In this dynamic episode of The Cashflow Show, recorded live at Tech Show London 2025, host Clayton M. Coke sits down with Alex Cruz, former CEO of British Airways, now Vice-Chairman of Westjet, to explore the modernization of the travel industry. With 35 years of experience, Alex discusses how outdated systems, like 70-year-old reservation codes, clash with rising customer expectations shaped by digital-first businesses. He delves into the transformative potential of AI in addressing complex operational challenges, boosting revenues, and enhancing customer experiences, while emphasizing the need for a risk-averse industry to embrace experimentation and cultural change. Key Discussion Points<ul><li>Outdated Systems: The travel industry relies on 70-year-old structures, like six-digit reservation codes, and aging IT systems that struggle to meet modern demands. </li><li>Customer Expectations: Exposure to seamless digital apps has raised traveler expectations, creating pressure to modernize operations and baggage tracking. </li><li>AI’s Dual Role: AI is being adopted for internal efficiencies (e.g., data analysis) and solving complex industry challenges, like crew scheduling and dynamic pricing. </li><li>Revenue Impact: AI-driven pricing solutions can boost airline revenues by 5–10% without significantly affecting customers, leveraging price elasticity. </li><li>Cultural Barriers: The risk-averse nature of the travel industry slows AI adoption, requiring a cultural shift toward experimentation and learning from failures. </li><li>Future of AI: AI will reshape competition by enabling faster solution development, but businesses must ask smarter questions to maximize its value.</li></ul>Key Takeaways<ul><li>The travel industry’s legacy systems are a bottleneck, unable to keep pace with digital-first customer expectations. </li><li>AI offers significant opportunities for operational efficiency and revenue growth, but its success depends on cultural openness to experimentation. </li><li>Businesses must prioritize value generation, with AI delivering measurable results like 5–10% revenue increases through dynamic pricing. </li><li>The human element—asking the right questions and fostering a learning culture—is critical to leveraging AI effectively. </li><li>Over the next five years, early AI adopters in travel will gain a competitive edge by solving complex problems faster.</li></ul>Notable Quotes<ul><li>“We’re struggling with bringing together [customer] expectations with our older legacy landscapes.” – Alex Cruz </li><li>“AI is going to help us… digest many more pieces of information than standard old software or human beings were able to.” – Alex Cruz </li><li>“The big pressure is going to be on what questions are you asking? What is it that you really want?” – Alex Cruz</li></ul>Actionable Insights for Businesses<ol><li>Audit Legacy Systems: Assess outdated IT infrastructure and prioritize modernization to meet customer expectations and stay competitive. </li><li>Experiment with AI: Start small with AI pilots for internal processes or pricing strategies, learning from failures to refine solutions. </li><li>Foster a Learning Culture: Encourage teams to embrace risk-taking and experimentation to overcome the industry’s risk-averse mindset. </li><li>Focus on Value: Ensure AI initiatives deliver clear ROI, such as cost savings or revenue increases, to secure stakeholder buy-in. </li><li>Ask Smarter Questions: Train teams to define precise problems for AI to solve, maximizing the technology’s impact on business outcomes.</li></ol>Resources<ul><li>LinkedIn: Follow<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexalex/"> Alex Cruz </a>for insights on travel and technology. </li><li>Tech Show London: Learn about the event at <a href="https://www.techshowlondon.co.uk/">techshowlondon.co.uk</a>. </li><li>AI in Travel: Explore industry trends via <a href="https://www.iata.org/">IATA</a> for airline technology advancements. </li></ul>The Cashflow Show can be reached here:Website: <a href="http://www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com">www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com</a> <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:thecashflow">Email: thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow">https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow</a> Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast">https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast</a>To sponsor or advertise on The Cashflow Show Podcast, contact us at <a href="https://dashboard.transistor.fm/shows/the-cashflow-show/episodes/newmailto:thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com">thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Clayton M Coke can be found here:LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiNlc7Y0v3jAhVTT8AKHfLpBtAQFjAAegQIBhAB&url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke&usg=AOvVaw2SpfsRoINDPTGYq3qjGngQ">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke</a>Website: <a href="https://www.prmsltd.co.uk">https://www.prmsltd.co.uk</a>Email: <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:info@prmslt">info@prmsltd.co.uk</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/prmsltd">https://twitter.com/prmsltd</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/">https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/</a> Our theme music is called "The Mediator - aka Theme from The Cashflow Show" [PRS] and "Better Call Clayton" [PRS] As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. “What are YOU like?” & “60 Second Shoot-out” are both intellectual properties of Dialogue [London] Ltd(c) Clayton M Coke/PRMS Ltd/Dialogue [London] Ltd | All Rights Reserved 

 <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecashflowshow" rel="payment" title="★ Support this podcast ★">★ Support this podcast ★</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Revolutionizing Travel: Alex Cruz on AI, Business and the Future of the Industry

The Cashflow Show: Entrepreneurship Insights for Founders, CEOs and Business Leaders

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews