Welcome to the airline industry’s secret shame, Tech Debt: Decades of patchwork systems, outdated booking platforms, and clunky old databases that might as well be fossilized – if these systems were any older, archaeologists would be studying them.
Airlines have essentially been strapping roller skates to dinosaurs while the rest of the tech world moved on to self-driving cars. The result? A digital disaster zone that just can’t keep up.
How big is the mess?
Picture this: you’re a traveller, booking a flight. The airline’s website looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 90s (except to infuriate you more), and you half-expect a dial-up tone. When you get to the airport it is no better. Massive lines and people screaming at the check in machines.
That’s the reality behind the travel industry’s massive tech debt. And it’s not just annoying; it’s expensive. We’re talking $2.41 trillion per year in the US alone, just keeping this rickety digital infrastructure afloat. Travel and airline contribution to this massive number is not insignificant.
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