Who makes Contrail
Bringing clarity to the airline industry.
Airlines sell the same ticket for wildly different seats and rarely tell you which one you’re getting. Contrail exists to close that gap — through reviews flown in person and a database you can search.
Founder & Editor
Zachary Benitez
As the founder of Contrail, Zach hopes to bring clarity to the commercial aviation industry — a corner of the travel world he describes as mired in obscurity, where the same ticket can buy wildly different experiences and nobody tells you which one you are getting.
The Team
The people who keep him honest.
Iqram Magdon-Ismail
Advisory Board Member
Iqram co-founded Venmo in 2009, building it from a text-message prototype into the payments app now owned by PayPal. He’s now building JellyJelly, a social app for unedited dual-camera video — no filters, no algorithm.
Derick Mains
Advisory Board Member
Derick has spent 33 years in communications and operations roles across government and large tech companies. He now manages operations for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company — work that keeps him on planes and in airports constantly.
Gomolemo Mokonyane
Advisory Board Member
Gomolemo grew up around aviation and now flies as senior cabin crew for Airlink, three years into working the line. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information science.
Axel Wells
Advisory Board Member
Axel has spent more than 30 years in marketing, customer experience and change management across a range of industries. A Delta flyer for over 36 years, he’s been travelling the globe for more than 50.