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CAPA-ACTE Global Summit, Amsterdam, 26-28 Oct. The shape of international aviation markets in 2025

Analysis

This unique CAPA-ACTE Summit will explore how airline partnerships, joint ventures, new airlines and disruptive entrants and technologies will completely alter the competitive dynamic by 2025. Additionally, as new trade routes expand, many new airports and air services will also open.

The next 10 years will witness the most remarkable changes in aviation. The challenges and opportunities they bring will be of similar magnitude.

This singular event, bringing together top level representative of airlines, airports, aviation suppliers and corporate buyers, will embark on an exploration of what the airline industry is likely to face in this coming decade.

"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten."

Microsoft founder Bill Gates went on to say: "Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction."

We don't aim to fall into that trap.

Hence our theme for this great CAPA-ACTE joint event:

Day 1, 27-Oct-2016: "The Shape of international aviation markets in 2025"

The ACTE Corporate Travel Education Sessions will commence on 26-Oct and the CAPA aviation event opens on 27-Oct with high level keynote addresses, followed by a dynamic discussion from a small selection of the world's foremost LCC, full service airline and tourism leaders.

Registrations are filling fast - Visit capaevents.com/global16 for more information

Keynote Address: "Digitising the airline: connecting the dots towards 2025": KLM President & CEO, Pieter Elbers

Our host airline will set the scene for the aviation event, with President & CEO Pieter Elbers outlining his views on the next ten years in the digital arena. Digital is where the action is and will transform and industry that has already experienced a digital upheaval.

Keynote Address: H.E Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways

The Group Chief Executive of this remarkable Gulf airline is never shy to express his sometimes controversial, but always pertinent, opinions. Hear him at his best.

Projecting the 2025 Scenario: Aviation Big Picture: Learning from the past to foresee the future. 2025 in view.

To kick off the controversial proceedings in the aviation plenary session, we have two of the most disruptive CEO voices, one representing the long haul full service airlines that are now circling the globe - Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways - and the other leader who created from a $2 investment the airline that provoked most massive aviation disruption that has occurred anywhere in the world - AirAsia's Tony Fernandes. And, to reinforce the consumer and travel significance in world aviation, they will be joined by David Scowsill, WTTC President & CEO.

And there are new forces looking over the international fence. At IATA's AGM and World Air Transport Summit in Jun-2016, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian was asked what proportion of his airline's operations would be in 10 years on international routes - "50%", was his simple response, on its own and with partners.

As the longer established markets, while more predictable, become more mature, the attraction of international markets, especially Asia, becomes too great to ignore. Financial markets demand growth as well as profit, which means venturing into new and often differently competitive markets, not least the Asia Pacific.

For the industry overall, this promises to rattle the foundations of international operations, both in sheer size of new entry, but also for the likely impact on the regulatory framework and partnerships.

Currently, only 16% of Delta's seats and 11% of its frequencies are operated on international routes. The probable impact of this planned expansion on regulatory norms is less obvious and open to speculation. But a look at recent behaviour and pronouncements by Delta and other US majors may provide some foundation for projections of the likely future frameworks.

It seems pretty certain that 2025's aviation market will be unrecognisable beside today's.

The outlook for aviation liberalisation and the future of multilateralism

Led by Moderator John Byerly, who as the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State largely responsible for leading the US into well over 100 open skies agreements, probably knows more bilateral secrets than anyone living, this panel brings together an eminently qualified group of experts from around the world, to look at today's state of play. Where will we be in 2025? At the moment, the outlook for liberalisation is clouded.

Despite the surge in Asia Pacific aviation markets, most notably Chinese, the US and Europe and their airlines remain highly influential players globally, so how those airlines and their governments behave will play a large role in shaping the near term.

With an apparently lukewarm and leaderless US approach to liberalisation, it has become a concern that US influence will lean towards winding back open skies; hopefully that is not the case, but the former fire in the belly is clearly lacking now.

At the same time other governments and aviation markets are important ingredients in the mix, with continually changing influence.

In Europe, one of the liberalising influences of the past decade, the liberal leadership has come mostly from the UK. Since the British decision to withdraw (to be discussed in detail in a later agenda item), there is now a question mark over the EU's future posture, as the much more conservative and protectionist oriented voices of Germany and France are likely to hold greater sway within the Union.

John Byerly is joined for this session by AACO, Secretary General, Abdul Wahab Teffaha; Aeroflot Deputy General Director, Strategy & Alliances, Giorgio Callegari; Delta, Managing Director, Legal & Regulatory, Julie Oettinger; European Commission, Deputy Director General MOVE, Matthew Baldwin; and US FAA's Former Deputy Administrator & Chief NextGen Officer, Mike Whitaker.

A Welcome from our host airport - Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, President & CEO, Jos Nijhuis

Amsterdam Airport turns 100 this year and we are honoured to be part of these birthday celebrations!

Global alliances, partnerships & promiscuity

Former Secretary General of Europe's AEA, Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus has spent a lifetime in the midst of airline attempts to soften the hard edges of the "archaic" international regulatory system.

Ulrich will bring together the views of Brussels Airlines CEO, Bernard Gustin; Ethiopian Airlines, CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam; European Commission, Deputy Director General MOVE, Matthew Baldwin; and SkyTeam CEO, Perry Cantarutti

Inherent in all the strategies for long haul international operations is finding ways to circumvent the strict confines of ownership and control provisions. Where it is generally impossible to merge across borders, or to establish operations in another country, devices must be found. Until now, the most pervasive of these has been the use of branded global alliances (BGAs), Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam. Between them their membership includes most of the world's major - and many minor - international airlines, the main exceptions being Emirates and Etihad.

The BGAs are not about to disappear and they appear to be important in providing a basis for immunised joint ventures, the closest of all partnerships. These bilateral JVs by corollary tend to lend some strength to their broader alliance.

Partnerships of various kinds, often crossing BGA boundaries, are now proliferating and coming to take on a more prominent role. Where they traverse two BGAs, the tendency is to weaken the link with their multilateral partnership, one reason that the Star Alliance has punitive provisions for such transgressions.

As with other international long haul strategies, the US airlines (notably Delta), along with many others, appear to see various levels of bilateral partnerships as a vital part of the future. For the major US operators there is a clear preference towards:

  • using closed, immunised JVs, generally within the framework of the global alliances to which the respective airlines belong. Given the US government's position that these intrinsically anti-competitive agreements are only permissible within an open skies framework, the US big three may consider it increasingly important to narrow the description of "open skies" - including defining "subsidy" and "fair competition";
  • codeshares of various kinds. Perhaps surprisingly, US airlines have for example more than a 30% share of Indonesia-US traffic - despite not operating any services to Indonesia. This is achieved through codeshares and interlines via various North Asian hubs; and
  • acquiring minority equity shares in airlines in their key growth markets - in Delta's case the North Atlantic (Virgin Atlantic), Latin America (GOL), China (China Eastern). This practice is likely to grow.

Minority equity acquisitions have also become much more a part of the equation over the past decade. Necessarily these must be minority shares, at a maximum 49.9% for bilateral purposes, or less if national regulations so decree; thus while Delta may buy and control a 49% share in Virgin Atlantic, foreign investors in US airlines must observe the tighter US restriction that 75% of the voting interest be owned or controlled by citizens of that country.

Etihad has made an art form of equity purchases, establishing its own alliance of equity partners, linking them in FFPs and in such areas as joint purchasing, as well as operationally.

And China's HNA Group, parent of Hainan Airlines, is among the new breed of global investors in airlines and the travel chain. There will undoubtedly be more.

These features combine variously among long haul markets. Most are relatively predictable and their evolution will continue to exhibit common strains - but predictability will not be the next decade's profile for routes involving Asia Pacific, and in particular the Asia-Europe market. Here, the potential for new entrant airlines and new city pairs is greatest; the competitive permutations are enormous, as are the opportunities and threats.

Asia Pacific is where the new world order will be formed, that is where the innovation is greatest; and it is where the potential exists for usurping norms that have - not always helpfully - weathered the test of seven decades.

A view from 2025: Route networks of the future, new entrants, long haul low cost airlines

This panel brings together a volatile mix of the LCC CEOs who have played massive roles in reshaping the airline systems in their respective regions. The combined impact of the Gulf carriers and LCCs has forced established hub carriers to review their models and find new ways of competing.

One of the undoubted game changers in long haul markets over the next decade will be long haul low cost operations.

There are already elements of this low cost mentality in the Gulf carriers and notably Emirates, whose spokes are all relatively long haul, using widebody aircraft. But the new generation will be more akin to classical network airlines, converting between short-long haul.

That they can succeed owes much to the new generation of smaller widebodies and, in Asia, to the formation of multi-brand airline groups, formed around a legacy airline.

The definition of "long haul low cost" is not important. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it probably is a duck. It is a different and new product and it has the potential fundamentally to alter long haul operations.

The goal is to provide a lower cost operation on routes that cannot and will not support the profile of premium/economy that characterises the traditional long haul network airline. And, where it is part of a group, it is able to provide the foundation for a wider network, with differing yield profiles.

If we expect the market to rest where it is after the upheavals of the early part of this century, history will pass us by...

And if there are four airlines which will not be waiting for others to lead the way, they are represented here: AirAsia, Group Chief Executive, Tony Fernandes, Ryanair, Chief Commercial Officer, David O'Brien, Wizz Air, CEO, Jozsef Varadi, and WOW Air, CEO, Skuli Mogensen.

They will not be boring.

Joint General Session: Are They Listening? Straight Talk on the Gaps Between Current Airline Options and what Corporations & Travellers Really Want

To close off Day 1, we revert to a plenary session, with corporate and aviation interests combined. All too often the airlines seem to be on a different wavelength when they address the corporate market.

This session will challenge many of those misconceptions - and, hopefully, show that the airlines really are listening!

Our Moderator for this plenary session is Go Air, Former CEO, Giorgio de Roni. He will be accompanied by an eclectic and experienced panel including easyJet, Director, Head of Business, Anthony Drury; Ernst & Young's Global Travel, Meetings & Events Leader, Business Enablement, Karen Hutchings; Travel in Motion Managing Director & Partner, Daniel Friedli; and Travelport Global Head of Product & Marketing, Air Commerce, Ian Heywood.

Gala Dinner Reception featuring the CAPA Awards for Excellence

Networking Reception sponsored by Mitsubishi and Gala Dinner Reception hosted by Travelport

Always a great party - not to be missed!

Information on the CAPA Awards for Excellence is available here.

Day 2, 28-Oct-2016

Then, on Day 2, there's more not-to-be-missed content and discussion. We start at breakfast.

(Breakfast session): CAPA Airline & Airport Network Planning Masterclass

Why not nourish your brain at the same time as eating breakfast. Both offer hearty portions as our experts review the present and the outlook.

We receive some vital insights to the route planner's strategy of today, from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol's, Manager Traffic Analysis & Forecasting, Berend Onnes, KLM's VP Network Planning, Pieter Groeneveld and Norwegian Air Shuttle's, VP Network, Matt Wood

Joint General Session: Book, Buy, & Pay: Changing the Core of How Business Gets Done

Again we combine CAPA and ACTE streams to explore how the process of booking and paying has changed. And where will THAT be in 10 years' time?!!

Just rewind 10 years and how many voices were predicting the role of handheld devices back then? Perhaps one or two real visionaries.

Under the expert guidance of Yeoh Siew Hoon, WebinTravel, Founder/Managing Director, we bring together a unique combination of experts in this critical area: Microsoft Procurement & ACTE Board of Directors, Group Manager, Global Travel, Meetings & Expense, Georgie Farmer; Nok Air, CEO, Patee Sarasin; Océ Technologies BV & CORTAS Board Member, Procurement Account Manager, Business Travel, Huub van Rumund; PwC Strategy& Partner, Stefan Stroh; and Travelport, Senior VP & Managing Director, Air Commerce Group, Derek Sharp.

China's role in International aviation - and tourism - in 2025

After some serious networking in the final coffee break, the CAPA stream reverts to a solely aviation focus. A focused look at the intricacies - and the vastness - of the remarkable Chinese market. There has never been anything like it to compare against, so we need to learn as we go along.

Predicting China 10 years out from now is therefore a monstrous task. Other than that it will be vast, what form will it take? CAPA has already identified over 20 existing Chinese airlines that will be operating long haul widebody aircraft by 2020. And China has only in the past two years begun permitting LCCs; new ones are starting to mushroom.

And Chinese airlines are increasingly imposing their stamp on Europe traffic flows, wresting back market share from airlines and hubs that fed off their market while Chinese airlines were under-represented. They now have the opportunity themselves to become hub airlines, for example replacing Seoul Incheon's role as a hub for Japanese-Europe traffic. Mainland Chinese airlines already have an established position in the Taiwan-Europe market.

Some Chinese hubs will also be favourable for Southeast Asian connections. Backtracking and connections may be disadvantageous, but the lower cost base of Chinese airlines and their available capacity can place favourable fares on the market. Some emerging hubs, like Kunming, expect their intercontinental forte, even if small for a while, to be between Europe and Southeast Asia.

Over the Pacific, despite a capacity restricted environment, Shanghai Pudong, along with Beijing and other Chinese airports and their home airlines are redefining the trans-Pacific market. There is a distinct shift towards China and Chinese airlines. In 2016 this future is easily apparent. Chinese airlines consider North America their greatest long haul opportunity: whereas growth markets like Australia are mostly outbound China leisure and Europe is over-competitive, North America has strong traffic in both directions. This includes a profile of leisure and corporate passengers and is less fragmented in terms of the number of operators, compared to Europe-Asia.

The trans-Pacific market can be expected to grow significantly at least until 2020.

Consolidation in some form should be occurring by 2025. Chinese airlines themselves could be consolidated, from those airlines within the HNA Group, to Beijing's reported considered Air China-China Southern merger. Other Asian airlines could form deeper partnerships or merge depending on the ownership environment. On the other hand - the proliferation of airlines could continue.


Let's talk about it. And let's hear your predictions.

Digital disruption and consumer behaviour in aviation and travel: Driving change towards 2025

Prefaced by a report on Study undertaken by London School of Economics'
Professor Graham Floater, this panel takes a dive into the disruptive scenario that could emerge over the decade. Consumers are already exercising their market power in a digital age. They like sharing and are informed like never before.

Guided by a visionary of the corporate markets, SAP Mobile Services' Senior Director Value Services, Johnny Thorsen, this outspoken and out of the box panel will share their experiences and views on where we're heading. It could be a bumpy ride. But it won't be dull.

Panellists for this penultimate panel of the event include CarTrawler's CTO, Bobby Healy; LSE Professor Graham Floater; Skyscanner, Chief Commercial Officer, Frank Skivington; and Uber General Counsel, Jim Callaghan (invited).

Brexit - a high level and timely analysis. Closing Joint General Session: Meeting The 'Brexit' Challenge!

To finish off this amazing Summit, CAPA and ACTE audiences join to hear a remarkable gathering of experts explore the aviation ins and outs of probably the most dramatic political event to occur in Europe for five decades.

That stalwart of European aviation, Rigas Doganis, never one to pull punches, will undoubtedly pry into the difficult corners of this massively complex development.

Professor Doganis will be joined on the stage by Airline Investments Ltd's Group CEO, Peter Simpson; CityJet, Executive Chairman, Patrick Byrne; Lufthansa, VP EU Affairs, Prof Dr Regula Dettling-Ott; and McKinsey Associate Partner, Dominic Maxwell.

As if we needed any reminder, national boundaries and economic regulation are large and often unpredictable checks on freedom of behaviour, but Britain's Jul-2016 vote to leave the European Union still came as a shock to the system.

Brexit is a potential shock specifically to the aviation system in several ways.

Most obviously it has created great uncertainty about the future activity of the UK LCCs that have established outside their home territory, and operate under the freedom of the European single aviation market. There is a better than even chance that, once the dust settles, something close to the status quo will be resumed. However that will not be without many dramas and much unproductive expense along the way.

Brexit has potentially significant implications not only for UK based airlines, but also for EU airlines operating into the UK. It will also have a big impact on the liberal - or otherwise - approach the EU will take in negotiations with third parties

Our expert panel will take an up to the minute look at the state of play as the UK totters towards a compromise solution. Over three months on from the "leave" vote, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that the UK will in the first quarter of 2017 pull the trigger on Article 50 to begin Euro-exit. In the meantime the GBP has slumped and the magnitude of the task ahead is sinking in.

Yet the issue remains enormously divisive in the UK. But it also is within Europe. So the panel will also look at the issue from the European end, as well as what strategy the UK will follow. There are models established that perhaps provide room for discussion, such as the deal negotiated by Switzerland.

CAPA has written extensively on the Brexit issue, the most recent of which appeared in Aug-2016, shortly after the leave vote:
Brexit follow-up Part 3: Gulf airlines, Turkish lose UK ally in M/E talks as protectionism spreads

The Programme in detail

Attendees can join the CAPA Aviation focused sessions or the ACTE Corporate Travel focused sessions. The ACTE sessions can be found below and are listed as the "ACTE Education Sessions". Attend a full track on one topic, or pick and choose sessions to tailor your time, interest and schedule.

Wednesday 26 October

ACTE Education Sessions - view full details here

17:30-
20:00
Welcome Reception, sponsored by Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, La Camelia (next to lobby bar), Okura Hotel
Thursday 27 October
08:00 Registration & Coffee in CAPAConnect & InterACTE
08:45 Joint General Session - Welcome by Conference Chairmen
08:50 HRS Global Hotel Solutions, CEO, Tobias Ragge
By its very nature, the travel industry never stands still. Traveller behaviour, technological changes and improved data availability and accessibility are shaping and driving all market players. The corporate accommodations sector has traditionally been showing a slower evolutionary pace than the airline industry, but this view is not valid anymore. Customised and personalised traveller experience, new distribution and booking opportunities, the emergence of dynamic pricing models and the expectations of a new generation are pushing the industry forward. This and more will be highlighted in this Big Picture view of the key changes shaping the future of corporate travel as it affects industry buyers and suppliers.
09:00 Keynote Presentation: "Digitizing the airline: connecting the dots towards 2025"
KLM,
President & CEO, Pieter Elbers

09:20 Keynote Presentation: Qatar Airways, Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker

09:40

Aviation Big Picture: Learning from the past to foresee the future. 2025 in view.
Get to the heart of today's complex aviation issues with the expertise and vision that only these industry leaders can provide. These leaders will make sense of key issues that are affecting the aviation & travel industry and particularly corporate travel managers.

Their fast-paced discussion brings you the latest on the issues that you need to be on top of, such as Disintermediation, Middle East carriers, Legacy Hubs, Open Skies, Bilaterals, Point to point, content availability, and more.

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

  • AirAsia, Group Chief Executive, Tony Fernandes
  • Qatar Airways, Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker
  • WTTC, President & CEO, David Scowsill

10:30

Coffee & Networking Break in CAPAConnect & InterACTE

11:00

Keynote Presentation: AirAsia, Group Chief Executive Tony Fernandes

11:20

Keynote Presentation: Aeroflot, Chairman & CEO, Vitaly Saveliev

11:40

The outlook for aviation liberalisation and the future of multilateralism

International aviation has always been limited by bilateral controls and ownership restrictions. Mostly they have no logical role in today's system, but vested interests and the complexity of negotiating thousands of bilateral agreements mean inertia remains the driving force. This panel reviews who, if anyone, really wants a liberal marketplace, how it could be achieved and considers possible ways the industry might be better governed.

  • The EU has been active in seeking parallel agreements; how successful have these been and do they offer a model for use elsewhere?
  • Can ASEAN open skies achieve EU-style openness?
  • Is GATS a longer term answer?
  • Is there a serious prospect of multilateralism - either by route group like the North Atlantic, or regionally?
  • Or have we, as some suggest, passed the zenith of liberalism and are now returning to the dark ages?
Moderator: John R. Byerly, Consultant, John Byerly
Panel Members:
  • AACO, Secretary General, Abdul Wahab Teffaha
  • Aeroflot, Deputy General Director, Strategy & Alliances, Giorgio Callegari
  • Delta, Managing Director, Legal & Regulatory, Julie Oettinger
  • European Commission, Deputy Director General MOVE, Matthew Baldwin
  • US FAA, Former Deputy Administrator & Chief NextGen Officer, Mike Whitaker
12:20

Welcome from our hosts
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol,
President & CEO, Jos Nijhuis

12:30

LUNCH in CAPAConnect & InterACTE

13:45

Global Alliances, Partnerships & Promiscuity
Global alliances were a major step towards creating global brands, where ownership and control rules confined airlines to their out-and-back markets. These have been entrenched in some markets by the use of immunised joint ventures, shared among select alliance members.
But things are changing, as airlines stray well outside their alliance membership in search of bilateral partners on a market basis. Another area of change is in the increasing moves to acquire cross border equity between airlines. Except for intra-EU groups like IAG, Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM, as well as LATAM, these linkages are necessarily minority equity holdings, limited depending on the respective national legislation, but always below 50%.
Etihad has established its own unique set of alliances in this way, and other airlines, from Delta to Hainan Airlines are becoming active buyers of strategic stakes. These moves make some inroad into the imposed solitary confinement of international airlines. Then, in Asia, the use of "cross border JVs" is prolific, allowing establishment of brands across borders, along with common use of resources. Aided by multi-brand airline groups, a multiple fronts are being established to undermine the ownership and control enemy.

  • Why are airlines increasingly approaching partnerships on a market basis?
  • How important will airline equity investments be in shaping the future shape of the industry?
  • Are immunised JVs the way to secure long haul markets - and are they in the consumer interest?
  • What future for cross-border JVs? Are they just for LCCs?
  • The use of airline groups and managing multi-brand strategies
Moderator: Aviation Strategy & Concepts, Managing Director, Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus
Panel Members:
14:30

A view from 2025: Route networks of the future, new entrants, long haul low cost airlines
The combined impact of the Gulf carriers and LCCs has forced established hub carriers to review their models and find new ways of competing.
There is more. China's massive array of potential gateways and constant flow of new entrants (CAPA has identified 17 Chinese airlines which will operate widebodies by 2020), and the introduction of smaller long haul widebody aircraft capable of serving non-hubs, are all adding new layers to these changes. Low cost operations are mutating, with connectivity, business traveller friendliness, and long haul LCC operations added to the mix.
These are exciting developments for travellers, airports, local economies - and for airlines themselves. The certainty is, in this melting pot, innovation will be prominent.

  • What do the LCCs have in store next?
  • How will route networks change - they increasingly imitate the classic network operators?
  • How significant will the impact of long haul LCCs become?
  • Will business travellers and corporates find LCCs more attractive in future?
Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Executive Chairman, Peter Harbison
Panel Members:
  • AirAsia, Group Chief Executive, Tony Fernandes
  • Ryanair, Chief Commercial Officer, David O'Brien
  • Wizz Air, Founder & CEO, Jozsef Varadi
  • WOW Air, Founder & CEO, Skuli Mogensen

15:30

Coffee in CAPAConnect & InterACTE

16:00

Joint General Session: Are They Listening? Straight Talk on the Gaps Between Current Airline Options and what Corporations & Travellers Really Want
This lively point, counter-point debate brings together a unique dual panel to hash out one of corporate travel managers' main points of frustration - the often-heard sentiment that suppliers simply don't 'get' what buyers and travellers want. Representatives from all sides come together to address the issues where alignment and open communication have seemed to be insufficient. Hear the issues discussed openly and gain insights into the solutions that may be on their way.

Moderator: Go Air, Former CEO, Giorgio de Roni

Panel Members:

  • easyJet, Director, Head of Business, Anthony Drury
  • Ernst & Young, Global Travel, Meetings & Events Leader, Business Enablement, Karen Hutchings
  • Travel in Motion, Managing Director & Partner, Daniel Friedli
  • Travelport, Global Head of Product & Marketing, Air Commerce, Ian Heywood

ACTE Education Sessions - view full details here

17:00

End of Day 1 conference sessions

19:00-
19:30

Networking Reception sponsored by Mitsubishi
Gala Dinner Reception (hosted by Travelport) featuring CAPA Awards for Excellence

22:00

End of Day

Friday 28 October
08:00 (Breakfast session): CAPA Airline & Airport Network Planning Masterclass
Many airports across Europe have enjoyed strong growth in air services over the past two years, and more carriers are on the horizon. Air services incentives can help attract new airlines, but getting the marketing right is the tricky part.
  • Tourism bodies have ever-shrinking budgets and divided loyalties - so do airports have to reach further down the value chain to ensure new air services stick?
  • Will the dominant carriers with the best marketing come to marginalise the smaller ones?
  • For airports with scarce slots/capacity, how to decide which carriers/routes to focus on?
  • How do airlines set fares?
Presenters:
09:00 Joint General Session: Book, Buy, & Pay: Changing the Core of How Business Gets Done
We are in the midst of a smartphone and Data-accessibility era that is generating new options and methods to book, buy, and pay for travel. Suppliers are constantly innovating and staying ahead of trends and buyer requests; and improving both security and functionality as technology changes as an unprecedented pace. Experts will share the latest trends, and reveal how virtual payments, online/mobile booking, apps, and more are changing the most fundamental elements of the Corporate Travel industry.
Moderator: WebinTravel, Founder/Managing Director, Siew Hoon Yeoh
Panel Members:
  • Microsoft Procurement & ACTE Board of Directors, Group Manager, Global Travel, Meetings & Expense, Georgie Farmer
  • Nok Air, CEO, Patee Sarasin
  • OcĂ© Technologies BV & CORTAS Board Member, Procurement Account Manager, Business Travel, Huub van Rumund
  • PwC Strategy&, Partner, Stefan Stroh
  • Travelport, Senior VP & Managing Director, Air Commerce Group, Derek Sharp
10:00 Coffee & Networking Break in CAPAConnect & InterACTE
10:30 China's role in International aviation - and tourism - in 2025
China is already reshaping tourism goals of many destination countries, with up to 50% year on year increases in some cases. But China will also reshape the way the industry works - for example with multiple interest tourism and travel equity acquisitions. As China's airlines proliferate and new gateways open up, there will be surprises; and many opportunities.
  • One belt one road connectivity - aviation could play a big enabling role, but what will be the headwinds?
Moderator: CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Senior Analyst, Will Horton
Panel Members:
  • ForwardKeys, CMO, Laurens van den Oever
  • Institute for Aviation Research, President, Dr Zheng Lei
  • JG Aviation Consultants, Director, John Grant
  • Thai AirAsia, CEO, Tassapon Bijleveld
  • Vancouver Airport Authority, VP Operations & Maintenance, Steve Hankinson
11:10 The Future of Travel Distribution: What will travel distribution look like in ten years time? Report on Study undertaken by London School of Economics
London School of Economics,
Professor Graham Floater
11:25 Digital disruption and consumer behaviour in aviation and travel: Driving change towards 2025
It is only when we look back at the state of distribution 10 years ago that we can guess at the scale of the challenge in preparing for 2025. Features to expect include new products, new consumer behaviour, a range of new airlines and partnerships. In fact all of today's parameters are likely to change, to greater or lesser extent. For major established organisations to prepare and adapt offers massive challenges.
  • How have things changed in aviation and travel over the past ten years in terms of the distribution and value chain?
  • What are the industry changes that are likely to drive innovation in technology, in search and
  • How will technological change and consumer expectations disrupt aviation and travel over the next ten years?
Moderator: SAP Mobile Services, Senior Director Value Services, Johnny Thorsen
Panel Members:
  • CarTrawler, CTO, Bobby Healy
  • London School of Economics, Professor Graham Floater
  • Skyscanner, Chief Commercial Officer, Frank Skivington
12:00 Coffee & Networking Break in CAPAConnect & InterACTE
12:15 Closing Joint General Session: Meeting The 'Brexit' Challenge!
The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union threatens significant changes to international aviation regulation, border control, immigration, non-resident work rules, and regulation governing issues that could ultimately determine traffic flows, airfares and impact travellers. Even duty of care is affected. Short term implications, like plunging global markets, reflect the uncertainty and speculation that fill the void of fact.
This international dialogue will be based on the best analytical data available, and provide an industry-wide forum to suggest new paths, new policies, and better solutions to the current tangle of politics and economics. Discover the extent of your "Brexit" exposure, while exploring ways to soften the impact.
Moderator: European Aviation Club, Chairman, Rigas Doganis
Panel Members:
  • Airline Investments Ltd, Group CEO, Peter Simpson
  • CityJet, Executive Chairman, Patrick Byrne
  • Lufthansa, VP EU Affairs, Prof Dr Regula Dettling-Ott
  • McKinsey & Company, Associate Partner, Dominic Maxwell

ACTE Education Sessions - view full details here

13:00 Farewells and Final Networking in CAPAConnect & InterACTE

For additional information on the Summit including the attendee list, visit capaevents.com/global16

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