Skift Take
Consumer tech is important — but so are modern internal systems. A healthy mix is key.
Travel Tech Briefing
Editor’s Note: Exclusive reporting on technology’s impact on the travel industry, delivered every Thursday. The briefing will guide executives as they decide if their companies should “build, buy, or partner” to stay ahead.
Airlines recently finished a wave of public meetings, during which some executives shared details about internal and consumer-facing tech investments. We've rounded up their comments on what they're doing with internal tech systems, AI, biometrics, airline apps, in-flight entertainment, and more.
Air CanadaAir Canada has shared a number of tech investments, mostly consumer-facing, it has been making in recent months. Most recently, the company added a “cancel for any reason” tool in partnership with Hopper.
Michael Stewart Rousseau gave a brief overview of some of those investments in August:
“Our digital investments now extend throughout the customer experience. This includes increasing the use of technology, such as expanding our biometric facial recognition pilot program for customers to board aircraft and to welcome guests into our lounges. We also continue to integrate AI into our business, most recently in our contact centers. And we've begun renovating cabin interiors on our narrowbody fleet, upgrading our WiFi and in-flight entertainment offerings, and launching exclusive original programs, like Mattel and Apple TV+.”
British AirwaysSean Doyle, CEO of British Airways, shared some plans during a public call in late July.
It included migration of data centers into the cloud, expected to be complete next year, as well as redeveloping the BA.com and the British Airways app.
Regarding the British Airways app:
“We've built up a team of about 200 tech developers headed up by a guy called Mark Lock. Mark has joined us from T