CAPA World Aviation Summit & Awards for Excellence
|
09:05 |
Chairperson’s Welcome |
|
09:05-09:35 |
Airline Interview - VivaAerobus VivaAerobus, Chief Network & Alliances Officer, Javier Suarez Casado Strikitsa Consulting, Managing Director, Yolanta Strikitsa |
|
09:35-10:20 |
New passenger expectations and overcoming the old pain points Passenger expectations have created a competitive aviation landscape where experiences have become key to winning customers. The lure of low fares and brands has been broken as travellers demand more – from the best in-flight experience to the comforts of a private suite. In the past, a low fare or brand familiarity could almost guarantee loyalty. That is no longer the case and customers are increasingly willing to pay more for the services that are most meaningful for them. Businesses that are slow to adjust to those expectations face the prospect of customers leaving. That’s why a great customer experience ranks highly as a brand differentiator, and paying a premium isn’t seen as a deal breaker. COVID-19 accelerated the industry trends towards digitalisation, self service and customer expectations of being ‘always online’. It also revealed that the pain points around the air travel experience are yet to be relieved. If anything the pandemic has resulted in more frustration for passengers rather than less, as they have had to deal with onerous COVID-19 health requirements, additional layers of checks, confusing mazes of new regulations and changes to physical travel processes. Meanwhile, the biggest pain points post-pandemic – flight delays, cancellations, lost baggage, security and immigration queues – continue to haunt the industry. How airlines and airports navigate not only the new layers of expectations and requirements the pandemic has imposed on them, but continue to work to relieve pain points around the passenger journey will be key to their success.
Moderator: Pangiam, President, Steven Greeenway Panel: Bluebox Aviation Systems, CEO, Kevin Clark SWISS, CCO, Tamur Goudaarzi Pour Transavia, CEO, Marcel de Nooijer Skyscanner, VP of Strategic Flights & Industry Partnerships, Hugh Aitken HRS, CEO, HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions, Luca de Angelis |
|
10:20-10:30 |
Innovation Roadshow - SAP Concur SAP Concur, President, Charlie Sultan |
|
10:30-10:35 |
Announcement of Location for 2023 World Aviation Summit |
|
10:35-11:10 |
Coffee break & Networking |
|
11:10-11:55 |
Government ownership and a heavy debt burden COVID-19 threw the airline industry into disarray, with a high number of market exits. That number would have been much higher had it not been for state-sponsored aid packages, but many in the industry are continuing to tread water and face a battle for survival. In several regions, airlines availed themselves of large government bailouts or took on large amounts of debt to avoid going under during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is the industry now has a heavy debt burden that will take years to unwind. In addition, government has stepped back into the industry. The airline industry is today saddled with hundreds of billions of additional COVID-related debt. Simply servicing that additional debt will cost more than the industry has on average generated annually in profits. Much of that debt falls due from 2023 onwards, and unless trading conditions are strong at that stage, real embarrassment is possible, particularly where debt is backed by aircraft assets. As a result, 2023 to 2025 will be the critical period for the survival of traditional models and airlines. Given the dimensions of the COVID crisis it is remarkable that so few airlines have fallen by the wayside. But that cannot persist indefinitely.
Moderator: CAPA – Centre for Aviation, Chief Financial Analyst, Jonathan Wober Panel: Air Control Tower, Managing Director, Neil Glyn Norse Atlantic Airways, VP Government & Regulatory Affairs, Maria Borg Government of Gibraltar, Minister for Business, Tourism and The Port, Vijay Daryanani Qazaq Air, Former CEO & Member of Board, Plamen Atanassov |
|
11:55-12:40 |
Partnerships and alliances take on an increased purpose For the surviving airlines, partnership and alliances appear as an increasingly attractive option. Before the pandemic many had started to question the value of alliances. Now they are providing an important safety net for carriers enabling them to serve strong, profitable markets and allow partners to support wider connectivity. Mergers and consolidation have accelerated as a result. JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit Airlines from under the nose of Frontier Airlines – and the premium it paid – could be the start of a trend as airlines seek to solidify their market penetration. The expansion of partnership has not just been within the industry though – it is also looking at expanding collaboration with other transport providers, technology partners, environmental organisations and more. The global pandemic has significantly accelerated the pace at which companies are bringing new ideas to market, including massively expediting some processes and applying pressure on industry ecosystems to deliver services in new ways.
Moderator: Consultant, Peter Bellew Panel: Oneworld, CEO, Rob Gurney Air Serbia, CEO, Jiri Marek VivaAerobus, Chief Network & Alliances, Javier Suarez Casado Loganair, CEO, Jonathan Hinkles |
|
12:40 |
Chairperson’s wrap up |
|
12:45 |
Closing Lunch & Networking |