Air travel is a force for good. It brings people, goods and businesses closer together. Safely, every day of the year.
Air travel came a long way since it was formed as a global industry in 1944, yet the COVID crisis and climate change have brutally reminded us that this industry still has a lot to deploy to sustainably serve its purpose.
Thanks to over 40 years of personal travel experience and 15 years of serving the air travel industry at IATA, I became aware of the value of air travel and the incredible resilience of the industry, and I made these value and resilience the priority of my work. When leading the Transformation team and then Industry Strategy I had the opportunity to interact with senior airline leaders, to define vision and strategies at industry level and to run global multi-year transformation programs. As a humble contribution after leaving IATA I drafted a White Paper summarizing my proposals for the restart of the industry.
In 2021 air travel is fighting for its survival, but it has the potential to emerge stronger. Yes, people will travel abroad soon again. Going further, I made a decision on my next challenge and have founded Threedot to provide advisory services to the companies willing to make a difference, to restart the industry and to help it serve its purpose in a more resilient and sustainable manner. I believe that my passion and experience in the commercial, financial and digital areas of the air travel industry, can contribute to the success of many companies and new ventures.
Branche
Unternehmensberatung
Größe
2–10 Beschäftigte
Hauptsitz
Geneva
Art
Privatunternehmen
Gegründet
2021
Spezialgebiete
airline, aviation, air travel, strategy, transformation, digital, distribution und payment
At Threedot we believe that digital airlines will provide a better customer experience. We are honoured to partner on this journey with TravelX, one of the most innovative companies in the travel tech space.
We share TravelX's vision that airlines don't have to choose between customer centricity and profitability. With the solution developed by TravelX called NFTicket, customers can get the flexibility and control they expect, while airlines still manage their revenue.
We wish you to hold a NFTicket on your next trip very soon ☀️
Juan Pablo LafosseFrancisco VigoAlejandro NardiAndres Bruzzo
We're thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with Threedot, marking a milestone in TravelX's European expansion journey!
Our shared vision is to drive transformation in the travel industry.
Such a transformative venture demands exceptional partners, and that’s why we're honored to join forces with Eric Léopold and his team.
Stay tuned!
More news coming soon..
#DynamicInventory#TravelX#Innovation#TravelIndustry
Yesterday I flew with Saudia (SV) for the first time. I’ve picked this direct flight option instead of the usual Gulf carrier route. Here is what Riyadh Air may soon compete with:
👉 Shopping: good schedule, direct day flights both ways, outbound 4pm - 11pm and return 9am - 2pm.
👉 Booking: simple return flight, on website, no issue. Seamless card payment. Booking confirmation by email with details.
👉 Post-booking: repeat messages about upgrades and extra room may be annoying. Skyteam may not have shared my travel profile and preferences.
👉 Online check-in: email prompt, no luck with mobile check-in but web check-in worked, requires detailed visa information
👉 Bag drop: no queue, travel doc and visa check, no issue. Desk manned by ground handler.
👉 Security and immigration are not related to the airline. Was smooth on a quiet day.
👉 Boarding: smooth, with jetway, no issue.
👉 Aircraft: 12-year-old Airbus 320
👉 Cabin: 15x6=90 seats in coach about 80% full, 5x4=20 seats in business, about 90% full.
👉 Seat: good legroom in coach (Pitch 32, Width 18), managed to get exit row. Reclined 2x2 seats in business (Pitch 54, Width 21), better than euro carriers with short haul 3x3 configuration (both cabins on pitch 30 and width 17)
👉 Inflight food and beverage: on par with average euro airline, below Gulf standards. Of course the flight is dry.
👉 Inflight service: good and above expectations. I asked for a drink not on the menu (cup of tea) and they brought a cup, twice 🤗
👉 Navigation: smooth flight, low turbulence, on time. Flew over Italy, Greece and Egypt, crossing the Red Sea south of Alexandria and over AlUla, which safely avoided the conflict zone of the Gaza Strip.
👉 Deplaning: by bus. The air at midnight is warm and dry.
👉 Bag delivery: did not try as VIP service by Altanfeethi (Private bus, bag pickup and hotel transfer) was arranged by the event host.
Conclusion: overall good product and experience. The competition with Riyadh Air will be interesting. Opportunities lie between the lines of the story of this journey.
I had the pleasure to moderate an engaging panel with airport leaders about innovation in the passenger experience - at #WAGA2024 in Riyadh. Here are my main takeaways:
Our panelists:
Marco Troncone, Aeroporti di RomaRoelof-Jan Steenstra AAE, IAP, ICD.D, GCB.D, PortsToronto
Sven Deckers, Dubai AirportsAdonis Succar, SITA
👉 Innovation: The panel agreed on the collaborative nature of the innovation process. Everyone benefits. AdR has launched an innovation group with other airports like Dubai Airports and invites innovative tech companies to contribute 👏
👉 Passenger Needs: While basic needs must always be met, new expectations such as real-time mobile assistants and seamless security screening will arise and challenge the current processes and infrastructure.
👉 Experience: Mindsets are shifting from rigid processes, such as airport bag drops, to accommodating more personalized travel experiences, which every passenger may customize.
👉 Data Exchange: Everyone agreed that travelers' personal data will remain under their control. At the same time, exchanging aggregated and anonymized data can help enhance the flows and experiences 🤗
👉 Digital Identity: Digital ID, based on ICAO's Digital Travel Credentials and IATA's One ID, is the key enabler for the personalization of travel experiences, and the control of traveler data.
Other panels discussed "Enhancing airport competitiveness", "Sustainability as a game changer", "Tourism and Aviation" and more.
#airportexperience#digitaltransformation#innovation
"We are 12 years in NDC and very low adoption". Kurt Ekert, Sabre CEO, talks about NDC, Offers and Orders, after publishing the 1Q 2024 company results. I've listened to his interview with Linda Fox 👇 and read the results... between the lines 😉
Disclaimer: I'm just an observer of travel technology, not a financial analyst 🙈
First I've looked at two key business indicators: air bookings and revenue from IT solutions
👉 Air bookings: Sabre processed around 130m air bookings per quarter pre-Covid. It has reached 85m in 1Q2024 compared to 84m in 1Q2023. Will it recover to pre-Covid figures? Where have the 50m missing air bookings gone? What is 1m growth in one year compared to industry's 5% growth? Should reported air bookings be split between EDIFACT and NDC? How will NDC air bookings translate into revenue in the future?
👉 IT solutions: Sabre had about $250m of revenue per quarter from IT solutions per-Covid. It was $141m in 1Q2024, down from $152m in 1Q2023. What are the plans for new IT solutions supporting offers and orders? What are the recent announcements, similar to Amadeus with Nevio or Farelogix / Accelya with their NDC API?
Then I've looked at two key financial indicators: net debt and free cash flow
👉 Net debt: Sabre had about $3b of net debt in 2018. Post-Covid, the 2023 net debt is $4.3b, up from $4b in 2022. Depending on interest rates, the debt represents a significant financial cost. Sabre may have to refinance debt and repay maturities.
👉 Free Cash Flow (FCF): Sabre has generated $95m of negative FCF in 1Q2024, worse than $90m negative FCF in 1Q2023. FCF can be used to repay the debt or allocated for capex to invest in new technology. A healthy company has enough FCF to repay the debt in a couple of years. When will Sabre generate enough cash to repay the debt and invest in technology? In the meantime, Amadeus reports strong FCF growth, above $1.1b in 2023.
Finally I've looked at how investors value the company and its strategy
👉 Stock price: it was in the $20s before Covid, with a $26 high in 2018, but is now close to the lowest point, at $2.58 on Friday, sending the market cap below $1b. While the air travel industry has largely recovered from Covid, Sabre's stock is 90% below its high. In the meantime, Amadeus closed at €59.56 on Friday, roughly at the same level as 2018, and only 25% below its high in 2019.
It's not easy to reconcile these numbers with the latest optimistic announcements. Are the fundamentals really in place to drive future revenue (from air bookings and IT solutions) which can generate enough cash to repay the debt and invest in new solutions? Airlines and travel agents need IT vendors capable of running critical systems at scale.
What's your take on the numbers and on the announcements?
#airlineNDC#digitaltransformation#12years
The FTE Ancillary & Retailing event takes place in Dublin on 11-13 June 2024, co-located with FTE EMEA, and promises to be the world’s definitive revenue-focused air transport show. With a focus on how the worlds of commercial, digital and customer experience can converge more effectively under the event theme of ‘Customer-centric Innovation’, the inspirational agenda has been curated with industry guru Eric Léopold, Founder & Managing Director, Threedot and Content Director, FTE Ancillary & Retailing.
In this interview, he shares his perspective on the evolution of airline retailing, identifies key industry trends, and explains how the FTE Ancillary & Retailing agenda will help address those trends.
Read the full story >> https://lnkd.in/g6SgJDJg#FTEAncillaryRetailing
Just a few weeks to go until our next pharma-focused event in Zurich – The Innovator's Sandbox 🇨🇭
On May 14th, we'll be bringing together senior leaders from across pharma to:
🤝 Meet peers in a smaller, more personal setting than traditional conferences.
🔬 Get ‘hands-on’ with real world experimentation challenges.
💡 Learn how to build a culture of innovation.
🍾 Enjoy some good food and drinks on the sunny terrace of Luma Westbau's beautiful exhibition space.
There will also be a cross-sector panel discussion moderated by Joe Spence with leading experts in healthcare, tech, travel, AI and finance, swipe below to find out more.
◘ Kayleigh Hartigan, Founder + CEO, Fertility Mapper
◘ Eric Léopold, Founder + MD, threedot
◘ Veronica Breene, Founder + CEO, Vesta Insights
If you'd like to save a spot, please comment on the post, or send an email to
[email protected]
