Welcome aboard TravelX Tales, the place where we bring you insights from the travel industry leaders and visionaries that are reimagining travel with us. In this first edition, we’re thrilled to have Mauricio Sana, the CEO of Flybondi.
Get ready to sit back, relax, and be transported to a world of innovation and exciting possibilities!
Introducing Mauricio Sana, a Colombian Systems Engineer with over two decades of experience in the airline and tourism industries. Throughout his successful career, he has excelled in commercial and strategic areas, specializing in Revenue Management and Pricing.
Mauricio has spearheaded projects for major players in the industry such as Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, and Aerolíneas Argentinas. With key positions as the Commercial Planning and Business Intelligence Manager at Almundo.com and Director of Revenue Management at Decameron All Inclusive Hotels & Resorts, Mauricio brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
In 2019, he joined Flybondi as the Chief Commercial Officer, and during the pandemic, he took on the role of CEO in 2020. His leadership style is known for being disruptive and innovative, making quick data-driven decisions, and pushing the boundaries of organizations, systems, and markets.
What were the challenges and concerns Flybondi addressed when deciding to create Ticket 3.0?
Ticket 3.0 is a revolutionary new concept in flexibility. As with any groundbreaking development or product, the challenge lies in effectively communicating its benefits to both internal and external customers in order to achieve widespread adoption. This is particularly true in an industry such as air travel, where regulations and current technology can impede innovation. At Flybondi, we’ve worked tirelessly with our technology and UX teams, as well as with TravelX, to simplify the explanation of our new features, including name changes and transfers, for our passengers. Additionally, we’ve collaborated closely with our legal, financial, and revenue management departments to minimize risks and potential commercial contingencies that may arise during commercialization. With Ticket 3.0, we’re proud to offer unparalleled flexibility and convenience to our customers, while mitigating any possible negative impact on our revenue stream.
How will implementing Ticket 3.0 impact Flybondi’s operations, business, and customer experience?
With the introduction of Tickets 3.0, our passengers are granted access to a robust self-management module for name changes, an option that is currently prohibited by the majority of airlines. Furthermore, passengers are able to transfer ownership of their tickets, giving them the same attributes as any other asset. Consequently, we expect to see a reduction in no-show rates, as the seats that are sold will be occupied either by the original passenger or someone to whom they have transferred the ticket. In upcoming phases of the project, ticket holders will also have the ability to resell their tickets, with any additional revenue generated being shared between the seller and the airline.
Consequently, we expect to see a reduction in no-show rates, as the seats that are sold will be occupied either by the original passenger or someone to whom they have transferred the ticket.
How has the partnership with TravelX helped Flybondi differentiate itself in the competitive airline industry?
Currently, Flybondi is the pioneering and sole airline globally that offers this kind of flexible product. Having TravelX’s team of executives, who possess expertise in both the airline industry and blockchain technology, gave us a unique opportunity to craft and develop a product that distinguishes us from other airlines and positions us at the forefront of innovation and distribution. Thanks to TravelX, each Flybondi passenger who buys a ticket no longer needs to be concerned about issues that may hinder their travel plans and can make an advance purchase of their tickets even when they are uncertain about their travel status. Ultimately, they have the capability to modify the name associated with the ticket.
Looking forward, what new opportunities do you see for Flybondi and TravelX to continue innovating together in the future?
As we embark on this journey, we aim to activate the ticket resale feature in collaboration with TravelX, followed by an exploration of the countless potential use cases of this product and innovative technology. We firmly believe that Ticket 3.0 will establish a novel distribution standard based on flexibility, security, and blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer collaboration. It is conceivable that financial models based on airline tickets may emerge, or that joint distribution between airlines could be transformed with this new paradigm. Through our experimental sandbox, we aspire to revolutionize the future of air travel.
