
Shawn Richards on the T2RL Talks podcast
Listen to the full podcast to hear how airlines can meet the expectations of a new generation of travellers.
In this episode of T2RL Talks, host Ian Tunnacliffe is joined by Shawn Richards, CEO of Ink Innovation, along with Ian Luck, President, Airline Distribution at T2RL, and Yuna Huellou, VP Distribution at T2RL. Together, they discuss how airline customer experience is being reshaped for younger, digitally native travellers, as the industry moves away from rigid legacy structures like PNRs and EMDs and toward modern, retail-style “offer and order” models.
Representing Ink’s perspective, Shawn Richards emphasises the opportunity to simplify air travel by reducing the burden of complexity on customers:
“There is a missed opportunity to engineer simplicity into the process... instead, it is much easier to engineer complexity.”
“We need to stop making customers carry the can of complexity.”
He also presents a broader vision of airline delivery — one that starts before the sale and continues throughout the journey — with emphasis on orchestration, disruption management, and modular systems:
“We’re orchestrating other orchestrators... because customers don’t care who solves the problem, as long as it’s solved well.”
In the podcast, the speakers examine:
- What today’s digital-first travellers expect from booking and servicing experiences
- How omnichannel design and loyalty strategies must adapt to modern needs
- How the shift to offer-order enables more flexibility and relevance
- Why experimentation and collaboration are essential for future progress
This episode offers a preview of the conversations continuing at the T2RLEngage Conference in London on September 23-25, where Ink will lead the topics exploring practical strategies for modern airline retail.
Register now to be part of the discussion at T2RLEngage.


