Travel can be magical, or it can be chaotic. As Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, noted at the start of this episode of Industry Voices, “The higher your expectations, the more likely something is to go sideways. And when it does, everyone from the airlines to the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) finds themselves in the hot seat.”
To explore how brands can turn that chaos into opportunity, Mark sat down with Jamie Perry, President of Paisly, the newly rebranded travel subsidiary formerly known as JetBlue Travel Products. Perry shared insights on the company’s evolution, its partnership with United, and how Paisly is leveraging technology and loyalty data to deliver meaningful, personalized experiences.
From JetBlue Travel Products to Paisly
JetBlue has been in the business of selling non-air ancillary products (hotels, rental cars, travel insurance, and vacation packages) since its earliest days. As Perry explained, the path to maturity in this space often follows a predictable pattern:
- Phase 1: Airlines start with white-label partnerships for quick, turnkey revenue streams.
- Phase 2: They bring offerings in-house to integrate more deeply with flight and loyalty programs, unlocking further growth.
- Phase 3: Growth stalls due to internal resource constraints. Technology, staffing, and funding typically prioritize the airline’s core business.
“In 2018, we solved that resource constraint problem by spinning the business out into a separate company,” Perry said. “As JetBlue Travel Products, we had our own budget, our own hiring decisions, our own investment priorities, and that created a third round of growth.”
The latest evolution was the launch of Paisly, prompted by a new partnership with United Airlines. “You can only grow as fast as the airline grows, since leads come primarily from the airline. By working with United, we unlocked a fourth round of growth and needed a brand less tightly tied to JetBlue,” Perry said.
Aligning With JetBlue’s JetForward Strategy
While Paisly now operates independently, its growth strategy remains connected to JetBlue’s broader JetForward framework. One of the four pillars, products and perks, directly supports Paisly’s work.
“On one hand, we continue to grow offerings for JetBlue customers and TrueBlue members. On the other, the United partnership opens a new growth avenue for Paisly and ultimately JetBlue,” Perry said.
Technology: Reluctant Builders, Relentless Integrators
Paisly’s approach to technology is pragmatic. Initially, the team intended to integrate third-party solutions rather than build in-house. But Perry said they found limitations on both ends of the spectrum:
- Established providers offered rigid products with little customization.
- Startups brought bold ideas but lacked the expertise or resources to deliver.
Ultimately, Paisly adopted a hybrid approach. “We are reluctant technologists,” Perry said. “We only build where necessary and otherwise focus on connecting existing resources with light integration while leveraging customer data to deliver the right offer at the right time.”
Personalization: From “Segments” to “Segment of One”
At the heart of Paisly’s strategy is personalization rooted in loyalty data. Rather than competing to serve every customer, Paisly focuses on being “everything to someone.”
“What we aspire to do is be incredibly relevant. That means using what airlines know about their loyalty members to put personalized, tailored offers in front of them.”
That means using a variety of data sources such as past booking behavior, loyalty tier, co-branded card usage, even contextual data like weather forecasts or major events such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
“If you’re flying from Denver to Newark last July with two teenage girls, and it’s the same weekend as a Taylor Swift concert, I might offer you a hotel in East Rutherford instead of Times Square. That’s more relevant to your trip.”
User Experience: Differentiating With a Human Touch
While personalization happens behind the scenes, Paisly takes a thoughtful approach to UX. The company embraces “optimal distinctiveness,” choosing where to stand out and where to stay familiar.
“Customers don’t want a totally new booking interface. They like maps with price points and familiar navigation. Where we differentiate is through our human-centric service and highly personalized offers. What we call a ‘segment of one,’” Perry said.
Loyalty Programs That Inspire
Perry highlighted two key attributes to good loyalty programs:
1. Relevance: Programs that put timely, personalized offers in front of members.
2. Frequency: Programs that engage members daily or weekly, even if core purchases are infrequent.
“If you can engage me once a day or once a week, even if I only travel once a year, you keep your brand top of mind,” he said.
Looking Ahead
With the United partnership rolling out, Paisly is focused on execution in the next 6–12 months. Longer term, Perry envisions partnerships with additional airlines, but only after delivering success in the current model.
Travel loyalty is no longer about ancillary revenue alone — it’s about creating relevance, reducing friction, and respecting customers’ time. Paisly’s rebrand, and expanded partnerships, reflects a broader shift in the industry: moving from transactional perks to meaningful, personalized engagement that keeps travelers coming back.
“The only truly scarce resource today is time and attention. If you want to cut through the noise, you don’t have to be the loudest or the most controversial, you have to be the most relevant,” Perry said.
To hear more insights listen to the entire interview on the Leaders in Customer Loyalty podcast.