Travel Megatrends 2018: Back-End Travel Tech Gets a Design Renaissance


Skift Take

The travel industry urgently needs operational software that normal people find intuitive, flexible, and powerful. Otherwise it will lose efficient early-career workers to other sectors that have superior tools.
Series: Megatrends 2018

Skift Megatrends 2018

In January 2018 released our annual travel industry trends forecast, Skift Megatrends 2018. You can read about each of the trends on Skift, or download a copy of our magazine here.

Easier-to-use business software has begun to spread in the travel industry, promising to make workers more efficient.

Technology vendors such as Sabre, Expedia, and Duetto are responding to a demand by travel companies. “Business buyers are demanding the same type of experience that they enjoy as consumers using sites like Amazon,” said Ellen Keszler, a technology consultant who sits on the board of many travel companies.

While workplace tools will never be as easy to use as a mobile app to order a pizza, they are becoming more intuitive to work with.

A few years ago, enterprise applications drew twice as many complaints on average as consumer applications did, according to a study by research firm MeasuringU. But a change in the way businesses are buying software is driving improvements.

Until recently, companies sold enterprise software to airlines, travel agencies, hotel chains, and others in the following way: The vendor cut a one-time deal with someone in the C-suite (often after many free ticket