The airline industry is undergoing one of its most fundamental shifts in decades. At the recent T2RL Engage 2025 in the UK, leaders, innovators, and technology providers gathered to address the industry’s most pressing challenge: how to modernize airline retailing while keeping customers at the center. From AI adoption hurdles to the promise of modular architectures, the conversations at T2RL revealed that transformation has become essential.
Since 2005, T2RL has played a key role in helping airlines make informed decisions on complex technology, encompassing revenue management, loyalty, e-commerce, and order management, making this event a crucial space for charting the future of travel retailing. Here are the unmissable insights from the event.
- Customer Experience: Still the Holy Grail
“Customer is king” is a phrase we’ve all heard, but delivering a truly exceptional and personalized traveler experience remains elusive. Airlines are still entangled in complex and legacy technology ecosystems, weighed down by regulatory and business constraints.
That’s the reason why airlines must simplify their operations. Modular, order-oriented architectures that allow IT systems to respond quickly to evolving traveler needs are crucial, and technology, more than a standalone feature, should be the overall enabler. Achieving effective end-to-end experiences means achieving orchestration across the entire ecosystem, which includes airlines, airports, regulators, and partners. Until these moving parts work in seamless harmony, the gap between expectations and reality will persist.
- Airline Retailing Has Moved from “If” to “When”
What once felt like an emerging trend is now a strategic imperative. Retailing in aviation has moved beyond the “if” to the “when.” Thanks to pioneering airlines and partner ecosystems, Offer and Order-based Servicing and Delivery (OOSD) has gained undeniable momentum, therefore getting closer to becoming a reality.
While there’s no universal playbook, the industry now has clear reference targets and transition paths. The priority lies in capturing early value while building for long-term transformation, making the business case positive from day one.
- Artificial Intelligence: Full of Potential, Waiting for Scale
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate the conversation, with airlines eager to unlock its potential for personalization and operational efficiency. Early use cases show promise, but scaling AI remains an obstacle. Issues with data quality, availability, and standardization mean that what works for one airline may not translate to another.
Still, the opportunity is massive. By harnessing AI agents and leveraging high-quality data ecosystems, airlines can deliver truly personalized passenger journeys, from predictive servicing to hyper-targeted offers, while also uncovering new operational efficiencies across the value chain.
- Simplification: The Cornerstone of Transformation
Technology change without process change is a missed opportunity. At T2RL, industry leaders emphasized that simplification must be at the core of every transformation journey. Without aligning commercial, operational, and technology strategies, airlines risk little more than a costly re-platforming exercise and sacrifice the opportunity to achieve maximum ROI in the early stages.
Unlocking the value of OOSD and AI requires more than new platforms; it demands leaner processes and smarter collaboration. Only then can airlines move from incremental upgrades to lasting impact.
In Conclusion, The Path Forward Is Clear, But Not Easy
The conversations at T2RL made one thing clear: airline retailing is no longer a distant goal; it’s already unfolding. Transformation will not be linear, nor will it be uniform across businesses. But those who simplify with purpose, scale AI wisely, and design every step around the traveler will set the pace for the next era of airlines.
At Globant’s Airlines AI Studio, we believe the future of travel retailing will be built on adaptability, intelligent technology, and seamless customer experiences. The journey has begun. Are you ready to take off?
Email us at hi@globant.com
