On July 20th we saw an all-time record for daily global flights. Air travel is booming in every corner of the world, but there are still myriad challenges testing us like never before – from managing less experienced workforces through unrelenting operational pressures and supply chain challenges through to creating more seamless, digitally-enabled and sustainable travel experiences. Here at FTE though, we are excited about how the coming years could transform our sector. We pride ourselves on our ability to bring the industry together to shine a light on the new approaches helping forge the best way forward for every aviation industry stakeholder. As our full schedule of activities shows, over the course of the next four months we will be offering more high-level content and gatherings than ever before, all designed to support the industry as it lays the foundations for a brighter future.
Three free biometric-focused webinars in the coming months – first on August 23rd
We are pleased to bring you a new webinar series, developed in partnership with IDEMIA, on the benefits and best practice approaches to rolling out facial recognition in travel, which FTE has huge belief in as the tool to drive more seamless end-to-end passenger journeys. Expert speakers from the likes of the Transportation Security Administration, KLM, IDEMIA and many more will deep-dive into reimagining the passenger experience, the future of the Trusted Traveler program, and a balanced perspective on security and privacy.
#1 Free webinar: “The reimagined passenger experience” – 23 August 2023, 08:30 PST | 11:30 EST | 16:30 BST. Register here.
#2 Free webinar: “Trusted Traveler 2.0 – is this the future?” – 7 September 2023, 08:30 PST | 11:30 EST | 16:30 BST. Register here.
#3 Free webinar: “Communicating security and privacy: successfully educating passengers on biometrics in travel” – 19 October 2023, 08:30 PST | 11:30 EST | 16:30 BST. Register here.
Three FTE Working Group meetings in LA and online this September 18th
The recent launch of the FTE World Airport Retailing Working Group (WARWG) complements the existing FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) and the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub, meaning we now have three dedicated communities focused on driving progress and innovation in different areas of the industry.
The FTE WARWG is free to join for all relevant industry stakeholders and already more than 80 organisations representing airports, airlines, retailers and more have signed up as members. Captained by Sammy Patel, Vice President Commercial, Vantage Airport Group, the FTE WARWG will host its first hybrid member meeting at LAX on the afternoon of September 18th. As is tradition with any FTE activity, we want this working group to be as interactive as possible and share constantly.
It is free to join for all and this first highly interactive meeting at LAX will be themed as “An A-Z on commercial planning for new and redeveloped airport facilities”. The team from the impressive new Terminal A at Newark Airport (MUC International, Portland Design, Grimshaw and Moment Factory) will help to instigate group-wide discussions on best practices by giving a 360-degree view on implementing the vision, and the decision-making and lessons learned along the way. It will be a great forum for members to interact in LA, or virtually through our live broadcast to members.
The FTE BIWG now has 97 members (including an impressive 42 airlines) and we continue to ramp up activities with three POCs running this Fall. Our meeting in LA on September 18th will focus on enhancing hub operations through airport/home carrier collaboration with learnings and idea sharing, plus bag imaging for border processing.
Meanwhile the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub meeting on September 18th will see our hosts at Los Angeles World Airports present on their latest innovation projects, followed by a startup pitch session focused on sustainability. The group will then travel to the HQ of Long Beach-based Odys Aviation – a pioneering company that is building the next generation of regional vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft – for an exclusive briefing and tour.
The CES of Aviation – FTE Global – is reborn on an epic new scale in LA this Sept 19-21
Hosted by Los Angeles World Airports and co-located for the first time with APEX/IFSA Global EXPO, this year’s event will uniquely bring the very best of the airport and inflight realms together under one roof to reimagine the passenger journey. With an overarching theme of “Air Transport 2030”, it will create the largest gathering of air transport executives from around the world in North America in 2023.
FTE Global will provide a platform for 120+ incredible speakers, from both within our sector and outside of it, from the likes of Live Nation, Google, Meta and Amazon. The CEOs of Aeromexico, SAS, Air Canada, Xiamen Airlines, EL AL and Spirit will also take to the stage to share their future visions. Attendees will have access to our largest-ever end-to-end exhibition (with some amazing unveilings), unique social and networking events, co-creation workshops, government agency briefings, Think Tank unveilings, a startup showcase, and powerful networking tools, providing unrivalled engagement opportunities between participants.
Your event could even start during your flight to LA as Lufthansa has resurrected its “FlyingLab” for the co-located FTE Global and APEX/IFSA Global EXPO. Flight LH452 from MUC to LAX on September 17th will host a curated conference in the air with a theme of “Exploring Exceptional Experiences”. If you can’t make the flight we will ensure you get to hear all about what went down when you are with us in LA. Quite simply, this is going to be a show like nothing the industry has ever seen before – if you are passionate about this sector, and want to be inspired on what you do next and learn from the best, you MUST join us in LA.
FTE APEX Asia Expo, Singapore, November 8-9th – rapidly scaling in aviation’s fastest growing region
FTE APEX Asia Expo is Asia’s largest free to attend passenger experience and business performance expo for the air transport industry. Following the huge success of our 2022 event, which was our first in Singapore since 2019 due to the pandemic, FTE APEX Asia Expo 2023 – delivered in partnership with our Headline Partners Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines and Onboard Hospitality – promises to be our biggest and best event in the region yet. We are seeing a huge level of interest in the show, with air traffic in Asia very much booming again. This is the perfect forum for those serving the region to gather en masse to learn from one another, demo the very latest products and services, and plan for the future together.
Conclusion
I hope all of the content and output outlined above can play a role in your own organisation’s planning for the near, mid and long term. After all, that’s what Future Travel Experience is all about and we hope to see you in-person or online very soon.
All the best,
Daniel Coleman
Founder & CEO
Future Travel Experience
