CAPA TV

KLM president and CEO Pieter Elbers highlights how the airline is using social media as a key tool for conversations with its customers. He talks about how the airline is modernising its fleet and how this will help it overcome increasing fuel costs and the continued evolution of the low cost long haul model. He also discusses the recent operational issues at Air France and how they are impacting the Dutch flag carrier.

Social Media Lab director Andreas Weigend shares his expertise on the rise of, and future of, big data, social media technologies and consumer behaviour. He highlights that in today’s digitalised world consumers are sharing data in unprecedented ways and this social data revolution represents a deep shift in how people make purchasing and lifestyle choices. He advises airlines and the travel sector to ’embrace transparency’ as ‘if you’re not doing it, someone else will be on your behalf’.

Kenya Airways group managing director Sebastian Mikosz highlights how after the airline’s financial restructuring it is now focusing on its industrial development. He discusses the carrier’s soon to launch long haul service linking Nairobi to New York, its push for profitability in a competitive marketplace, the infrastructure challenge across Africa and the volatility in the price of fuel. He remarks on a potential long haul fleet expansion that will be driven by the return of leased 777 and 787 equipment, a further growth of its medium haul operations and development opportunities at LCC subsidiary JamboJet.

Flybe CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener highlights how a recent fleet strategy study has found that the Bombardier Q400 turboprop remains the best aircraft for the business and will see the departure of some of its larger Embraer regional jets. She remarks on the ongoing right-sizing of the business, the performance of its domestic routes into London Heathrow, a move from a demand-driven rather than capacity-led strategy, Brexit and the implications of Stobart Air’s takeover interest in the company.

European Commission director general for mobility and transport Henrik Hololei provides an update on the ongoing discussions over a new aviation agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom after Brexit and warns of the real threat of no flights operating on day one. He highlights the progress of discussions on the EU-ASEAN open skies agreement and optimism an agreement could emerge before the end of 2018, while also highlighting the conclusion of agreements with Armenia and Tunisia; proposed agreements with Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan; and new mandates to negotiate with Mexico and Oman.

IAG CEO Willie Walsh provides an update on Brexit and the third runway debate at London Heathrow, while revealing the thinking behind its acquisition of a small shareholding in LCC Norwegian and subsequent takeover offers. He looks at the year ahead, highlights the value of the Hangar 51 accelerator programme and talks about the performance of Aer Lingus and its planned network growth with the Airbus A321neoLR.

While sales and distribution seem to have no territorial boundaries, the actual operation of airlines remains trapped in the archaic design of 70 years ago. The constraints of the bilateral system are a massive constraint on airlines’ ability to make truly commercial decisions.Open skies is a chink in that armour, albeit perhaps a diminishing one, but nothing illustrates the shortcomings of the system better than the tremors created by Brexit. Despite the uncertainty created, the UK remains one of the world’s key aviation markets and will now be forced into a transition to an as yet unknown set of bilateral and multilateral relationships.Negotiating a package with the multiple interests of the EU countries is one thing; recreating a complex North Atlantic multilateral is another. An array of innovations has been enabled by the freedom created by both the Single Market and the US-EU multilateral, many of them strenuously opposed by US and other pilots unions, so disruption is clearly on the cards.

Moderator: John Byerly, Consultant, Principal, John Byerly
Panel:

• Croon Callaghan Aviation Consulting, Partner, Jim Callaghan
• European Aviation Club, Chairman, Rigas Doganis
• European Commission, Director General for Mobility and Transport, Henrik Hololei
• IAG, CEO, Willie Walsh

Literally tens of thousands of travel related apps are under development and fundamentally new forms of transacting business are emerging. Combining that with the growing effectiveness of artificial intelligence adds another dimension to the equation. Then add to that the proliferation of large web based entities like Amazon, google, Facebook, Alibaba and others who have massive potential for data mining across the travel spectrum. Coming to grips with the new potential and how all of these might fit together offers myriad opportunities. However, sorting out what is important and sustainable is key to making the right executive decisions.

Moderator: Mezi, Vice President, Global Travel Strategy & Partnerships, Johnny Thorsen
Panel:

• Google, Global Travel & Expense Lead, Michael Tangney
• Lufthansa Group, Head of Distribution, Xavier Lagardère
• Winding Tree, Founder & COO, Pedro Renaud Anderson
• WTMC, Founder & CEO, Sarosh Waghmar

When it comes to cooperation, airports and airlines typically revolve in separate hemispheres, colliding only when discussions turn to charges and “who owns the passenger”. Yet each of them collect enormously valuable granular data about customer behaviour that they can only maximise if they combine it with the other. There are visionaries on both sides who see the opportunities, but mutual suspicion mostly prevails.

Moderator: CAPA – Centre for Aviation, Executive Chairman, Peter Harbison
Panel:

• Belfast City Airport, Chief Executive, Brian Ambrose
• Eurowings, CCO, Oliver Wagner
• ForwardKeys, CEO, Olivier Jager
• VietJet Air, Member of Board of Directors, Cuong Chu

Mezi, Vice President, Global Travel Strategy & Partnerships, Johnny Thorsen