Why Travel Advisors Keep Getting Locked Out (And What We Just Fixed)

Register now at tern.travel for the Tern Product Launch Webinar, happening March 26th at 3:30 PM Eastern time. This is where the biggest updates of the season drop live.

Episode Overview:

The Tern team is back in full force for another packed episode of Flight Path. David, CEO and co-founder, Brad, head of design, and Molly, head of product, cover a strong week of shipping including a long-awaited automation trigger update, a major account security upgrade, and several back office quality of life wins. The team also pulls back the curtain on multiple closed betas in flight and teases what is shaping up to be one of the biggest product moments of the year. Do not miss what is coming at the Q1 product launch webinar on March 26th at 3:30 PM Eastern time. Register now at tern.travel.

Episode Topics:

(00:00) Welcome Back and Webinar Announcement

David kicks off the episode and plugs the Q1 product launch webinar happening March 26th at 3:30 PM ET, with a countdown timer live at tern.travel.

(01:42) Week in Review: Booking Integrations and Project Expedition

Brad shares exciting progress on the ability to book transfers within Tern and early thinking around hotel booking exploration, with a focus on removing manual data re-entry.

(03:12) Week in Review: Quarterly Planning and Closed Betas

Molly shares highlights from Q2 quarterly planning and the relief of finally getting long-awaited features into closed beta.

(05:26) Week in Review: AI Squad and Engineering Velocity

David discusses the team's 3X engineering velocity gains and early thinking around building an AI productivity layer for travel advisors.

(07:28) New Feature: Automation Trigger Updates

Molly and Brad walk through a new automation trigger type that fires immediately when added to a trip or contact, with offset logic coming very soon for post-booking workflows.

(12:14) New Feature: Passkeys for Account Security

Brad and David introduce passkey support in Tern, allowing advisors to log in securely using Face ID, fingerprint, or device biometrics without needing text messages or authenticator apps.

(19:35) Quality of Life: Refreshed Notes Layout

David shares a polished new notes experience with an improved table view and drawer design, laying the groundwork for future AI features.

(20:59) Quality of Life: Back Office Updates

Molly covers two back office improvements including an ID field for agency suppliers and a one-click hyperlink from booking modals directly to reconciled statements.

(23:26) Inside the Betas

Itemized Package Pricing, Host Commission Reconciliation, and Statement Reconciliation Workflow - Molly walks through three active closed betas touching payments, commission payouts, and reconciliation behavior changes.

(31:55) AI Betas and Non-Deterministic Features

David shares his experience running AI-focused betas for the first time and the challenges of building flexible AI features responsibly.

(33:35) Week Ahead: Webinar Countdown

The team shares what is coming in the next 13 days leading up to the March 26th webinar, including pressure testing new features before they go live.

Show Highlights:

• Passkeys are now live in Tern, solving the number one most frustrating login issue for travel advisors.
• A new automation trigger fires instantly when added to a trip, with offset logic shipping very soon.
• Itemized package pricing is in closed beta, maintaining individual activity pricing within packages.
• Host commission reconciliation is being tested in Tern for the first time.
• The engineering team is shipping at 3X last year's velocity.
• The biggest updates of the season drop live at the Q1 webinar on March 26th at 3:30 PM ET.

Keywords:

Tern, Flight Path podcast, CRM for travel agents, itinerary builder, automation templates, travel advisor workflow, payments, commission reconciliation, passkeys, account security, AI product tools, product updates, booking integrations, package pricing, host agencies