We Stay Committed To Investing In Innovation: Todd Handcock

Priority Pass, owned and operated by Collinson, is the original and market-leading airport experiences programme, provides travellers with access to 1,300 airport lounges and travel experiences in over 650 airports in 148 countries serving 20 million members across the globe. It celebrated 30 years in 2022. Todd Handcock, President, Asia Pacific, Collinson shares the journey with Ashish Sinha of BW Businessworld. Excerpts:

30 years is a long time. Talk us through Collinson's journey both globally and in India. Could you share numbers - how has the market grown from when you first started?
Collinson has been operating in India for over 16 years and we have grown significantly. Just this year, we have launched Priority Pass Access India, a dedicated domestic lounge experience programme that enables eligible cardholders to enter 54 lounges and lounge alternatives across major cities in India by simply tapping or swiping their payment card. We have also strengthened our senior leadership team with Sumit Prakash taking on the role of Market Director, South Asia. Under Sumit’s leadership and leveraging his team’s extensive knowledge of the India market, particularly within the financial services and travel sectors, we will continue to enhance our presence and solutions for the benefit of our clients and their customers.

What is the value you are providing to customers?
When Priority Pass first launched, all airport lounges largely looked the same, a home away from home that could have been anywhere in the world. This has evolved; travellers today are looking for local experiences that will enable them to get a feel for different cultures.

In one of our recent reports, 55 per cent of travellers in India informed they felt ‘rewarded’ when they were given access to airport lounges, while a further 52% said lounge access made them ‘feel valued as a customer’.

To enable travellers to enjoy a seamless, pleasurable, and stress-free journey, we also work with our network of partners to bring new experiences to the Priority Pass Programme. Besides airport lounge access, this suite of experiences also includes airport transfers, car hires, spa treatments, dining, as well as a meet and greet service.

What’s next for Collinson and Priority Pass in India?
India is an extremely important market for us, and we are strongly committed to continue supporting our clients and their customers’ needs.

This year, besides launching Priority Pass Access India, we have: · Formed two strategic partnerships in India. The first is with Pine Labs, a leading domestic merchant commerce platform. Leveraging their Point-of-Sale terminals, brands can reward their customers with seamless access to Priority Pass Access India’s extensive lounge network. The second is with PoshVine, an Indian-based loyalty platform.

Globally, we will continue to expand into key hubs and locations – both with more lounges and a variety of experiences. Our aim is to do this in the busiest locations as well as in growth markets such as India and China. We are committed to maintaining Priority Pass’ growth trajectory on behalf of our customers.

What is your take on the Indian travel market today?
Whilst travel recovery in many Asia Pacific markets remains below 2019 levels, the Indian market is bucking this trend. According to the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), the Indian market is rapidly approaching full recovery in the international segment. At over 1.3 million scheduled international seats, it is only approximately 11 per cent below its 2019 figure.

Domestically, advance bookings for the festive season have already surpassed 2019 levels by over 12 per cent, according to leading travel portals MakeMyTrip and Goibibo.

Priority Pass will continue to put in place resources and technologies to handle the growing frequency of travel over the next few years. We stay committed to investing in innovation to provide the best future travel experience for our customers and will continue to work with our valued network of clients and travel ecosystem partners to help shape the most effective traveller experiences.