Amsterdam-based ticketing platform Tiqets has picked up $17 million in funding and will use the cash to fulfil its  global ambitions. Its CEO Luuc Elzinga told Tnooz that the expansion is focused on adding inventory. “We have people whose only role is to talk to venues and bring their…

A Kayak.co.uk study into the British traveller reveals some long-term grains of optimism when it comes to bots despite the fact that, presently, more than half the country hasn’t heard about them. The questions about bots revealed some positive growth over the past year, hardly a surprise since bots…

Finding our way around has become the most universal task conducted on smartphones. According to Pew Research, last year 90 percent of smartphone owners in America used their device to get directions, recommendations or other information related to their location. NB This is a viewpoint by Kalle Marsal, chief…

An airline distribution conference doesn’t seem complete without a bit of a poke at the global distribution systems. Segment fees paid by airlines, age of the technology and how long it takes to get anything new done are all popular reasons for GDS bashing. However, at an airline event last…

AccorHotels is linking up with Misterfly to provide a “hotel + flight” packaging option to its website, starting in France but with other source markets on the agenda, including the UK. Misterfly, which secured €20 milion in funding last June, gets its flights from a variety of sources. Its…

Delta Air Lines is testing whether facial recognition technology can speed the bag-checking process. It has installed four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, one of which will be equipped with the technology to match customers with their passport photos. That eliminates the need for a…

Vacation rental giant HomeAway has started rolling out an insurance programme – the first time it has taken responsibility for the connections it makes between guests and homeowners. The $1 Million Liability Insurance service provies protection to homeowners in the event of accidents in the property and damage to a…

Air Canada confirmed that it will launch its own loyalty program in 2020 when its exclusive contract with Aimia, the owner of Aeroplan, expires. Aimia, a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company, has operated Aeroplan, Air Canada’s current program, for nearly a decade. Air Canada committed to business as usual through…

This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel marketing in May 2017. Monday 15 May 2017: Norwegian creates online retail scheme The platform gives members of its Reward loyalty programme the ability to spend their earned points at well-known retail brands on the internet via a…

Emirates Group – comprising the eponymous airline and Dnata, a mix of airport, ground handling and consumer travel businesses – has seen a big drop in its full-year profit. Revenues for the year to end-March were actually up by nearly 2% at around AED 95 billion ($26 billion). The…