Pink Couch Podcast: Behind the Scenes of the Travel Industry

Worldia is one of the largest B2B2C FIT product platforms that you’ve never heard of. The high-tech build offers everything from flights to ferries for advisors to quickly customize complex global itineraries. Ryan McElroy explains.

Air Transat's CRO Sebastien Ponce appears on the Virtual Pink Couch to talk about the airline's long term strategic shift to codeshares and global connectivity amid a challenging market.

“In travel, efficiency is not the ultimate measure of value. Trust is.” That is the conclusion of Expedia research on the role of AI in travel. Robin Lawther, VP Expedia TAAP, spearheaded a deep dive which found over 66% of consumers do not trust AI to book their trip preferring a trusted human in their corner.

Porter Airlines CEO Michael Deluce talks openly to Open Jaw’s Nina Slawek about the airline’s regional hub strategy, including “seats flying off the shelves” at YXU, the success of the MET and YHU development, but then gets coy about possible expansion out west. “I always get in trouble when I pre-release stuff.”

Porter’s 20th anniversary blind-boxes were a hit, with 5,000 collectibles sold in just 53 hours - and 10 lucky boxes containing a Golden Pass worth 20 free flights. Beyond the fun and games, Porter President Kevin Jackson talks about shifting aircraft to match seasonal demand, and the early success of the airline’s new Montreal Metropolitan Airport operation.

Travel industry entrepreneur Ryan McElroy tells Open Jaw’s Nina Slawek why the industry’s annual “pilgrimage” to Virtuoso Travel Week remains such a powerful business investment, and why we should all put down our phones more often.

AirTrav’s Rob Kokonis’ surprising take on the WestJet flight attendant negotiations: “You agreed to that back in 2021.”

Nina is joined by Zeina Gedeon, COO of Trevello World Holdings, and Maureen Barnes-Smith, VP of Sales and Marketing at Unique Vacations Canada, as Open Jaw kicks off its new women’s video series. Participate in the discussion by sending in your comments!

After founding Intrepid in 2008, Steven Larkin is back as senior VP global sales and partnerships. Larkin tells Nina Slawek that once the current headwinds pass, “demand is going to outpace availability.”