CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas 2024
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Day 1 - Thursday 9 May 2024 |
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08:00-09:00 |
Registration, Networking & Coffee |
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09:00-09:05 |
Land Acknowledgement Tourism Calgary, Director of Business Development for the Champions Program, Fraser Abbott |
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09:05-09:10 |
Chairperson's Welcome Claudia Kunz |
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09:10-09:25 |
Host Welcome The Calgary Airport Authority, President & CEO, Chris Dinsdale |
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09:25-09:45 |
CAPA Outlook: State of the Industry {Download Presentation} CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Analyst Americas, Lori Ranson |
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09:45-10:15 |
Aviation Leader Interview - WestJet, Group EVP & CCO, John Weatherill WestJet, Group EVP & CCO, John Weatherill KornFerry, Senior Client Partner, Michael Bell |
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10:15-11:00 |
Airline Business Models in North America - Who is succeeding? Is the market poised for change? The low cost carrier (LCC) and ultra low cost carrier (ULCC) models are facing diverging competitive situations in North America. In the US, the models are under pressure with legacy airlines seeming to have success at segmentation, with ULCCs reporting challenging demand conditions. At the same time the ULCC concept is still somewhat fresh in Canada. However, WestJet is also adopting a different approach by folding Swoop into its operations and segmented products. As market dynamics shift and travel demand patterns change, how are ULCCs and LCCs performing? Moderator: IATA, Regional VP Americas, Peter Cerda Panel: WestJet, Group EVP & CCO, John Weatherill Breeze, President, Tom Doxey Viva Aerobus, EVP - Chief Planning & Alliances Officer, Javier Suarez Casado Flair, President & CEO, Stephen Jones |
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11:00-11:30 |
Coffee Break & Networking |
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11:30-12:00 |
Aviation Leader Interview - Frontier, President, James Dempsey Frontier, President, James Dempsey KornFerry, Senior Client Partner, Michael Bell |
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12:00-12:40 |
Alliances and joint ventures - where and how will the lines shift in 2024? 2022 and 2023 saw some dramatic shifts in the airline competitive landscape. The Northeast Alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines was dissolved following a court judgment, and JetBlue's proposed take-over of Spirit Airlines is also at the mercy of the legal system. At the same time, Alaska Air Group has started an acquisition merger with Hawaiian Airlines, while Air Transat and Porter are working to build scale through a new partnership and WestJet has finished its merger with its Swoop ULCC unit and is in the process of folding Sunwing into its operations over 2024. What will the competitive landscape of the market in North America look like in 2024? Moderator: Independent, Senior Advisor, Betsy Snyder Panel: Allegiant, VP Corporate Development & Government Affairs, John Pepper Viva Aerobus, EVP - Chief Planning & Alliances Officer, Javier Suarez Casado Porter Airlines, EVP & CCO, Edmond Eldebs |
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12:45-12:50 |
Introduction to Lunch IBS Software, Director, Client Executive NA, Rich Thompson |
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12:50-13:50 |
Lunch Break & Networking |
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13:50-14:30 |
International travel - How long until the recovery bubble bursts? Spending on outbound foreign air travel surged in 2022 and 2023, with many markets across the Americas and Europe seeing travel volumes substantially above 2019 levels. The surge was supported by the progressive return of inbound foreign travelers across 2023, although a number of trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic markets are still well down on usual levels. Major North American airlines like United and Air Canada are now betting big on long-haul demand and bolstering their widebody fleets.
Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Analyst Americas, Lori Ranson Panel: Virgin Atlantic, Head of Americas, Simon Hawkins Skyscanner, VP Strategic Relations and Development, Hugh Aitken The New Terminal One at JFK, Chief Revenue Officer, Carl Schultz |
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14:35-15:15 |
Will North America lead the transformation of travel retailing? Artificial intelligence, big data and automation are ushering in a new era of travel retailing that is personalized, immediate and dynamic. Airlines, travel intermediaries, airports and their technology suppliers are lining up behind a new vision of retailing that offers continuous pricing, personally relevant content and contextual insights into ancillaries and product offers. Yet, at the same time there are unsolved questions about the practicalities of adoption and implementation, how the seller-customer dynamic will change and who benefits most from this transformation. Moderator: Confluence Partners, President, Gene Quinn Hitit, Head of Business Development, North America, Ray Pawley Sun Country, Chief Revenue Officer, Grant Whitney FLYR, Senior Director, Global Sales Engineering, Tiffany Saquet IBS Software, Director North America, Ravin Mehra |
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15:20-15:50 |
Coffee break & Networking |
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15:50-16:30 |
MRO capacity, planning and its implications for the industry MRO capacity and planning have substantial implications for the North American airline business. Even as air travel volumes have returned, the sector continues to experience significant issues. The most notable are around aircraft engine issues, as well as capacity for heavy checks and a lack of spares and parts availability. MRO is going to continue to affect airlines across all business models in the region. How do providers and their airline partners plan around the numerous constraints that remain in the maintenance supply chain? Moderator: Aviation Week Network, Managing Editor MRO, Lindsay Bjerregaard Panel: The Calgary Airport Authority, Chief Real Estate Officer, Rob Bachart AAR Repair & Engineering, VP Global Sales & Marketing, Aircraft & Engineering Services, Troy Jonas Sun Country, Director Maintenance Planning & MRO, Peter Schumann CAE, Director, Product Manager, Tim Wellensiek |
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16:35-17:20 |
Environmental Sustainability and the path towards net zero The air travel industry has embraced major sustainability targets in the last few years, but now comes the difficult and delicate task of meeting these ambitions while also remaining financially viable. Emerging technologies are showing promise, but in the near term what are airlines doing to live up to their commitments?
Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Head of Analysis, Rich Maslen WestJet, Chief People, Corporate & Sustainability Officer, Angela Avery Neste, SVP Renewable Products, Carrie Song Harbour Air, Head of Customer Experience & Sustainability, Suzanne Bremski Air Canada, Head of IR & Corporate Sustainability, Valérie Durand |
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17:25-17:30 |
Day 1 Closing Remarks |
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19:00-22:30 |
Networking Dinner |