Could Airlines Sell Travel Better by Offering Playlists of Recommendations?
Skift Take
The future of selling flights won't look exactly like this. But Ricardo Pilon's ideas are helpfully provocative and may help the industry innovate.
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.I've covered airline distribution since 2013. One of the most intriguing ideas I've heard on the topic has come recently from Ricardo Pilon.
Pilon's ideas, shared via his Substack Airline Revenue Economics, borrow heavily from concepts percolating from many sources.He has heard these ideas through his work at Montreal-based consultancy Millavia. Pilon's main contribution is to crystallize how airlines might sell online more smartly.Airlines complain today that they often don't influence leisure travelers who are in the "inspiration" phase of planning. Sure, once a traveler has an itinerary in mind, they will start shopping for flights and look at airline content then. But they rarely look at airline content while dreaming and researching.
Pilon imagines there's something he calls an "airline experience marketplace." Here's one brief example of how it might work:
Imagine someone following a Moroccan chef on Instagram. Let's say the person is inspired to visit Morocco.She logs into a site, or digital assistant app, where she "maintains several travel and experience playlists." Imagine something of a mix of Spotify, Pinterest, and Lonely Planet. She sees and builds "playlists" of recommendations for trips, including lodging options and activities that fit her budget.To b
