A low-cost airline should not invest in technology simply because it is trendy. It is essential to understand the problem being solved, the process being improved, and the results that travel tech solutions can deliver. This idea runs through our conversation at bolderSummit 2026 with Camilo Convers, Director of Information, Technology, and Projects at Arajet, the Dominican Republic’s leading airline.
Camilo has spent over 20 years working with technology across sectors ranging from aviation, finance, and e-commerce to healthcare, industry, and education. Having experienced firsthand transformations such as the internet, the cloud, and now artificial intelligence, his expertise now converges on a specific challenge: helping an airline grow without losing sight of the efficiency demanded by the low-cost model.
Taking off with Arajet
Arajet launched operations four years ago under particularly challenging circumstances. The task involved building an airline in the Dominican Republic without a domestic operation to lean on, basing the entire project on international flights instead. Added to this was the post-COVID landscape, a time when it was still difficult to predict how the industry would evolve.
Since then, the airline has expanded to over 18 countries and more than 22 routes, while also establishing a hub in the Dominican Republic. Its network connects destinations ranging from Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and São Paulo to the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Toronto, and Montreal. Such growth also entails managing an increasingly complex operation.
To achieve this, Camilo emphasizes the need for the best possible technology, but not at any cost. At Arajet, technology must solve problems efficiently and support the operations, commercial, and finance departments, all while keeping costs low. The goal remains the same as it was in the early days: to offer low fares without compromising on top-notch service.
The key word is “optimization”
Camilo’s background as an industrial engineer shapes his perspective on technology. His approach begins with analyzing processes, understanding how they work, and identifying opportunities to make them more efficient. Consequently, when he discusses technological transformation, he places “optimization” at the heart of the conversation.
From this viewpoint, simply developing a solution is not the ultimate goal. One must first understand the purpose behind it, how the organization benefits, and how it can create value for customers and shareholders. Technical capability certainly matters, but the outcome gains significance only when that capability connects to and addresses a genuine business need.
At a low-cost airline, this line of reasoning leads to specific questions: Can technology help drive sales? Can it reduce costs, accelerate time-to-market, or improve data control for decision-making? For Camilo, the ability to translate a technological development into higher revenue, lower costs, and a more efficient operation is the most important criterion.
A team ready to conquer the world
Technological execution does not depend solely on tools, no matter how sophisticated they may be. Camilo attributes the results to the entire team, from managers and analysts to developers, QA professionals, and project managers. Alongside this collaboration, Camilo emphasizes attention to detail, a concept he adopted during his years at Red Bull and believes applies to any industry.
This principle plays a central role in his interactions with the airline’s internal technology users. Clearly communicating what is being developed, the timeline, and the required budget is all part of the job. For Camilo, visibility, transparency, and attention to detail are inseparable from technological execution; rather, they are prerequisites for the team to respond effectively.
It is also essential to foster a culture of adaptability. Arajet has faced challenges ranging from Boeing’s aircraft delivery delays to holdups in obtaining approval to operate and sell tickets in the United States. These experiences made flexibility a core pillar of their approach: developing faster, testing, adapting, and avoiding structures that hinder the ability to respond to changing conditions.
The relationship with be bolder has evolved within this framework. Work involving Radixx, Arajet’s Passenger Service System, sparked a collaboration that later expanded to include dedicated work cells, development projects, and QA management, among other areas. For Camilo, this partnership has strengthened over time, creating a synergy capable of meeting the business’s challenges.
About artificial intelligence: enjoy the ride
Camilo views artificial intelligence as a tangible reality that is here to stay. He believes an airline that does not integrate artificial intelligence into its systems to meet its needs has a slim chance of survival, comparing it to a company that never connected to the internet. From his perspective, organizations need to start by understanding how to leverage it and then implement it into their processes.
This does not mean using just any artificial intelligence model for any given task. Camilo advocates for experimentation: identifying the model that best suits the requirements of a specific job and finding an efficient way to coordinate those capabilities. The question remains a practical one: how can artificial intelligence enhance an individual’s ability to perform their job better, providing them with the resources to take on more strategic responsibilities?
His stance on the uncertainty surrounding AI’s emergence in the workplace and business world is equally straightforward. While governments, companies, and individuals debate the extent of this global transformation, the competition will keep moving forward. Therefore, his message to developers and professionals is not to try to halt this progress, but rather to learn to work with these new technologies and harness them as they continue to evolve.
Travel tech solutions involve analyzing variables
In the aviation sector, a single decision can directly affect operations, and technology is uniquely capable of analyzing data and considering all relevant variables to enable informed decision-making. For instance, Camilo identifies fuel as the primary challenge facing airlines today and explains that Arajet holds monthly committee meetings dedicated to exploring how technology can help reduce fuel consumption.
Thus, at first glance, it might seem advantageous to adopt practices like “tankering” (buying extra fuel where it is cheapest); however, only a meticulous analysis of all variables, such as extra weight, wind conditions, and distances, among other factors, reveals the true impact on fuel consumption. Given the sheer number and specificity of these variables, only technology makes it possible to determine the practice’s actual impact on business profitability.
In any case, this continuous analysis extends beyond fuel to include factors like engine wear and the selection of aircraft types based on specific routes. Camilo points to dynamic pricing as an opportunity to optimize rates and also advocates for advancing automation and RPA to cut costs. Camilo adds that, although the technologies differ, they all share the same economic logic: discovering new ways to increase sales while simultaneously reducing operating costs.
True pride beyond the results
Before leaving, Camilo expressed a deep sense of pride that goes beyond the numbers. He noted that Arajet’s contribution is immense, as it created an industry in the Dominican Republic that did not previously exist. Today, he says, one encounters children aspiring to be pilots and individuals seeing career opportunities as cabin crew or in maintenance, all centered around an activity that once had a very different presence in the country.
Perhaps this perspective, combined with the hundreds of stories he has to tell, offers a better understanding of how he connects technology with business. It is not about amassing tools or chasing every new trend; rather, it is about knowing their purpose, measuring their results, and maintaining the flexibility to make adjustments when they fall short. But beyond that, it is about knowing that behind it all are developers, suppliers, and teams who are part of the process and focus their energy on people.
Commercial Team
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* Image by be bolder design team.
