small feat.  ✈️ Thanks to the @Snowflake AI Data Cloud, the travel company has been able to scale both its data and its understanding of customer intent. Now, using Cortex AI, Jet2 can make the most of LLMs to analyse customer intent and sentiment across thousands of call transcripts — and make improvements across its services. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ekT_zM_P  #Snowflake

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🎉 We’re excited to renew our 25-year partnership with Ryanair! Navitaire, an Amadeus company, continues to power Ryanair’s growth with solutions like New Skies®, Digital Platform, GoNow Agent, and Travel Commerce. CTO John Hurley credits our tech for enabling strong, sustained growth and profitability. 👉 Read more:https://ow.ly/WaQE30sMILF #ItsHowTravelWorksBetter #Ryanair

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I’m incredibly proud to share that Heathrow - the UK’s largest and one of the world’s most iconic global hubs - has selected AIRHART as its next-generation Airport Operations Orchestration Platform (AOOP).   For me personally, this announcement means a great deal. Working with leading airports on transformative, next-generation technology programmes is exactly why I joined Smarter Airports and Netcompany - to help redefine how complex operational environments are orchestrated.   Heathrow’s decision marks more than just a technology upgrade - it’s a clear endorsement of our platform-first strategy. For too long, airports have been constrained by legacy AODB and AMS systems from traditional vendors, built for a different era. With AIRHART, airports are now embracing a modern orchestration platform - one that unifies data, connects stakeholders, and evolves continuously with new operational capabilities.   I want to thank everyone involved in this journey - our fantastic partners at Heathrow, and all my colleagues across Netcompany and Smarter Airports who contributed to the selection process. A special mention to Daniel Ezban and Mehdi Motaghiani for their leadership, belief, and unwavering commitment along the way.   With Copenhagen Airports A/S, Munich Airport, and now Heathrow leading the way, the AOOP model - and AIRHART by name - is fast becoming the new standard for next-generation operations orchestration across the world’s most forward-thinking airports. Full details via the link in the comments below.   #AIRHART #SmarterAirports #Netcompany #Heathrow #AirportInnovation #DigitalTransformation #AOOP #OperationsOrchestration

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My, how time flies when you’re having fun. It’s November already and as we begin to plan for 2026, I wanted to re-cap what the team at Amadeus for Airports & Borders are focused on.    Our ambitions are clear - we are in the business of making the experience of travel better by enabling seamless journeys and more efficient airport & airline operations, powered by data exchange and collaboration.    This is no small task. It means building a new generation of technology, with four priorities at the core:  ·                Upgrading airport touchpoints for a seamless biometric experience and pioneering mobile-first experiences   ·                Building new traveler-centric airline systems that support retailing and personalization  ·                Connecting-the-dots with a new data ecosystem that simplifies collaboration between airlines, airports, ground handlers, and governments  ·                Rethinking aviation operations with collaborative platforms, common data views, and Artificial Intelligence.    We’re delivering on these priorities with a portfolio of integrated solutions designed to remove friction across the airport journey.     From smartphone wallets to biometric check-in kiosks, auto bag drop units, eGates and modular airline systems, our technology is powering the shift to a fast, digital-first airport experience.    With our open platform, the end-to-end passenger journey is fully orchestrated: better experiences for travelers, new retailing opportunities for airlines and airports and greater efficiency for the industry.    Watch this space – over the coming weeks, I’ll deep dive into each of our priority areas to provide some examples that show how this once-in-a-generation digital transformation is gradually becoming a reality.    #Airports #Technology #Transformation #Innovation 

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🎉 We’re excited to renew our 25-year partnership with Ryanair. Navitaire, an Amadeus company, continues to power Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline’s growth with solutions like New Skies®, Digital Platform, GoNow Agent, and Travel Commerce. CTO John Hurley credits our tech for enabling strong, sustained growth and profitability. 👉 Read more: https://ow.ly/HmRf30sMJ5t #ItsHowTravelWorksBetter #Ryanair

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The Beaumont Mayfair, a high-end boutique hotel in London, collaborated with Amadeus to enhance direct bookings after undergoing significant refurbishment and rebranding. By employing Meta’s AI-driven Advantage+ Shopping campaigns, they reached lookalike audiences using captivating carousel and single-image ads—all without increasing their budget. The outcome? A 32:1 return on ad spend, a 129% increase in revenue, and recognition at the 2025 Internet Advertising Competition for Best Hotel Social Media Campaign. Smart strategy, stunning visuals, and seamless tech - delivering results that speak for themselves. Read more: https://gag.gl/UYgIft

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Travel technology cannot be seen any longer in silos and disconnected from each other. Combining best-in-breed travel tech to achieve the optimum results is the new smart way to address corporate travel management requirements. The question is: do your travel tech partners trap you in their ecosystem or do they support you with clever seamless integrations of your preferred partners? Gray Dawes Travel, Sabre Corporation and Atriis Technologies have created a powerful combination of a future proof tech stack which supports the Gray Dawes business objectives in the best possible way. You are curious about how a corporate travel platform looks like which liberates and does not trap you? We should speak. #corporatetravel #traveltech #collaboration #travelmanagement #OBT #travelplatform #Sabre #TMC #Atriis #GDS #NDC #multicontent

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🎉 We’re excited to renew our 25-year partnership with Ryanair! Navitaire, an Amadeus company, continues to power Ryanair’s growth with solutions like New Skies®, Digital Platform, GoNow Agent, and Travel Commerce. CTO John Hurley credits our tech for enabling strong, sustained growth and profitability. 👉 Read more:https://ow.ly/zWen30sMIZo #ItsHowTravelWorksBetter #Ryanair

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Two weeks ago, I attended T2RL Engage 2025 in London, one of the leading global forums for airline retailing and technology. Speakers and attendees agreed that the industry is undergoing a moment of deep transformation, but what stood out was a paradox: in a highly complex industry, simplification is key. Today, airlines must align their commercial, operational, and technology strategies so that the traveler’s experience becomes seamless, and the path to ROI is shorter. Real impact comes from making things work simply, at scale, and at speed. At Globant, we see this need firsthand through our work with some of the world’s largest carriers. Our collaboration with United Airlines is a great example of how simplification fuels change. We recently helped modernize United’s digital ecosystem, streamlining internal processes, improving performance and resiliency, and creating a unified experience for over 1.4 million daily users. The result? A 20% increase in digital channel revenue, with improved conversion and retention rates. The next era of airline travel will be defined by technology strategies that give carriers full control over offerings and operations while centering on customer experience. Our goal at Globant is to help them get there first. You can read Pablo Fernandez Kruk's report of the conference here: https://lnkd.in/eDmcG8nz

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Modern airline retailing: For airlines of all sizes, or only for the giants? Some points from my panel with Oman Air, Finnair, Global Airlines and Branchspace - digital reinvented at Future Travel Experience in Dublin last month (video links in the comments) - Oman has grown direct channel (web and mobile) by 80% in the last 10 months, while conversion rates have doubled! - They plan to be 60-70% direct in 3 years, with digital channel handling 95%-98% of servicing. - Digital transformation - and thus modern airline retailing (#MAR) - is not just a technology project. It is a combination of perception, people, processes and platform. - Most airlines try to build in _proximity_ to the #PSS, but innovation comes from building _beyond_ PSS. - Digital transformation can be achieved in small steps, or incremental changes, as long as you are measuring and experimenting. - Finnair's native order a first in the industry. But they are also creating PNRs, TKTs, and legacy assets in parallel, for compatibility with operations and partners. - The Irish locale, on Finnair's website, is now 100% creating orders, figuring out how to expand to more markets and channels. - Global are looking at _Airline as a Service_ concept, trying to rethink passenger experience as part of a lifestyle brand, not just how to get from A to B. - You don't need to transform if you are born digital, but you do need to select flexible technology. - Airlines may be behind some sectors, such as neobanks (e.g., Revolut, Monzo), when it comes to digital experience. However, neobanks don't have the same level of complexity, processes, or technology. - Smaller airlines can be more agile - pick the right technology partners, have fewer processes, and learn faster. - Big airlines don't tend to move quickly in digital retailing; they struggle to pull off massive projects. Those take a lot of money, time, consulting, trial and error. - On the conflict between simpler experience vs more products: Don't try and sell everything at once. Merchandise products at the right time. Build personalisation into more of the end-to-end journey. Try things quickly, but measure well and learn to react. - Advice to smaller airlines: --> Start small, but start --> Figure out how to measure and optimise - with the right tech --> "Know the rules and break them" Thanks to Surya Kuchibotla, David Turton, Joonas Leppävuori and Rany Francois-Marie S. for participating, and Branchspace - digital reinvented for recording and publishing. (And to Kadir Burak TURGUT, PhD for the great audience question!) Video 1 (12 mins) - https://lnkd.in/e7VUueVy Myself, David & Surya Video 2 (28 mins) - https://lnkd.in/ev_Tf_AY Rany, David & Joonas #DigitalTransformation #Airlines #OOSD #ModernAirlineRetailing #FTEAncillaryRetailing #FTEEMEA

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