Executive Q&A: How Contactless Technology Can Help Airlines Become More Covid-19 Compliant

The commercial aviation industry is in recovery mode, with airlines and airports seeking new ways to regain trust, build consumer confidence, and sustain passenger demand due to effects from the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to taking precautionary measures to keep passengers safe and regularly sharing those steps with their customers, airlines must overcome negative perceptions associated with flight delays and cancellations — frustrating lines and wait times for hotel and meal vouchers are the last thing passengers want to deal with in today’s social distancing-era. Airline lodging platform Travelliance aims to eliminate that frustration with a self-service app that lets travelers avoid queues and bypass conversations with airline representatives. Parent company FLEETCOR, which specializes in fuel and commercial payments, also owns CLC Lodging, a provider of corporate lodging solutions for businesses. SkiftX spoke with Ted Scislowski, president of Travelliance, about how this contactless technology solution works and how it can help airlines become more Covid-19 compliant. SkiftX: What’s the general customer sentiment around airlines right now? Ted Scislowski: Business and leisure travelers have different perspectives. Frequent business travelers have a higher level of confidence in the airlines and in air travel in general. On the other hand, non-frequent leisure travelers may need more coaxing and assurances of protection to build confidence about being in close proximity with others on an aircraft. In addition, the uncertainty around shifting flight schedules in conjunction with bor