#343 - Transforming Travel with Digital Identity featuring Kristin Olsen from Alaska Airlines

In this episode of Identity at the Center, Kristin Olsen, Director of Product Management for the guest travel experience at Alaska Airlines, shares insights into the evolving world of digital identity in the travel industry. Kristin discusses the vision for seamless travel using face or phone for identity verification, collaboration with TSA, and future trends like AI and mobile IDs. The conversation also delves into the challenges and opportunities of enhancing guest experience, risk management, and the importance of strong IAM practices. Stick around for a lighter note as Kristin reveals her background in improv comedy and how it has influenced her professional journey. Plus, don't miss exclusive conference codes for upcoming events!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Digital Identity in the Travel Industry01:26 Welcome to the Identity of the Center Podcast01:48 Discussing MFA and Adaptive Authentication07:23 Conference Announcements and Identity Beers12:23 Introducing Kristin Olsen from Alaska Airlines12:43 Kristin Olsen's Role and Insights on Digital Identity30:05 Engineering Excitement in the Airline Industry30:42 Enhancing Guest Experience with Technology33:03 Digital Identity and Day of Travel35:05 Future Trends in Identity Management44:27 The Role of AI in Product Management53:09 Kristin's Improv Comedy Background01:01:55 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

Connect with Kristin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-olsen-b252032/

Conference Discounts!

Gartner IAM Summit - Code IDAC425 saves 425€: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/emea/identity-access-management-uk

European Identity and Cloud Conference 2025 - Use code idac25mko for 25% off: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/eic2025?ref=partneridac

Identiverse 2025 - Use code IDV25-IDAC25 for 25% off: https://identiverse.com/

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/

Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/

Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com