One of the judges for the WiT Startup Pitch 2020, Johnny Thorsen, vice president, strategy and innovation, American Express, Digital Labs, shares why he feels only the best and brightest startups can solve the problems that have surfaced in travel due to Covid-19.
1. Embarrassing response to cancellations by airlines and partners
We have just seen how embarrassing the response of the global airlines and their distribution partners (GDS’s and TMCs/OTAs’) was in terms of processing the millions of cancellations and refunds caused by Covid-19. While the volumes obviously were unprecedented, the problem was very basic – issue a digital refund for a transaction, which was created at some point prior and where we have all the relevant data already. This should not really be a problem for anyone in 2020, but somehow the airlines and their partners made a mess out of it and, in my view, there will be new solutions created by startups making this an issue of the past very soon. Imagine a new OTA saying “we will refund your booking within 15 minutes if the airline decides to cancel the flight”.
2. Be prepared for temporary shutdowns
As we get ready to restart travel, we must do so assuming there will be new Covid-19 outbreaks causing temporary shutdowns and cancellations again, and we need new technology solutions capable of immediately analysing and executing the relevant automation steps for managing the logistics related to such a situation. This include instant notifications to any traveller who has been flying recently and might be infected to notifying specific travellers down to seat number based on the status of other passengers seated nearby.
3. Needed: “Realtime trustworthy data untouched by human hand”
We need a new and modern travel tech stack designed to provide “realtime trustworthy data untouched by human hand” ready for consumption via secure and open APIs. We cannot let data privacy become an obstacle anymore and, therefore, we need a secure blockchain-based framework where relevant profile data can be shared without breaching the privacy of any individual. I do not see any legacy travel tech provider creating such solutions and, therefore, this is an area where only the brightest and best startups can play.
4. Solving social distancing problems in airports
Airports have to evolve almost overnight from a place where we have squeezed the highest amount of people together in the smallest amount of space to one where we can provide relevant social distancing for select groups of people during different periods of time (check-in, airport security, terminal waiting time, boarding, de-boarding, immigration and luggage pickup). How we do this will require contact tracing like data capture capabilities and, once again, this is not something which is likely to be provided by the legacy players in the industry.
5. “Door to door” planning capability needed in a single user interface
Travel planning and booking in the new Covid-19 world will be very different from the old ways of doing things. We need “door to door” planning capability in a single integrated user interface, and will not accept the inconsistencies of the old world caused by jumping between many different sites. This is the time for new super-integrated planning apps most likely developed by new startups and travellers will probably pay for using them.
• Featured image credit: surasaki/Getty Images
