Podcast Summary:

The Digital Executive
Episode: Andrew Harrison-Chinn: Redefining Travel Loyalty
Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Brian (Coruzant Technologies)
Guest: Andrew Harrison-Chinn, Chief Marketing Officer at Dragon Pass

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Andrew Harrison-Chinn discusses how Dragon Pass is redefining the travel loyalty landscape by focusing on transparency, simplification, and customer-centric innovation. He draws on his unique perspective as former CEO and current CMO to explore how emerging technology, data, and evolving customer expectations are shaping the future of travel experiences. The conversation examines friction points in modern travel, the evolving economics of loyalty programs, the critical role of customer support and personalization, and the impending impact of digital identity and data-driven seamless journeys.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Andrew’s Leadership Journey & Brand Growth

[01:49 – 03:39]

• Wearing Many Hats: Andrew credits Dragon Pass’s early days—when he handled HR, operations, product, and sales—with giving him a holistic view of both internal and external business needs.

  • "I wore a hat of hr, customer support, operations, product sales, pretty much everything. So it allowed me to understand the challenges that each department has and then how you weave those needs and interests together." — Andrew, [01:49]

• Customer Listening as an Innovation Catalyst:
  Dragon Pass built its offerings by co-creating solutions with input from clients and end customers, helping fuel global growth.

  • "Our potential clients and customers at the time were actually our greatest asset. So we went out and we just listened." — Andrew, [02:19]

• Underdog Mentality:
  Competing in a crowded market taught the team to work smarter and faster, pushing the company to innovate and collaborate more deeply with travel giants like Visa, MasterCard, and Barclays.

Friction Points in Modern Travel & Technology’s Role

[04:24 – 07:19]

• Transparency & Fragmentation:
  The biggest solvable issues are lack of clarity around available benefits and fragmentation across technology platforms.

  • "Only 27% of customers know the extent of the benefits available to them." — Andrew, [04:39]

• Digital-First Consolidation:
  Dragon Pass consolidates benefits and services—often fragmented across unconnected airport and travel platforms—into unified apps or integrated APIs.

  • "We consolidate all of this into one platform and then we present it in a way that is easy to digest." — Andrew, [05:48]

• Simplification of Complexity:
  By simplifying access to services like airport fast tracks (aggregated globally for the first time by Dragon Pass), they minimize friction and enhance customer trust.

  • "...that simplification of complexity has really, really, really resonated." — Andrew, [06:13]

• Robustness for the Unseen:
  Building flexible and reliable systems is key due to the unpredictable nature of service disruptions and fragmented environments.

The New Economics of Loyalty

[08:13 – 12:13]

• From Points to Experience:
  Loyalty is evolving from transactional points and discounts to valuing access, comfort, and personalization.

• The Loyalty Conundrum:
  Operations and customer support, though often overlooked, drive real loyalty more than glitzier features.

  • "You'd be surprised to hear that often it's the unsexy stuff that really drives the highest value in loyalty per se. Not necessarily engagement, but loyalty, and that's operations and customer support." — Andrew, [08:54]

• Personalization:
  Leveraging data to deliver meaningful, timely perks is second only to operational excellence. AI enables scalable personalization.

• Surprising Loyalty Statistics:

  • 70% of customers have stayed with their bank for over 10 years, but only 26% keep significant funds there—with inertia, not loyalty, driving much of the behavior.
    "Only 26% of those customers actually kept their money with their banks. So they were actually costing banks more than they were actually driving through commercial outputs." — Andrew, [11:14]

• Aligning Commercial Models:
  Success comes from aligning client incentives (like rewarding spend over balance) to create a win-win for customers and providers.

The Future of Travel: Data, Digital Identity & Seamless Access

[12:33 – 17:00]

• Security and Compliance as Foundation:
  Robust, regionally-compliant cybersecurity and data hosting are non-negotiables.

  • "Doing the basics right is absolutely critical..." — Andrew, [12:53]

• Data Trust & Value Exchange:
  Customers will share data if they trust you and see tangible benefits.

  • "Would you be open to sharing your data? Majority of them said no. When we said…if we gave you something...majority said yes, we would." — Andrew, [13:36]

• Tech & Human Synergy:
  Modern support blends automated tools with empowered human agents, aiming for proactive and instant resolution.

• Refined Data Models Powering AI:
  Investment in data structuring empowers AI to deliver real-time, predictive, and highly personalized travel services.

• API Ecosystems & Platform Flexibility:
  Integrations must be agnostic to accommodate various consumption needs, underpinned by mobile-first design and embedded payments.

• Keep Listening:
  Despite all the advances, Andrew’s parting advice:

  • "My personal favorite thing...is just get out there and speak to your customers and your clients...because often what a customer says and what a customer does are two very different things." — Andrew, [16:37]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "Our potential clients and customers at the time were actually our greatest asset. So we just listened. That feedback was actually our catalyst for innovation." — Andrew, [02:19]
• "Only 27% of customers know the extent of the benefits available to them." — Andrew, [04:39]
• "The biggest friction points...are how you give transparency of what is available, easy access to consume it, and...connect all those fragmented environments..." — Andrew, [06:51]
• "You'd be surprised to hear that often it's the unsexy stuff that really drives the highest value in loyalty per se. Not necessarily engagement, but loyalty, and that's operations and customer support." — Andrew, [08:54]
• "When the tide rises, all ships rise together, as they say." — Andrew, [11:03]
• "Doing the basics right is absolutely critical." — Andrew, [12:53]
• "My personal favorite thing...is just get out there and speak to your customers and your clients...because often what a customer says and what a customer does are two very different things." — Andrew, [16:37]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Andrew’s leadership experience and holistic brand growth: [01:49 – 03:39]
• Friction points in travel & tech solutions: [04:24 – 07:19]
• Changing economics of loyalty: [08:13 – 12:13]
• Operational excellence and personalization in loyalty: [08:54 – 12:33]
• Future of travel: Security, data, seamless access: [12:33 – 17:00]

Takeaways for Travel Brands

• Invest in simplified, transparent, global customer experiences.
• Prioritize robust operational support and security.
• Use data thoughtfully—trust and value exchange matter.
• Embrace tech for personalization, but never stop listening to customers.
• Build agnostic, mobile-first platforms with flexible integrations.
• Operational excellence and “loving your customer” are fundamentals that transcend technology.

For anyone looking to understand the future of travel loyalty—and how deep customer empathy, data, and smart tech are reshaping the industry—this episode is packed with actionable insight directly from the CMO of a global travel platform.