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Priceline, the pioneering travel innovator, today unveiled its Winter 2024 Product Release featuring a new generative AI-powered slate of features, including major upgrades to Penny, its AI-powered travel assistant. The latest additions to Priceline’s Trip Intelligence suite make it the travel industry’s most comprehensive array of AI tools – including more than 30 new features to dramatically streamline the travel planning and booking process.At a time when overwhelming choice and options mean consumers spend an average of two full work days – 16 hours – on trip research and booking,1 Priceline’s smarter, faster, and more proactive tools can significantly reduce the time a customer spends on travel planning. The upgraded Trip Intelligence suite builds upon six months of real-world conditions and proprietary marketplace intelligence accumulated from Priceline’s millions of customers since the technology debuted in Priceline’s hotel category in June. The response has been overwhelmingly positive; the company estimates that travelers who used Penny saved an average of nearly ten minutes per trip compared to those who called customer support. Priceline is now rolling out Penny across all categories: hotel, flights, car rental and vacation packages.
The enhanced Priceline Trip Intelligence suite debuts at a time of changing consumer demands and behavior. More customers seek ways to reduce the time and complexity in researching and booking trips, and they’re increasingly looking to AI to help them solve these challenges. Priceline’s study found that more than half of travelers say they’d use AI tools to cut down on time, eliminate hours of onerous research and secure the best deals. Of those familiar with generative AI, the vast majority (73%) said they’re receptive to using generative AI and believe it will streamline travel planning and booking. And further, 65% said it would make traveling easier and more enjoyable.1
For its Winter Release, Priceline’s dedicated team of AI experts, prompt engineers, product developers and data scientists built integrated technology atop Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo to significantly expand Penny’s capabilities and trip-planning impact sitewide. Penny can now save customers precious time by planning and modifying their trips – whether they need assistance with destination recommendations, finding the best deal or accessing always-on, personalized customer service. Priceline is also introducing personalized GenAI itineraries within its iOS App. No need to do lengthy research making plans – the upgraded App will now generate a suggested itinerary for you down to dining and activity options for your stay. Other time-saving features include a new wallet for organizing deals and coupons, ways to enable customers to skip check-in lines, and more.
“After six months of expert, on-the-job training, Penny is ready to deliver an even more cohesive and personalized booking experience that saves people time and hassle,” said Brett Keller, CEO, Priceline. “This is a continuation of Priceline’s tradition of revolutionizing travel with pioneering technology. We began fully integrating generative AI early last year, and our tools and features will only get better as customers and partners engage with them more and more.”
Priceline customers can expect to find over 30 new features and upgrades starting today, including:ADVERTISEMENTPenny: Increasing its remit beyond the hotel category to flights, car rentals and vacation packages, Penny, the GenAI-powered travel assistant, is now ready to greet travelers on the Priceline home page, taking them from inspiration through planning, booking and even modifying their dream trip after they’ve booked.Discover with Penny: Discover new destinations directly from the Priceline home page, with Penny intelligently suggesting relevant properties and travel packages reflecting specific needs and personal travel styles as customers search for the right match. For example, “suggest sunny and family-friendly destinations within a three hour flight of NYC.”Troubleshoot with Penny: Quickly modify itineraries, connect with live help agents, check the status of a refund, and access important travel information – available all in one place by chatting with Penny.GenAI Itineraries: Leveraging GPT-4 Turbo, Priceline iOS app users can automatically craft in-depth itineraries for their entire trip, including can’t-miss activities, restaurants and nearby attractions.Priceline Wallet: A one-stop portfolio feature enabling Priceline customers to save coupons, monitor expiration dates, and track airline credits in a single location.Price Watch: To ensure customers never miss a deal, they can now track desired flight itineraries (including flexible options and multiple airports for fare comparison) in the Priceline App, and receive prompt notifications when prices change.Cabin Comparisons in Search: Results for all domestic flight searches are enhanced with cabin and seat comparisons, enabling customers to quickly evaluate cabin attributes, pricing, upgrade options, and other enhancements.Skip the Counter and Online Rental Car Check-In: Priceline customers can skip the rental car counter or significantly reduce counter wait times by checking-in online ahead of time with select partners.Multi-Passenger Cancellation and Rebooking: Bypass speaking with an agent and rebook tickets for select airlines for the whole family with airline credit, directly with Priceline. (Coming Soon)Priceline App Experience: Major design improvements implemented across all platforms, including overhauls for iPad and Android. The inclusion of Trip Timeline also affords users an at-a-glance view of all upcoming travel dates in one place. Beginning in March iPhone users will receive Live Activity updates on their lock screen containing useful real-time information about their flights. Additionally, a new iOS integration allows users to begin searching for hotel deals and car rentals from the convenience of Spotlight Search.Offers in the PayPal App: Priceline has joined forces with PayPal for the upcoming launch of their new offers platform. Beginning later this year, Priceline expects to provide personalized cash-back offers to consumers in the PayPal app for use when purchasing their travel on Priceline and checking out with PayPal – helping them get to their happy place for a happy price.Priceline continues to swiftly travel into new territories of customer satisfaction, propelled by their data-driven, technology-powered philosophy of innovation. With Penny’s new feature set and category defining Trip Intelligence suite, Priceline promises to get their customers to their happy place at a happy price even faster – and with more confidence – than ever before.
“Booking with confidence and saving time are absolutely key for our customers,” said Kevin Heery, Chief Product Officer. “Our expanded Trip Intelligence suite will enable Priceline to further anticipate travelers’ needs, helping them book their trip with ease and peace of mind seamlessly and faster than ever before.”
To celebrate the launch of the new Trip Intelligence features, Priceline is offering a 10% discount on Express DealsⓇ, exclusively through Penny.  Simply ask Penny, “can you get me a deal?” to reveal the code and book by February 27th to take advantage of this special offer.
The new features are now live across Priceline.

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Digitrips, owner of leading French B2B multi-product travel platforms MisterFly and HResa, has enhanced its flight booking engine with a direct flight calendar, helping travellers pinpoint the best travel dates with ease.
Once travellers input their desired departure and destination airports in a Digitrips-powered search form, the date selection tool promptly identifies the dates on which direct flights are available, saving them valuable time and effort.
On routes with limited direct flights, Digitrips has already observed an increase of up to 10% in conversation rates following the launch of the enhanced calendar.
Additionally, the technology provider reported a substantial decrease in search volume, with up to 60% fewer users initiating searches thanks to the efficiency of the direct flight calendar*.
Emilie Dumont, CEO of Digitrips, said: “Many routes only offer direct flights on specific days of the week, and so those looking to avoid connections may need to spend a lot of time searching for the ideal day to travel.ADVERTISEMENT“Traditionally, customers would be expected to choose their preferred departure and return dates before they could filter the results to direct flights only. If there was no direct flight available, they would then have to manually adjust the date until they found one with a direct option.
“We’re excited to have rolled out this innovative feature to all our partners, enabling them to streamline the search process, enhance the booking experience, and promote sustainable travel habits among their travellers.”
Digitrips consistently updates its comprehensive database of over 730,000 direct flight rotations for its key departure markets: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.
The new feature aligns with Digitrips’ commitment to helping customers reduce their carbon footprint by proactively encouraging them to choose direct flights. According to data from Digitrips, opting for a direct short-haul flight can slash emissions per passenger by up to 50%, compared to flying the same route with layovers.
The company’s search engine also displays the estimated CO2 consumption of each flight during the booking process, empowering customers to make informed decisions.

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Civitatis sets sights on 50% global growth for 2024

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With an unwavering focus on relentless expansion, Civitatis, the leading technological platform for booking Spanish-speaking activities, day trips, guided tours, and excursions worldwide – both in the B2C and B2B channels – is aiming for an ambitious 50% global growth in travellers 2024.
This news follows the company’s recent announcements of reaching a milestone of 10 million travellers at the end of 2023 – an increase of 31% on 2022 – and experiencing significant expansion in the number of product and supplier partnerships by the close of 2023, reaching a total of 87,000 products supplied by 6,000 partners.
Following the strategic appointment of regional directors in crucial Latin American markets like Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia – acting as country managers in these territories to equip Civitatis to cater to diverse regional needs – the company is eyeing triple-digit growth in these regions.
Confirming the growth projections of Civitatis, only this week the company claimed the top spot in the annual ranking of Spanish firms likely to become ‘unicorns’ – startups with a valuation of $1bn –  published by Expansión, the leading economic daily newspaper in Spain.
The recent growth and success of Civitatis has been driven by the company’s internationalisation strategy, focused on Spanish-speaking markets such as Latin America, enabling access to top-tier suppliers and thus amplifying the diversity of offerings available to B2B and B2C customers. As well as having a deep understanding of market dynamics and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Civitatis has also expanded its network of service providers and increased investments in marketing efforts.ADVERTISEMENTLooking ahead to 2024, CEO Alberto Gutiérrez asserts, “As we move into 2024, our firm commitment to relentless expansion remains stronger than ever. Our projected 50% global growth in travellers reflects to our team’s ambition and strategic plan. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead, particularly in key Latin American markets like Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, where our regional directors will play a pivotal role in tailoring our offerings to meet diverse regional demands.”

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As the Phocuswright Conference kicks off this week, Phocuswright has revealed which companies are about to unveil their ground-breaking tech innovations at its Innovation: Launch competition.
Innovation: Launch, which will take place at the Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale on November 14th, highlights new concepts, technologies and business models entering the scene. 
This year’s conference, themed ‘You, Me & the Machine,’ will explore the massive possibilities for AI in the travel space – so many of this year’s innovations are expected to focus on this.
At Innovation: Launch, companies ready to unveil new, breakthrough and market-changing innovation will present it live onstage to more than 1,300 attendees. 
At this year’s competition, VisaHQ, TourReview, Mobi, BabyQuip, Justt, Ramp, Weeva, Terrapay, rePUSHTI by Qtech Software, Connexpay and TripFusion by Vacayou are expected to unveil new innovations.
“Phocuswright is thrilled to bring another amazing group of companies to our Launch stage that are shaping the future of travel,” said Mike Coletta, manager, research and innovation, Phocuswright. 
“From improving sustainability efforts and customer satisfaction, to reducing fraud and operational inefficiencies, to streamlining payment and distribution infrastructure, this group is directly addressing many of today’s industry pain points.”
This year’s Innovators will compete to win one of two awards – the Travel Innovation Award, which will be decided by an expert panel, and the People’s Choice Award, which will be decided by audience voting.ADVERTISEMENT“Each year, attendees are eager to see the latest innovations and the most forward-thinking companies in the industry,” said Eugene Ko, director, marketing and communications, Phocuswright. 
“At Phocuswright, we make it our mission to not only showcase these companies, but to also make them available for the audience to network with. 
“This type of connection helps solve industry problems, create new partnerships and move the industry forward, together.”
Innovation: Launch is Phocuswright’s platform for companies of any age that are changing the travel landscape. 
Launch provides companies that are ready to unveil a ground-breaking innovation with a spot in the limelight and a chance to wow the travel industry’s most savvy and engaged audience during the Phocuswright Conference.
More Information
More details about the Phocuswright Conference’s Innovation initiatives – Innovation: Launch, Hot 25 Travel Start-ups and the Start-up Program – can be found here.

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Travel Ensurance provider Trust My Group has today announced the evolution of its TMU Management business into an independent entity, in a strategic move to unlock the full potential of its diverse portfolio.As part of the transformation, former group COO Sami Doyle has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of TMU Management. Trust My Group co-founders Will Plummer and Matt Bush will remain in their posts as CEO and CTO of the group and will focus their efforts on the group’s growth, alongside the launch of a new business unit later this year. Meanwhile, Karen King takes the helm as General Manager for Trust My Travel, which has recently launched its new Package Travel Protection model.
Founded in 2022, TMU Management is a data-driven insurance intermediary that uses proprietary technology to facilitate modernised credit-risk insurance products and safeguard the travel value chain.
Sami Doyle, CEO of TMU Management, said: “In just one year, TMU Management has grown from an idea to a thriving, independent business. During this process, we have benefitted greatly from the unwavering support and expertise of the wider Trust My Group, which has been invaluable in launching the brand and setting us on a path for steady growth.
“As we embark on this new chapter, we are poised to amplify our commitment to offering customisable, end-to-end risk management and mitigation solutions to the travel industry and wider industries. I look forward to driving TMU Management towards specialised growth, fostering innovation, and building enduring relationships with our valued clients and partners alike.”
TMU Management harnesses real-time data, advanced analytics, and other mitigation tools already used in specific sectors to facilitate insurance products that have longevity through the perceived ‘boom-and-bust’ cycles, and which align with their customers’ needs.ADVERTISEMENTThe company seeks to disrupt the recurring pattern whereby insurance providers tend to only service industries such as travel during times of growth, and neglect them during downturns.
With its constantly evolving reporting capabilities, TMU Management is able to provide insurers with accurate insights into individual business, irrespective of the macro environment, and offer bespoke products that provide comfort to these insurers.
At the core of the innovative approach is TMU’s proprietary technology, designed to directly integrate with policyholders and insurance markets to ensure traditional insurance practices can be replaced with accurate, data-driven risk decision-making.

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Mabrian announces strategic growth plan as part of evolution to become the number one travel intelligence tool globally.In addition to the Middle East and North America push the company will also expand further into providing services to hotels, airlines and other private sector businesses.
Travel intelligence leader Mabrian is delighted to announce its strategic growth plan as part of its evolution to become the number one travel intelligence tool globally. The company is delighted to unveil its new strategy, which will focus on leveraging its robust platform, forming new partnerships, expanding internationally, and attracting talent.
As part of this strategy Mabrian has appointed Diana Munoz as Strategic Growth Advisor to the Executive Team.  Over a decade as a Senior Vice President in Mastercard, Munoz held various global positions managing strategic partnerships, and fostering growth for over a decade.  Prior to Mastercard, Diana held senior positions in Citi EMEA and Latam and in American Express North America and Latam.
Under Diana’s advice, Mabrian’s new strategy will focus on international expansion. The company is poised for exponential development and growth in new regions such as the United States or the Middle East, despite already operating in 40 countries. This expansion will be achieved through strategic partnerships at a global level and the exploration of new business segments within the private sector. These initiatives aim to support Mabrian’s existing global leadership in providing intelligence services to tourist destinations.
For the past eight years, Mabrian has been at the forefront of offering travel data and insights through its artificial intelligence-powered visual dashboard. What sets it apart is its ability to integrate multiple sources of data, enabling it to track the complete traveller’s journey, including air travel, hotel stays, destination spending, and social impressions. Mabrian leverages over 20 global data sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of visitor profiles and behaviour, helping destinations optimise their promotional strategies and maximise spending.ADVERTISEMENTWith an impressive 85% service renewal rate, Mabrian’s development is supported by its high customer loyalty. In addition, the company continuously improves its Artificial Intelligence systems, allowing for the identification and forecasting of tourism trends using Big Data analytics. These ongoing advancements in AI strengthen Mabrian’s position as an industry leader.
“Mabrian is delighted to welcome Diana Munoz as a Strategic Advisor to our executive team” stated Santi Camps, Founder & CEO at Mabrian. “Diana’s in-depth understanding of the travel industry and her strategic vision will be instrumental in driving our growth and establishing Mabrian as a global leader in travel intelligence. We are confident that her appointment will enable us to seize new opportunities and strengthen our position.”
Camps added: “Mabrian’s client base speaks to the strength of our offerings. Now, we are expanding our services to the private sector, exploring new regions, and actively engaging in partnerships with key consulting firms.
This growth trajectory has us incredibly excited and ready to take on new challenges.“Diana Munoz, in her new role as a Strategic Advisor, expressed her enthusiasm about joining Mabrian, stating, “After many years of working with Mabrian as a partner, I am delighted to be a part of this new phase in its journey and excited to contribute to its international expansion. Mabrian’s advanced technology, combined with its strong client base and exceptional team, positions us for tremendous growth. I look forward to leveraging my expertise and working closely with the team to capitalise on the opportunities ahead and drive success in this new phase.”

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SITA, the technology provider for the travel and transport industry, secured a landmark deal with Airports Authority of India to support one of the biggest growth markets globally, providing technology to 43 of India’s biggest airports.
India’s Civil Aviation is among the fastest-growing aviation markets globally and will be a major growth engine to make India a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024.
The deal will see improvements to over 2,700 passenger touchpoints, paving the way for the adoption of new-age solutions to meet the modern passenger’s expectations. Initially deployed across 43 airports, the technologies are scalable to an additional 40 airports over the next seven years. Over 500 million passengers are expected to be processed during this period.
The rollout of new cloud technology will enable Indian airports to shift to common-use passenger experiences where multiple airlines can leverage the same infrastructure, such as check-in counters, self-service kiosks, and boarding gates.
The adoption of cloud solutions also brings new agility and flexibility to scale airport operations efficiently as passenger numbers grow. The cloud-first approach enforces better security and offers airlines a platform to host new progressive technologies and move away from native applications. Centralized cloud hosting of all servers means reduced on-premise infrastructure costs and results in centralized control, enabling proactive monitoring and control of services.ADVERTISEMENTSumesh Patel, President, Asia Pacific, SITA, said: “We’re excited to partner with AAI on this large-scale deployment of leading passenger processing solutions. The number of airports in India is expected to increase from 148 today to 220 by 2025. The new airports will bring closer together India’s almost 50 cities with populations exceeding one million people, creating substantial economic value in the long term. By connecting these cities better, air travel and transport will help unlock the full potential of India’s economic growth too. Ensuring efficient and fluid operations and a seamless passenger experience at these airports will be critical to delivering on India’s air transport industry opportunity.”
The solutions will give passengers more control over their journey, offering a low-touch, efficient check-in, bag drop, and collection process through assisted and self-service mechanisms. The airports will benefit from a reduced infrastructure footprint and increased operational efficiency.
Under the agreement, SITA will deploy its state-of-the-art solutions, including SITA Flex, CUPPS, SITA CUSS, and SITA Bag Manager. These IATA-certified platforms offer airlines and ground handlers the benefits of common-use technologies, enabling scalable operations to meet their specific requirements.
The Baggage Reconciliation System ensures a high level of baggage accountability, preventing losses and security concerns, which is critical to industry recovery amidst a spiraling baggage mishandling rate. This project represents a significant shift towards adopting cutting-edge technological platforms, enhancing operational efficiencies, and paving the way for the future adoption of biometric passenger processing. Additionally, real-time dashboard-based information will be made available to governing agencies, promoting transparency and informed decision-making.
AAI officers at the airport and headquarters now have access to online real-time dashboards, replacing the monthly service availability reports. The solution ensures they are better informed and know the availability of systems across all airports at every point in time, optimizing efficiency and promoting smooth operations.The project commenced in May 2022 and involved a comprehensive revamp of existing services without disrupting ongoing operations.

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Pan Am Flight Academy, a leading aviation training provider, has acquired a new Level D B737 MAX-8 simulator to enhance its commercial pilot training programs.The state-of-the-art simulator is expected to be ready for training by July 2023 enabling Pan Am to incorporate a new aircraft sim to its extended offering.
The new simulator features the latest technology for a realistic and immersive training experience. It will be fully equipped with the latest L3 Harris RealitySeven technology. The new B737 MAX-8 sim will have all the latest features including the Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS), TCAS II-7.1, weather radar, electric control loading and motion system and RSi EPIC visual system.
“We are excited to add the B737 MAX-8 simulator to our fleet of training devices,” said Jeff Portanova, President of Pan Am Flight Academy. “This new simulator is a significant investment in our training programs and will provide our students with the highest quality training experience.”
The B737 MAX-8 is one of the most popular commercial aircraft in the world, and with the new simulator, Pan Am Flight Academy will be able to offer further training options to pilots from airlines and other aviation organizations worldwide.
For decades, Pan Am Flight Academy has built a reputation of providing the highest quality training programs in the aviation industry. The academy offers a wide range of aviation training programs for commercial pilots, including initial type ratings, upgrades, recurrent training, ATP- CTP and other specialized training courses.ADVERTISEMENTFor more information on Pan Am Flight Academy’s training programs, visit www.panamacademy.com

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