Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista is nearly a year into the job, and he’s already uncovered a few surprises about what it really takes to lead one of travel’s biggest metasearch platforms.
Recorded live from the PhocusWire studio at The Phocuswright Conference, Batista joins PhocusWire’s Linda Fox to talk about Skyscanner’s traveler-first mindset, why the company sometimes turns down revenue opportunities, and where it still sees major room for growth in global markets.
Batista also dives into the opportunities and challenges of AI in travel, from the industry’s struggle with personalization to the complexity of building a connected trip. And as questions swirl about whether large language models could disrupt metasearch, Batista explains why Skyscanner believes it can be a key player in the emerging AI travel ecosystem.

CEO Spotlight: Nishank Gopalkrishnan of Dreamlines
25:21

Travel platforms face cost and compliance impact of changing regulations
19:00

Ancillaries, AI and agentic: Where is airline distribution heading with Mystifly and PKFARE
16:19