DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP RECOGNISED BY GLOBAL INNOVATION PLATFORM
Plug and Play, the California-based global technology accelerator and venture capital firm, presented the award to the 26-member global airline alliance.
FRANKFURT, Germany – Plug and Play, the global innovation platform based in Silicon Valley, announced Star Alliance, the world’s largest global airline alliance, as the recipient of the accelerator’s annual Corporate Innovation Award. The award recognises exemplary corporate partners in the Plug and Play ecosystem that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to engaging tech startups and have achieved outstanding results in driving digital innovation. More than 400 global corporate partners are engaged with Plug and Play worldwide.
“We’ve been working with Star Alliance and some of their member carriers since 2017 and they are by far the most innovative and digitally minded airline alliance,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder & CEO of Plug and Play. “The number of startup engagements Star Alliance has been able to secure puts them on top of our travel and hospitality ecosystem.”
Star Alliance is the first global airline alliance to partner with Plug and Play. It was recognized this year for its leadership as a partner to travel and hospitality startups. Together, Plug and Play and Star Alliance have brought together 126 emerging tech companies in the travel industry over three years. A dozen products from those companies are being tested by various member airlines in the Alliance.
This year’s award was presented to Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance, during Plug and Play’s annual winter summit, a virtual event that concluded today.
“Star Alliance is all-in on technology — not only for ways to safeguard the health and hygiene safety of our passengers, but also to be ready with New World customer innovations when travel returns. Working closely with Plug and Play, Star Alliance and our member airlines are nurturing startups in the travel space, giving us a unique opportunity to identify the next generation of innovation, today,” said Goh. “It is critical we invest in the future now.”
Star Alliance has continued to prioritize innovation and digitalization during one of the most difficult times faced by the travel and hospitality industry. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Star Alliance has taken a leadership role, working with Plug and Play to host innovation days and demonstrating the strength of its network of 26 airlines, each eager to discover and implement technologies that will transform the passenger experience.
Mr. Amidi went on to say: “It is amazing to see Star Alliance accelerate their digital initiatives during these unprecedented and challenging times. I am confident their investments today will create tremendous value for their members and their customers in years to come and help them keep their leadership role in the aviation industry.