In the race to modernise airline retailing, technology has become both the differentiator and the bottleneck. From dynamic offer creation to seamless NDC integrations, success depends less on strategy documents and more on the calibre of people driving the transformation. Yet, when you look closely at the standout performers in airline retail tech, certain patterns emerge.
- They see retail, not reservations
The best hires in this space aren’t just experts in legacy PSS or NDC schemas. They understand that modern airline retailing is about customer lifetime value, personalised offers, and real-time decisioning. They think like digital retailers who happen to work in aviation. That perspective shapes everything—from how they design APIs to how they frame problems around conversion rather than compliance.
- They balance architecture with agility
There’s a delicate balance between building scalable retail platforms and delivering incremental value. Exceptional airline tech professionals combine deep architectural thinking with a delivery mindset. They can debate event-driven architecture and cloud migration paths, but they also know when “good enough” enables a faster route to testing commercial hypotheses.
- They navigate legacy with diplomacy
Transforming decades-old airline systems into modern retail platforms requires more than technical skill. It demands diplomacy. The most effective engineers, architects, and product leaders can bridge traditional airline functions—like revenue management and distribution—with digital-first teams. They bring people along, translating abstract tech concepts into commercial outcomes the wider business can believe in.
- They are naturally curious about the ecosystem
Great hires don’t see NDC or ONE Order as compliance exercises. They are genuinely curious about how those standards evolve, how airlines benchmark against others, and where opportunities lie in retail partnerships or new distribution channels. This ecosystem mindset means they’re proactive about innovation, not reactive to regulation.
- They value data over instinct
In retail tech, opinion often gives way to evidence. The strongest candidates make decisions driven by experimentation and analytics. They use data not only to optimise conversion or ancillary sales, but also to challenge assumptions about customer behaviour or offer relevance.
- They bring humility and persistence
Finally, transformation in airline retail isn’t quick. There are integration headaches, shifting priorities, and competing vendor narratives. Those who thrive bring quiet persistence and humility. They know when to push, when to listen, and when to celebrate small wins that build trust across functions.
The takeaway:
Great airline retail tech hires aren’t defined solely by technical depth. They stand out for their commercial curiosity, cross-functional empathy, and their ability to bring strategic retail thinking into one of the world’s most complex digital ecosystems. For hiring leaders, recognising these traits early is the difference between a team that delivers incremental change and one that truly redefines how an airline sells.
