Air travel is entering a new era of invisibility. Across the Middle East, airports are evolving from transit hubs into intelligent ecosystems powered by data, automation, and AI. Technology is quietly reshaping how people move, connect, and experience travel. From biometric gates and real-time upgrades to predictive loyalty offers that appear at just the right moment, the journey is becoming increasingly seamless and almost invisible.

Dragonpass, long known for transforming airport access, is now positioning itself at the intersection of travel, payments, and technology. “Our goal is to connect every customer touchpoint and make each interaction more relevant,” says Jane Zhu, founder and CEO of Dragonpass. “Through our technology, we’re linking suppliers with travelers, whether that means a complimentary coffee, a dining perk, a hotel upgrade, or a wellness class, to make the travel experience smoother and more rewarding.”

She adds, “Our ambition is to be the invisible technology layer that makes premium experiences accessible everywhere – not just airside, but throughout customers’ everyday lives. Whether you’re in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, or a regional airport being developed across the Kingdom, Dragonpass should be there, making relevant services discoverable and seamless.”

The company’s move toward Loyalty as a Service is reshaping how brands, from banks to airlines, engage with customers, turning each stage of travel into a moment of connection. Dragonpass is investing heavily in artificial intelligence to streamline its supply chains and develop advanced tools that enhance the way clients interact with travelers. The goal is to deliver the right services at the right time. 

By evolving from an access provider to a technology platform, the company is positioning itself as part of the underlying infrastructure of the global travel industry. “That’s how we plan to lead, by making loyalty programs simple to deploy and highly effective at driving engagement,” says Zhu. 

As the GCC accelerates efforts to establish itself as a global travel hub under Saudi Vision 2030, companies like Dragonpass are building the systems that make it possible. Their algorithms anticipate needs, their APIs connect ecosystems, and their data-driven insights help every interaction feel seamless. Travelers may not see the company’s name, but they’ll experience its impact in the ease and flow of their journeys. 

THE AI-DRIVEN TRAVELER EXPERIENCE

As travel in the Middle East becomes increasingly data-driven, Dragonpass is leveraging AI and advanced analytics to drive the next phase of personalization. “We’re sitting on millions of traveler touchpoints, with significant investment in advanced analytics and machine learning to understand patterns and anticipate needs,” says Zhu.

She explains that the company combines behavioral data with ongoing market research and is now investing in generative AI to deliver highly personalized recommendations that feel intuitive, presenting the right service at the right moment in a traveler’s journey. At the same time, Dragonpass is treading carefully in a region where data laws are rapidly evolving. “The foundation is getting the data infrastructure right. Compliance with local regulations is absolutely critical,” Zhu says.

THE REGIONAL OPPORTUNITY

Few regions are redefining travel as rapidly as the Gulf. “Saudi Arabia is the clear growth driver, with Vision 2030 targeting 150 million visitors annually and massive growth in domestic travel,” says Zhu. Dragonpass aims to be part of this transformation by embedding its services in every new airport development and working closely with Saudia and emerging carriers.

To meet shifting traveler expectations, the company has identified two key segments driving demand: premium economy passengers seeking à la carte access to upscale services without flying business class, and families navigating the complexities of group travel.

Yet, Zhu points out that the most significant growth is coming from everyday travelers who value small but meaningful comforts. “What’s shaping our growth most is the everyday traveler who appreciates simple premium pleasures like a good cup of coffee, fast-track access when they’re pressed for time, or a comfortable space to rest during a layover,” she says. “These micro-moments of comfort and convenience are where we see the most engagement, and they’re available to everyone, not just premium flyers.”

This growing appetite for accessible luxury aligns with broader technological shifts sweeping through the region. Zhu believes innovation is advancing at an unprecedented pace, transforming how payments, travel, and customer experiences converge. Advances in AI, automation, and digital integration are transforming the way supply chains operate and how services are delivered to travelers.

Her vision is for Dragonpass to sit at the heart of that convergence. “We want to be the platform that enables instant innovation,” she says. “When a new payment app launches or an airline wants to enhance its proposition, they can plug into our infrastructure via API and instantly access global supply. Technology is the accelerator, and we’re building the infrastructure that lets everyone move faster.”

SCALING INNOVATION WITHOUT BUREAUCRACY

Operating in more than 130 countries, Dragonpass faces the challenge of sustaining innovation at scale without being slowed by bureaucracy. Zhu says the company’s strategy rests on two key principles: empowering people and enabling decentralized innovation through technology. 

“First, we invest in strong product leaders who develop people, not processes. We deliberately avoid frameworks that can become toxic to innovation. Process should never be a proxy for doing good work,” Zhu says. “Instead, we empower product teams to solve problems rather than just deliver features. We don’t add layers of program managers and analysts that suffocate innovation with bureaucracy.”

Instead of layering on roles that can slow momentum, like excessive program managers or analysts, the company encourages product teams to take ownership of problems and create meaningful solutions. The second pillar of this approach is a modular technology architecture that promotes autonomy. Dragonpass’s Loyalty as a Service platform is built to allow regional teams to innovate and launch services independently through API integration.

This eliminates the need for rebuilding systems or seeking central approvals, making the company more agile across diverse markets. “What works in the GCC is different from Asia or Europe,” Zhu notes.

Zhu summarizes the philosophy as one that prioritizes “people over process, empowerment over control.” By maintaining core infrastructure centrally while encouraging local experimentation, Dragonpass fosters innovation globally without losing speed or flexibility.

THE CONNECTED TRAVELER OF 2030

Looking to the future, Zhu envisions the “connected traveler” of 2030 as someone who experiences travel as entirely seamless. “Seamless. That’s the entire vision in one word. The connected traveller of 2030 doesn’t think about travel logistics, everything just works,” she says, adding, “Biometric technology means they walk through airports without stopping. Services appear at exactly the right moment based on their preferences and real-time context. The distinction between airport and destination blurs completely.”

“Dragonpass fits in as the invisible technology layer orchestrating all of this,” she notes. “We connect their payment app or loyalty program to every service they need, from parking to fast track, lounges to ground transportation, hotel upgrades to wellness experiences.”

Despite its technology-driven foundation, Zhu says the company’s ultimate mission is to deliver a deeply human value: comfort. “Travel is inherently stressful – uncertainties, delays, unfamiliar environments, managing family needs or jet lag,” she says. “What we ultimately deliver is comfort: the confidence that everything will work smoothly, that you’ll have what you need when you need it, and that the journey itself can be something you enjoy rather than endure.”

Whether it’s a fast track when you’re running late, a quiet lounge during a long layover, or simply knowing you can get a good cup of coffee, Zhu says it all comes back to one thing: “The technology and perks are just the tools. The emotion we’re delivering is comfort: the calm confidence that you’re taken care of, so you can focus on why you’re traveling instead of how.”