CAPA Americas Aviation Summit

Denver, United States of America

18-19 Mar 2019

Monday 18 March 2019

08:00	Registration, Networking & Coffee
09:00	Chairman’s Welcome
09:05	Host Welcome & Keynote: Denver International Airport Denver International Airport, COO, Chris McLaughlin [Download Presentation]
09:20	Vital issues driving the US domestic and international aviation markets outlook CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Executive Chairman, Peter Harbison [Download Presentation]
09:40	State of Airline Competition Post Consolidation Delta Air Lines, Executive Vice President – Chief Legal Officer, Peter Carter [Download Presentation]
10:00	Unlocking the US domestic airline system: Operational vs Commercial Implications The discussion will seek to draw out the key underlying challenges with today's system and look to ways of "fixing" it. Part One: Commercial implications for the market How effective have the majors segmented fares been in combating LCC and ULCC competition? Can the ‘big three’ continue to meet margin goals even where fuel prices rise back to higher levels? What are the development and cost challenges facing the domestic market and are policy makers listening? As low cost competition increases, how is this affecting network planning and route development? Part Two: Operational implications for the market Are US airline and airport infrastructure and service levels appropriate to what US consumers and communities should expect? What impact does this have for airlines on the competitive access environment? What funding solutions can be learned from overseas experience to improve standards? What steps can be taken to help medium sized airports recover connectivity? Would a national aviation policy be of value? Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Advisor, John Thomas Panel: A4A, SVP, Legislative and Regulatory Policy, Sharon Pinkerton [Download Presentation] ALPA, First Vice President, Bob Fox American Airlines, Vice President - Operations & Industry Affairs, Lorne Cass Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, International President, Sara Nelson PASSUR Aerospace, President & CEO, James T. Barry Sun Country Airlines, President & CEO, Jude Bricker
11:00	CAPA Membership Presentation CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Account Manager, Samuel Cui
11:05	Coffee Break & Networking
11:35	Spotlight on key markets: Trans-Atlantic Fireside Chat CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Analyst, Americas, Lori Ranson Lufthansa, Director Sales Steering and Development, Thomas Dionisius
12:05	Spotlight on key markets: US to Latin America US majors have comfortably dominated capacity on routes between North and South America for decades, but new aircraft technology and a raft of new airline entrants are set to change the competitive dynamics of this market. Long range narrowbodies enable US ULCCs and LCCs to compete against the majors by bringing the deep south of Latin America within flying range from South Florida. Latin American LCCs such as Interjet and Volaris are also taking advantage of new technology to go further into the US, but long haul international markets within Latin America also offer promising growth opportunities. What are the prospects for air service expansion on the crucial North-South axis? How is technology influencing network planning on North-South markets? Which hubs will be the winners? Are US ULCCs or Latin America LCCs set to usurp the dominance of the US majors in this arena? Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Advisor, John Thomas Panel: IATA, Regional Vice President The Americas, Peter Cerdá ICF Aviation, Principal, Carlos Ozores LATAM Airlines, VP Corporate Affairs, Gisela Escobar
12:50	Importance of Aviation on Colorado’s Economy Colorado Governor, Jared Polis
13:00	Lunch & Networking
13:50	Where to, North America’s approach to open skies? As the originator of the swathe of open skies agreements in the 1990s and the early part of the 21st century, the US is a vital part of the modern liberal bilateral system. Now Brexit prompts a vital review of the North Atlantic multilateral agreement, while the US is seemingly wavering in its commitment to the principles of a li laissez-faire international marketplace. Meanwhile Canada remains committed to its (dark) Blue Skies protectionist policy. In the wake of the US big three’s recent onslaught on the Gulf carriers, there is still a lack of clarity over the US position on liberal market access, a question made more poignant by the Trump administration’s attacks on free trade generally. However, some comfort can be drawn from Washington’s apparent reluctance to intervene in a protective way. How does the industry navigate the crossroad between trade and travel? Does the US big three vs ME3 white paper still have a role to play in the future of the region? Ownership and control limitations – encouraging investment into airlines and infrastructure Should antitrust immunity be expanded or contracted? Moderator: Baker McKenzie, Principal, Kenneth Quinn Panel: APEX, CEO, Dr. Joe Leader Delta Air Lines, Executive Vice President – Chief Legal Officer, Peter Carter FedEx Express, Vice President, International Regulatory Affairs, Ralph Carter U.S. Department of Transportation, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, David Short
14:35	Utilising the travel distribution model…future proofing your distribution channel Legacy distribution systems have for decades presented airlines with the twin problems of high costs and product commoditisation. In efforts to address these issues carriers from around the world have invested heavily into establishing their own API channels with agents, while the concurrent push by IATA for airlines to implement the NDC standard has encouraged the industry to adopt a retail focused approach to distribution. The GDS has embraced its need to evolve in order to remain relevant and to compete effectively against other intermediaries and aggregators such as metasearch companies (some of which now have direct booking capabilities), as well as digital behemoths such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook - to gain a slice of the pie. But as airlines work on enhancing their retail offering and improving their merchandising capability via both direct and indirect channels, a resounding message from industry players is that airlines need to consider the importance of mobile and messaging platforms, which are slowly replacing the desktop as the preferred interface for researching and booking travel. Is this increasingly fragmented and complex commercial and technological distribution landscape sustainable? How will business models evolve in response? Is there a need for a direct connect aggregator? Should airlines build lots of direct connects or revert back to lean, centralised distribution channels? Who is going to be offering services to bridge the gap between airlines/aggregators that are NDC compliant and those that aren’t? Will it be the GDS and IT providers, other airlines or speciality providers? How are newer intermediaries adding value to airline distribution? How do airlines enhance their digital shopfront? Are airlines over-emphasising the importance of airline.com over mobile messaging platforms and bot technologies? Session Provocateur: Travelport, Global Head of New Distribution, Ian Heywood [Download Presentation] Moderator: Travelport, Global Head of New Distribution, Ian Heywood Panel: American Express Global Business Travel, Director Global Content & Distribution Strategy, John Bukowski AmTrav, CEO, Jeff Klee United Airlines, MD Merchandising, Jeff Christensen
15:35	Coffee Break & Networking
16:05	Accessing the future traveller: What drives the future traveller’s decision process? The future traveller is being driven by the information age and has therefore forced airlines to constantly look for new and exciting ways to provide innovations in flight deck, cabin, airport and communication technologies. Setting themselves apart is key to success for any supplier, especially when the passenger’s decision making process becoming more and more focused on deliverables rather than just cost. So what is driving passenger behaviours? There are a range of tools available to airlines which could influence traveller behaviours, including: Distribution capabilities and passenger retailing; In-flight connectivity solutions Cabin interiors; and Many more Session Provocateur: Skyscanner, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Hugh Aitken Moderator: APEX, CEO, Dr. Joe Leader Panel: Air China, Vice President & General Manager, North America, Zhihang Chi ARC, President & CEO, Mike Premo Caravelo, CEO, Iñaki Uriz Skyscanner, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Hugh Aitken
16:50	Analyst panel: Where to next for airline earnings? Our panel of leading market analysts will discuss: Where to next for airline stocks? What’s outlook for the key drivers: economic growth, capacity and fuel? Who are the ROIC stars and why? How are airlines valued relative to other industrials? Which airlines are better placed to weather economic storms? How can the industry learn to deal with fuel prices volatility? How are airlines faring in containing non-fuel costs? Moderator: Air Transport World, Editor-in-Chief, Karen Walker Panel: Barclays Capital, Director, Senior Equity Analyst, Brandon Oglenski CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Analyst, Americas, Lori Ranson Cowen, Managing Director, Helane Becker Deutsche Bank Securities, Managing Director, Michael Linenberg
17:35	Close of Day 1
18:30	Networking Dinner at Ironworks Hosted by Denver International Airport