Technology
Google offering price guarantee and refunds on select flights
24/03/2023 by Mitra Sorrells
“Algorithms are confident that the price you find is the lowest available.” Google is offering a price guarantee on flights that gives consumers a refund if the airfare purchased drops before departure. The pilot program is available on select itineraries where the company says its “algor [...]
Brex leverages Spotnana to launch integrated travel solution that isn’t impacted by commissions
23/03/2023 by WiT
New app builds on the momentum of the company's rapidly expanding Empower platform With business travel picking up all over the world now that most borders have reopened, fintech company Brex has officially entered the travel space with the announcement of Brex Travel. The new app includes booking [...]
Australian domestic traffic at 88.8% pre-pandemic levels, APAC demand still strongest of all regions, reports IATA
22/03/2023 by WiT
Capacity in Asia-Pacific rose 167% and load factor surged to 83% It looks like the first month of the year fared very well for flight traffic around the world, as some countries inch closer to reaching pre-pandemic levels of traffic and tourism. This was backed by the International Air Transport As [...]
Top of the WiT 20: Thoughts on ITB Berlin 2023, discomfort zones, Bonza takes flight
17/03/2023 by WiT
Top Of The WiT is a grab of the trendiest news that happened this week in travel, tech and Asia - all condensed into a quick-and-easy nugget-sized podcast. In this episode, Siew Hoon and this week's guest, Tim Hughes, are back from ITB Berlin - jetlagged and buzzing with excitement about the retu [...]
Riyadh Air aims big; UAE’s high-speed rail; SITA’s air taxis; Klook takes top spot
17/03/2023 by Ian Jarrett
Riyadh Air revs up to ‘shape the future’ of global air travel Tony Douglas, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s new airline, Riyadh Air, has promised that “digital innovation and Saudi hospitality” will be key in establishing the carrier’s international credentials. The new airline, due to become [...]
MyRealTrip built its AI Trip Planner in 2 days using ChatGPT
16/03/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
“In travel, it’s not just people asking random questions to have fun with this thing, they are actively trying to gather information.” The announcement of the multimodal GPT-4 by OpenAI and Microsoft this week has sent every tech industry scrambling to unlock all its capabilities, and the tra [...]
Chinese consumers booked 4.5x more flights in first 3 months of 2023, records Fliggy
14/03/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Pre-sales of the company’s cruise tours along Nordic fjords and the Mediterranean each surpassed RMB1 million in a single day The resumption of ITB Berlin this year brought about a range of travel discussions from around the world, one of them being the reopening of China and the impact it might [...]
Despite high air fares, Sabre data indicates significant outbound travel rebound in China
13/03/2023 by WiT
WITH more than 166 million international trips booked by Chinese travelers in 2019, contributing over $245 billion to global tourism in the process, it is no wonder that the world has been watching, and waiting, for China to re-open its borders, after nearly three years of Covid-19 closure. Now t [...]
Travel Talk: Takeaways from ITB Berlin
10/03/2023 by WiT
Returning to the marquee travel trade event for the first time in four years, Northstar’s thought leaders share first impressions. This week, the halls at Messe Berlin were buzzing with thousands of members of the travel trade, returning in person to ITB Berlin for the first time since 2019. Am [...]
In an ideal world, his travel startup shouldn’t exist, says misterb&b founder
10/03/2023 by Arvindh Yuvaraj
Mission: To be “the main place for all LGBTQ+ peoples to connect around travel” While it’s fun to think of travel as an all-inclusive activity, the harsh reality is that not everyone experiences the benefits of travel equally. It’s not uncommon for marginalised communities, people of colour [...]