23.02.12

Scott Durschlag, the former Skype CEO, is bringing an eye for new technology to his current company, which he hopes will one day become the "Netflix of travel" — streaming a person's travel preferences and friends' recommendations into a customized itinerary that's ready to rebook you when things go wrong.

He is also trying to reignite customers' passion for travel despite onerous airport security and proliferating fees.

"It's a privilege to get to go to work every day and get to do this stuff, because it's travel for God's sake," Durschlag says. "How cool is that?"

Durschlag sat down with The Associated Press in New York and discussed everything from the economy to his favorite travel destinations. Below is a portion of the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q: What's the next big thing in travel technology?

A: What matters is what you can do with that smartphone in your hand. What you can do is carry an active itinerary with you that you can interact with us on. Say you were rushing out to JFK today to catch a flight. Expedia can come to you with a message that says, 'Hey, we know you're running late to the airport,' because we can see where you are by the GPS in your phone. 'Don't worry. Your flight was delayed.' And we can tell you your best two rebooking options. We know your profile; we know you like to fly on American. We know that you tend to fly an aisle seat in economy. We'll check that and say, 'Here are your two best options. Just click accept.' Now when you get to the gate, you have 150 other people from your flight and a surly agent who's trying to manually rebook everybody. You've got the gift of time.

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution