Here’s our roundup of people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.

Southwest Airlines

Kayak, a metasearch engine for travel services, has announced its integration with Southwest Airlines. This will allow its users to see Southwest fares in their search results. They can compare fare features, travel credit transferability, same-day changes, checked baggage, and flexible seating. In addition, Kayak will direct users directly to Southwest’s website when booking to complete the transaction.

Sabre Hospitality, Rifle Club

Sabre Hospitality, a software and technology provider, announced a partnership with Protect Group, a travel protection provider, to integrate travel guarantee services into Sabre’s SynXis Booking Engine.

This new integration enables hotels using the SynXis Booking Engine to offer Protect Group’s protection guarantee at checkout and give customers the confidence to book that they can get a refund for covered events.

“This integration supports our strategic objective to advance retail and travel-focused eCommerce capabilities in the travel industry,” said Ethan Wiseman, Director of Sales at Sabre Hospitality. “By offering travel protection guarantees, we give hotel partners and their guests the confidence and peace of mind they need.”

Fearless travel

Intrepid Travel, a group adventure travel company, has announced the appointment of Payton Iheme as Chief Impact Officer, a role in which she will lead Intrepid’s global sustainability and impact initiatives as well as the nonprofit Intrepid Foundation.

Prior to joining Intrepid, Iheme held senior positions in the U.S. Senate, senior policy and advocacy roles at Facebook, and most recently at Bumble, where she was vice president and head of public policy.

“I am honored to join Intrepid at this pivotal moment when we are seeing too many companies retreat from ESG, DEI, climate and conservation programs and leaders shy away from advocating for the critical issues affecting so many communities around the world,” said Iheme. “As part of the Intrepid Travel leadership team, I want to bring my voice, vision and energy to advocate for these and other issues.”

Justfly.com

Online travel agency justfly.com announced the launch of its Pay by Bank feature, powered by Accrue, a fintech company that enables partners to launch customized banking, loyalty and payment solutions.

The new feature allows users to make payments directly from their bank account, eliminating the need for traditional payment methods. It also offers key benefits for customers, including exclusive rewards, faster settlement times and wallet integration. For the platform, this means lower transaction costs, an improved acquisition strategy and stronger customer loyalty.

TravelPerk, Emirates

TravelPerk, a global corporate travel management platform, expands its offering with new distribution capabilities (NDC) content and has celebrated its 20th anniversary.^th NDC integration with Emirates.

Kristina Geier, Vice President of Supplier Partnerships at TravelPerk, said: “Investing in NDC technology and optimized connectivity is a top priority for us. NDC fares now account for 40% of our global flight bookings, and with more airlines in our integration pipeline, the share of bookings through this channel will continue to grow.”

HIS, IBS Software

HIS, a Japanese travel agency specializing in budget package holidays, has expanded its partnership with IBS Software, a provider of software-as-a-service solutions for the global travel industry.

The renewed partnership will enable HIS to continue to create a modern customer experience using next-generation digital solutions and provide its customers with an enhanced shopping experience.

“Our combined expertise and shared vision for innovation will enable us to deliver more robust, scalable and cutting-edge solutions to HIS end users,” said Moizzur Rahman, global head of consulting and digital transformation at IBS Software.

US-Bangla Airlines

US-Bangla Airlines has announced the appointment of Mir Tajmul Hossain as its new Head of Digital Marketing.

Previously, Tajmul was Head of Digital Marketing and Communications at ShareTrip, where he led high-impact digital marketing campaigns.

Tajmul brings 12 years of digital marketing experience and plans to improve brand visibility, customer engagement and online revenue by leading the development of digital marketing strategies. He will focus on leveraging data-driven insights to optimize marketing campaigns and deliver exceptional customer experiences.