Business models – Are airlines really converging in the middle, or are the airlines segregating to meet differing markets?

Airline operating models continue to slowly meet in the middle, with full-service network carriers and low-cost carriers borrowing elements from each other. Is this industry hybridisation inevitable or even necessary? This session will look at the risks and benefits for airlines that are marching up or down the curve in terms of cost and complexity.

• With price competition intensifying and service offerings increasingly commoditised and based around ancillaries, how important are brand and product differentiation?

• While simplicity and low cost offer many benefits, is there a risk that when something goes wrong the airline lacks the resources needed to respond? Does 'one size fit all' at airports and how do airlines streamline operations while also ensuring operational robustness?

• With increasing digitalisation and greater than ever knowledge about the passenger, what approaches are airlines taking to adjust themselves to different market segments?

• Are LCCs encroaching on FSNC territory in the post pandemic period?

• Is there a generational change in attitudes towards travel? Do newer travellers actually care about what they get along the journey, or do they just want to travel from point A to point B at the cheapest possible price?