Big Interview: Navitaire and Vueling on fueling the carrier’s ‘innovative DNA’

Doing nothing is the biggest risk to success, says Vueling

As the carrier believes that "doing nothing” is the "biggest risk" to success, Vueling continues to work on the “next thing” – from AI to quantum computing. Its long-standing technology partnership with Navitaire, an Amadeus company, continues to keep the wheels of its aircraft inching forward towards its goals for its customers. 

Kate Harden-England sits down with Javier Álvarez Sánchez, IT director at Vueling, and Giovanni Simone, head of commercial account management, EMEA at Navitaire, to assess the state of play and the readiness of the landscape for Navitaire’s new Offer and Order management solution, Stratos.

Question: Javier, you were on stage at the Navitaire Customer Conference 2025 in Las Vegas last month sharing the progress of the airline in your retailing journey, what has that looked like so far?

Javier: Over the last few years, we’ve gone through a significant evolution in our retailing approach. We’ve introduced more personalised features, including a bundled fares system, allowing customers to tailor their journeys to their individual needs. 

This also includes a wider range of products and services, such as seat-only options, package personalisation, and seat-type selection, among others. At the same time, we’ve adopted a mobile-first mindset. Our mobile channels, apps, and portal are increasingly important touchpoints for our customers, so now when we design a product or think about how to present it, we start with mobile first and then adapt it for desktop. To support this, we work closely with our commercial and technology teams to continuously improve UX and UI, making  it as easy as possible for customers to move from inspiration to booking. Mobile is the ideal channel to personalise and streamline that experience. 

Giovanni: At Navitaire, we’re seeing this with all our customers, the tendency is almost across the board that everyone is devoting more and more attention to digital channels first and we see more adoption of our technologies, the digital API with the SDKs (e.g. Software Development Kits), to allow fast development. Vueling is a hybrid, low-cost carrier with a lot of integration with the IAG and oneworld ecosystem. Other carriers that are more standalone and depend more on tour operators tend to devote a lot of time and resources to the web, so more on the laptop experience, less on mobile because of the type of customer demographic. 

Question: What else are you working on at Vueling?

Javier: We’re developing an inspirational search tool powered by AI. Imagine asking your phone or assistant, “I’d like to go to the beach this weekend, what destinations do you recommend?” The results we’re seeing are very promising. For younger travellers especially, this could be a real game changer.

We’re also investing heavily in improving the airport experience. We’re redesigning the kiosk flow to make it more intuitive and to offer new services that help reduce queues – a key part of improving operations. In fact, we’ve already won two innovation awards at the Navitaire Customer Conference: one for the first boarding pass on an  Apple Watch, and another for automating the boarding process using facial recognition at Barcelona Airport.

Giovanni: Yes, that’s right, you did - Vueling is one of the most innovative and daring customers we have, it’s making bold moves in the digital arena.

Javier: Our Innovation Lab is dedicated entirely to developing new solutions, and it gives us valuable insights that help shape the customer experience and prepare for what’s next. We’re seeing constant disruption and innovation in other industries, and our customers expect us to adapt accordingly. That’s why we’ve built a strong culture of innovation - we see it as essential.  Without it, we couldn’t fully meet our customers’ needs, particularly those of younger generations. We’re exploring AI-driven approaches, what we call “reality thinking,” and even more futuristic technologies such as quantum computing.

Simone: Javier was talking about disruptions, not operational disruption, but disruptive technologies that come up. When you look at Navitaire technology, New Skies was the first ticketless system. So, in reality, it’s the system closest to the modern retailing model - it allows several combinations. One key component of modern retailing is ancillary revenues. 8 out of the top 10 ancillary revenue making airlines in the world are Navitaire customers, so the system is very flexible for this kind of business model.

Question: Do you think it's that innovative mindset, that forward thinking, spotting the trends ahead of time, and jumping on them straight away - or as early on as you can - that is contributing to your successes as an airline?

Javier: Innovation has been part of our DNA from the very beginning, and I believe that truly sets us apart. We always try to stay one step ahead, and our customers really value that. 

Question: Following on from that mindset of wanting to be innovative and the first to market on lots of things. Do you think that Vueling will follow that natural progression of technology to the next generation which is Stratos?

Javier: We’re working closely with Navitaire as Stratos evolves, holding regular meetings, workshops, and discussions. We’re very interested in what this new paradigm and technology can offer. 

From a technical perspective, I see many advantages. The new system’s event-driven architecture means we’ll have access to every event in real time, allowing us to share information instantly  with customers - via email, SMS, WhatsApp or other channels. We’ll also be able to take proactive measures to predict and prevent issues before they arise, adding real value both for us and for our passengers. 

From a business point of view, there are benefits too - like the shopping cart experience, the ability to work with personalised offers, and improved interoperability, especially with our partners. With the adoption of modern retailing standards through Stratos, and especially the connection being built with Nevio, we expect to see significant improvements.

Question: Giovanni, do you think that Stratos is the answer to all of your customers? Is it? Is it answering every need? 

Giovanni: Yes, I believe it probably is the answer to everything. We always try to be the answer to everyone – addressing a wide range of requirements, especially for airline groups with both full-service carriers (FSCs) and low-cost carriers (LCCs). Our modern airline retailing offering caters for the specificities of both with Nevio for FSCs and Stratos for LCCs. Vueling is part of a large airline group, so our offer combines functional modularity, tailored solutions, and a streamlined approach on a common technology platform. 

We are looking forward to working with airlines like Vueling to shape the system around a variety of use cases. We believe there is a space for everyone, and we are eager to learn from all types of airlines about what they need. Even airlines with the same business model can operate in different markets, which makes their needs totally different. 

Question: What do you see are biggest challenges that Navitaire-customer airlines are facing at the moment?

Giovanni: There is competition in certain markets, and there are also technological challenges. We see large airlines moving toward Nevio, and on the Stratos side we see the same. These large airlines have shoulders broad enough to do this kind of testing and manage the risk of being early adopters. 

Smaller carriers or those with simpler business models will likely come at a later stage, but the good news is that New Skies and Stratos will coexist at first but then, over time, as the industry evolves New Skies will be replaced. Obviously, our objective is to bring everyone to Offer and Order, but the transformation won’t happen overnight .

Javier: I agree, and I’d add that technology evolves so fast that companies must constantly adapt to stay relevant. The industry has been working toward modern retailing standards for years, and companies like Navitaire and Amadeus have been designing the architecture to support them. 

The challenge is finding space to adopt new technologies while keeping operations running smoothly. Take AI – which evolved into Generative AI almost overnight, transforming  everything. Today, it’s hard to imagine a solution that doesn’t include AI in its architecture or customer offering. 

Starting from scratch can be challenging; it demands efficiency and  a culture that embraces experimentation - trial and error, A/B testing, measuring results, iterating, improving, and starting again if needed. It’s important not to panic when something new comes along, but to adapt and refine what already works. Everything has accelerated over the past year, making it more challenging to see that a clear path forward. However, with the right partners, I’m confident we can face these challenges and succeed.

Giovanni: We believe in adapting together, that is why we want to design the future with our key partners – not in isolation. Working collaboratively ensures that we don’t present a solution to the market that would not offer a shopping cart that is adapted to their needs, or lacks the interoperability that airlines require. Interconnectivity is critical in this industry and we want to make sure we bring solutions that work for the whole ecosystem. 

Question: Navitaire customers seem to be very long standing, what do you think keeps that kind of customer retention? What is your secret sauce?

Giovanni: A long time ago, we used to play a video and in the video there were some thieves that try to get into the house of the competitor to steal their product secrets. But they go in, open the safe, take out the box, open it, and inside, there is just a picture of people, of faces, of employees and customers. 

I wouldn't say it's only that, because clearly there is huge technological know-how but I think that now Navitaire is part of Amadeus, there are even more synergies. The other key element is passion. So, there’s a knowledge element, there is a passion element, and there is a relationship element. Our business involves moving people, and its people working on the solutions, so we can have AI, but it's people working together to come up with ideas that make things simpler, smoother, easier, and when there is a problem, it can be solved quickly.

Javier: I’ve worked with Navitaire as a customer for over 15 years, and Vueling’s partnership goes back more than 20. Their technology is exceptional, and they have created a unique product. But the real secret goes beyond the product; it’s the team behind it. One thing I really appreciate is that its leadership genuinely wants to understand your challenges, future plans, and strategy. They’re always willing to visit us in Barcelona, share best practices, and strategise.

Giovanni: We have a very open and transparent relationship with all our customers, so if there is a problem, we say, “Hey guys, there is an issue”. That openness means conflicts are resolved easily thanks to the transparency and trust we have between both parties. We’re in this together and we want to progress together.

Question: What is your vision for success, how do you measure that, and what does that look like for you over the next coming years? 

Javier: For us, success means happy customers. It’s a continuous process - their needs keep evolving, and we must keep adapting. 

We’ll know we’ve succeeded when we can offer full interoperability personalization across the entire journey – whether it’s a standalone Vueling leg or operated with a partner. Customers shouldn’t have to understand that there are different systems behind the scenes. 

We also need to keep integrating new technologies as they emerge. Generative AI is just the beginning - more will come, and we must be ready to bring these innovations to our customers quickly. 

We want to preserve our innovative DNA as part of our brand identity. That means continuing to invest – not recklessly, but with full awareness of the challenges in such a complex and regulated industry. For us, the real risk is doing nothing. Innovation will remain part of the way we operate: we’ll keep testing, learning, and operating new ideas inspired by what we see in society and other industries.

Giovanni: The success of Navitaire is related to the success of our customers. Our carriers move 1 billion PBs (passengers boarded) a year - among which, there is also a rail carrier, which few know of, based in Rome - so we're talking big numbers. 

Our customers need to find in Navitaire what they need, and if not in Navitaire, in Amadeus and in our partner ecosystem. To stay relevant, we’re developing a strong partnership model so that when something cannot be developed in-house, or when someone else can do it better, we bring in the right partner. 

Amadeus together with Navitaire is investing heavily in the future, in AI, in modern airline retailing, and in creating a common technology platform on which everything connects and operates. Our mission is to make travel better for everyone through technology.