Atlas in The News:
Atlas’ Chief Customer Officer, Clive Ashmore Butler, sat down with Yeoh Siew Hoon from Web In Travel in September to discuss the latest trends in airline distribution, emerging technology, new players, and why he decided to join Atlas after spending 20 years of his career on the airline side of the fence.
In the interview Clive, who’s been charged with supporting customer growth and building partnerships with travel sellers and low-cost carriers, cited three trends that were impacting the low-cost market.
- The continued growth of the OTAs and meta-searches. “The bigger players have so much money to invest in retail which airlines don’t have the ability to match. Travelers also like them because they are more neutral in proposition. It’s exciting to see that growth because it brings more opportunities for the ecosystem.”
- The continued adoption and development of new tech and new players. “The rise of superapps is interesting to watch. Grab, TikTok – you can imagine them selling air with their following and customer loyalty.”
- The changes and developments happening in the indirect ecosystem with players like Atlas offering new tech solutions to travel businesses across the spectrum to empower them to sell competitive low-cost fares and content.
Clive has shared his view on why low-cost carriers should reconsider their traditional direct sales model. Speaking from personal experience working at Jetstar, he believes that airlines could transform by working closely with players such as Atlas to develop deeper partnerships and create solutions together.
“You need direct at home, but outside home, you need a mix of direct and indirect. When you are working in the Australian market, for example, you can miss out on emerging trends outside home. Most of us struggled to understand the distribution landscape in China, for example. It can take two to three years to get up to speed, by which time your competitors are ahead of you.”
Check out the full interview with Clive on the ‘Web In Travel’ website here.
