6 Questions: One-on-One with Tom Douramakos, president and CEO, GuestLogix

It’s the kind of success story that often forms the basis for documentaries about famous businesspeople who went from nothing to something to everything. At this point, 50-year-old Tom Douramakos, president, CEO and co-founder of Toronto-based GuestLogix, is probably at "something." Getting to "everything" might well depend on the fortunes of an airline industry that is undeniably troubled. GuestLogix in June launched the latest iteration of its on-board POS transaction system, OnTouch. It allows consumers in flight to purchase goods and services such as theatre tickets and car rentals, etc. The 7-year-old company has signed several major airlines, including American Airlines and Air Canada. We asked Douramakos six questions.

What is the greatest challenge currently facing GuestLogix and what are you doing about it?

The greatest challenge for us is the speed at which the [airline] industry expects us to deliver our offering. Because of [high oil and the impact of 9/11] the industry is counting on ancillary revenue. It is essential to them for their long-term survival and profitability, and they want to be able to implement it right away.

Read the full interview here.

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