Travel Tech: Skyscanner

This month in the travel-tech scene we profile Alana Saphin-Polchleb, the marketing mastermind behind one of the world’s leading travel search engine, Skyscanner. We first met Skyscanner back at ITB Berlin (watch the video interview). Today, we connect with Alana from her home in Singapore to learn more about Skyscanner’s early start and get some insight on where the industry might be going.

Tell us a bit about you – what sparked your excitement for the travel industry?

While I’m Australian, most of my childhood years were spent overseas. I first moved to Canada when I was four and attended a local Jewish primary school. There I learnt to speak French, sing the Dradle song and make the most of snow days! When I was 8, my family and I moved to Tokyo where I once again went to a local school. My French was quickly replaced with Japanese. I have my parents to thank for that as it taught me to adapt quickly in new situations and gave me the opportunity to learn and appreciate the uniqueness of each culture and adapt to new environments. This sparked my interest in travel and is particularly helpful at Skyscanner, where we work with over 500 nationalities across our nine offices.

What was your first travel job?

Voyages Hotels & Resorts. I was the marketing executive for the premium collection, where we did some of the first digital advertising ever! We had butterflies flying through 300×600 skyscraper banners! Looking back on it now we were probably more experimental and brave in digital advertising than many travel companies are even today. I remember being so amazed at how accountable the activity was – we started tracking everything right down to unique URLs in magazine advertising.

Is there a unique story of how Skyscanner came to be?

It was based on an idea and desire to travel smartly. Gareth Williams wanted to be able to easily find and compare flight prices so he could visit his brother who was living in France. He was frustrated by having to go between multiple airline sites to find the best prices, so as an engineer he he built a tool that did the searching for him scouring the web for the best prices across airline sites.

“With technology we can continue to shape the travel industry.”

Since then, the travel industry has changed drastically. How has travel changed since the company entered the travel industry?

When we launched Skyscanner in 2003, the way consumers interacted online and via their phones was very different to what it is now. Today it’s all about mobile, tablets and personalisation of content. Consumers have less time and more options, so providing information that is relevant for people’s personal travel preferences is a must if you want to grow an engaged community who continue to come back and use your product again and again.

We’re now very much a mobile-first company; consumers love our apps! This can be seen through the increase in mobile visitors to Skyscanner. In APAC last year we recorded an 86% growth. Currently, almost half (48%) of all monthly visitors now use Skyscanner via a mobile device.

What do you think is the biggest challenge in the travel industry right now?

The challenge will be always to cater to the ever-changing needs of travellers, to simplify and even personalize travel planning and booking, to make it more seamless and intuitive. With technology we can continue to shape the travel industry.

You recently released a report on the Future of Travel by 2024. Can you share some of those insights – how do you think travel will change in 5-10 years?

Advances in wearable, intelligent technology and virtual reality will dramatically change the way we plan, book and experience travel.

How has Skyscanner used technology and innovation to push the envelope and disrupt the travel industry? 

Our aim is really to make travel planning and booking as easy as possible. We do this through proprietary technology and global coverage of flights; not just with our Skyscanner site but also through our White Label, which has been implemented across more than 60 partners such as Lonely Planet, Groupon and Secret Escapes.

Recently, we announced our partnership with Microsoft where we power their flight search with localised content for 31 markets around the world.

The Travel Insights tool also offers a real-time view of the market such as an analysis of what competitors are doing, market demands and trends.

One of our more recent initiatives was the 24-hour broadcast we did with bloggers who shared tips and recommendations of their home country on the new social media platform Periscope. It was the world’s first 24-hour live stream from twenty-four global locations with local bloggers sharing the best of their cities with viewers. It was a great way to give the Skyscanner audience truly local insight and inspiration in some of the best travel spots around the world.

Skyscanner has been involved with Travel Massive communities in Berlin, Sydney, and Melbourne both by attending and hosting events too. What benefits has your brand seen from being involved with Travel Massive and travel insiders?

The great thing about events like Travel Massive is that it helps us reach our target audiences effectively and provides us an opportunity to network with companies, travel insiders, like-minded innovators and leaders so that we can gain insight and ideas that will help us collaborate and evolve our products for consumers and partners.

Can you let us in on your best travel tip?

Take the time to soak in the beautiful scenery as it helps to uplift your mood instantly. Write a few postcards and send them to loved ones back home – it’s an instant hit and it is always refreshing to receive personal snail mail instead of bills! Moments are best shared face-to-face so save them for when you meet up with your friends and family.

Is there one thing you do in every city you travel to?

I run. It was a tradition that started with my Dad when I was younger. There is something very special about running through a waking city, I sometimes feel like you can hear the city catching a breath before everyone descends for the day. It’s something I’ve now continued to do with my husband. Two years ago we were in Paris for the last day of the 100^th year of the Tour De France. My dad, husband, and I got up very early and ran down the middle of The Champs-Élysées as they’d just closed it off to traffic. I’ve never climbed the Eiffel Tower but I’ve run down the middle of the Champs-Élysées!

Do you have a favourite destination?

It’s difficult to pick just one, but my top three are:

– Cap D’Ail in the South of France – we stumbled on this little gem by accident two years ago

– Canggu, Bali – Surf. Yoga. Organic food. Repeat

– Minakami, Japan – My family’s home in the mountainous area of Japan. It really is the Europe of Asia. Green rolling hills in the summer time and the best snow you’ll ever see in the winter.

If you could book a ticket tomorrow, where would you go?

I am heading off to Paris, Mallorca, Rome and Tuscany soon for a belated honeymoon! But if I had to book a ticket tomorrow, it would be Istanbul!

Finally, why do you travel?

For freedom. In my everyday life I’m quite organised and planned, so travelling always allows me to let loose and experience a different way of life. Having been brought up in many different cities and cultures, I always make it a point to see and experience things from a local’s point of view and immerse myself in their culture.

Each month we profile innovative, online travel-tech brands in our Travel Massive community around the world. Join Travel Massive and follow Alana and Skyscanner.

In case you missed it, watch our video interview with Skyscanner at ITB Berlin.