The connected trip breaks the moment something fails

Skift published a short piece this week that deserves a full read: Who's in Charge When a Trip Goes Wrong?. The argument is simple and sharp. The connected trip that platform CEOs promised during their keynotes doesn't exist for most travelers. And it's not a Twitter critic saying it, it's Skift after sitting through those speeches.

Where the hole shows is the moment something breaks. A cancelled flight, a hotel that doesn't recognise the booking, a transfer that never shows up. That's when the traveler discovers that between the OTA, the airline, the hotel and the payment provider, no one wants to own the problem. The experience falls apart exactly where it mattered most for it to be stitched together.

My take as editor: the industry has spent years selling integration on stage and dismantling it in the back office. While platforms fight over who has the prettiest checkout, the real differentiator is who signs up to take the hit when the plan collapses. There's business there for whoever dares to put their name on it.