16/08
Time Travel
Artists like Madonna remain relevant because they can adapt and evolve with the times. Anyone wanting to be successful over a long period of time has to be able to change and embrace those changes.
I had dinner with my grandfather last night. This is the 84-year-old man who asked for a computer for Christmas. We were discussing travel, some of the trips he has taken and some of the progress that has been made.
Here is an example of some of the changes that he has witnessed in the travel industry:
- issuing of hand-written IATA tickets, where agents earned full commission percentages.
- commissions being capped at a certain dollar amount.
- full brochures are introduced along with a number of different tour operators.
- internet and email begin to transform the way the travel industry communicates and distributes product – the internet represented the biggest change in the industry likely since 1903 and the first flight.
- flying is no longer just a perk, it becomes a way of life.
- travel agency commissions are virtually erased.
- low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, JetBlue, EasyJet and others develop and profit from a new business model.
- all tickets become electronic.
- according to a recent report by nielsen, travel is the number one online transaction category.
He maintains that the one constant and the thread that flows through all of the changes above is customer service. The internet is powerful and efficient, but he questions how people can interact and forge relationships without meeting?
It was at that point that I tried to explain twitter…
What changes stand out for you over the last 50 years? What changes do you foresee over the next 5? Your opinions and comments are valued and appreciated.
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