Sean O'Neill

For years, airlines, travel agencies, and their technology partners acknowledged they could adopt more modern ways of selling plane tickets. The sticking point lately has been less technological than commercial. Thursday's deal is a seismic moment serving as a model for how the sector might afford to transition to the future.

The year has been so horrible for the travel sector that it can be easy to forget about consumers' pent-up demand to explore the world. This survey is a helpful reminder.

Once the pandemic is tamed, the travel sector will have to respond to the climate emergency. Startups with expertise in responsible travel need to prepare now for when their moment arrives next year.

Expect other travel tech players to pick up promising startups at a discount during the pandemic.

We like to say there's always a way to create your own white space. HotelRunner is a startup looking at the crowded hospitality sector in fresh ways. Think the budget model of EasyJet or AirAsia, but for a hotel tech stack.

Facial recognition tech divides people. They say either that it's faster and contactless, or that it invades people's privacy. But questions about data security matter, too.

Companies that raised money before the crisis are sailing through it. Look at Groups360, which got $50 million from Marriott International, IHG, Accor, and Hilton a year ago, and has grown since.

Entrepreneur and Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel once famously said: "We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." Fast forward to 2020: SkyDrive hopes to give us flying cars in a few years, bringing remote areas closer. It’s one of a few startups dreaming big in this week’s roundup.

Privacy efforts will keep chipping away at old school digital advertising practices. Travel marketers need to persuade more consumers to consent to share their data directly. They should consider new ideas, like creating media networks and data co-ops, to help.

New owner Intelsat will need to invest in Gogo's internet services. Airline customers like Delta are impatient with Gogo's capacity to meet their needs.