Sponsored by Global Aviation Festival

What are the top 10 buzzwords in aviation and travel in 2018? We’ve already identified the top five – digital, experience, loyalty, ancillary and AI/artificial intelligence  – which you can see in the corresponding article here.

At the Global Aviation Festival in London we work all year round to examine the latest technology trends impacting the aviation and travel industry. The top 10 buzzwords featured in these two article are based on their presence across our three-day, 300+ speaker agenda.

Each buzzword includes an exclusive free report from our partners. Many thanks to PROS, Farelogix, Boxever and Mindtree.

Personalisation = 27 agenda mentions

Every business in the world is trying to crack personalisation. The aviation industry in comparison to others is way behind in fulfilling the potential that data-driven sales and experiences can offer. Both airlines and airports are vying for that 360° view of the customer, but what are the innate challenges of targeting notoriously savvy travellers who are often in search of quality experiences that they can share with others?

Akira Mitsumasu, vice president, products & services, Japan Airlines

“The most exciting and under-explored area is the use of digital technology to allow travellers to build his or her own personalized value ecosystem”

Eslewhere, Boxever polled over 1,000 travellers to gather insight on what they expect from airlines – and the results were surprising. Read the e-book here to find out how they want to communicate with you, what they expect you to remember, when you should be responding, and what breaks their trust.

Blockchain = 27 agenda mentions

In theory there are many fantastic use cases for blockchain in the aviation and travel industry but where are the easy wins? At this stage the industry is still trying to understand the value that can be gained from investing in blockchain. From our extensive research we have found the main areas of interest to be around loyalty, payments, clearing and settlements. However, at the Festival this year we will be exploring all of the latest trials of this technology to find out where the sweet spots are.

Dee Waddell, global managing director, travel and transportation, IBM

“Blockchain solutions will change the way airlines manage payment and settlement between carriers and others, but it also has the power to enable an entirely new model of travel distribution.”

Check out the second part of our Digital Advisory Board Report which includes interview with airline CIOs on the potential of blockchain and other technologies. Download your free report here.

 Innovation = 25 agenda mentions

There is always a lot of talk around innovation, but in the past year aviation has genuinely begun to embrace some level of real innovation. There has been a rigidity to the way airlines and airports work but now we are finally starting to see some carriers are not only embracing a more agile and lean startup way of working but also engaging directly with the startup community.

Erik-Jan Gelink, CCO, Transavia
Learn about “How Transavia are aiming to become one the most innovative airlines in Europe” in an innovator keynote presentation, taking place on Thursday 6 September at 1440.

Read our blog here on how innovation sits at the heart of the aviation and travel industry.

Distribution = 18 agenda mentions

Airlines are now entering a new world of distribution; the landscape has changed more in the past two years than it has in the past decade. Since Lufthansa launched the DCC in 2015, other carriers have followed suit and embraced a new distribution model. Mostly now when we talk about distribution we refer to NDC – at this year’s Aviation Festival we will be exploring the grander vision for NDC and looking at what the vendor relationship will be like in five years’ time.

Guido van Til, SVP digital, KLM
Learna about “How KLM are entering the NDC world after the end of full content agreements” on Thursday 6 September at 1440.

Click on the company name for some here for some must-read content about distribution from our partners Farelogix and PROS.

Machine learning = 18 agenda mentions

Machine learning offers huge potential for the aviation industry. If airlines and airports can grasp how to use this technology at scale they will have the ability to streamline and simplify individual business processes. In addition to the operational benefits there is a massive amount of potential for airlines to gain a much deeper understanding of consumer behaviour along with opportunities to unlock ancillary services.

At the Aviation Festival we explore this huge potential and hear from some of the industry’s leading minds to help us all gain a better understanding of how it can help reimagine current processes.

Greg Williams, Editor In-Chief, Wired Magazine

Learn about “When software is eating the world and the aviation industry is facing significant disruption; how do we keep the customer as our central focus?” taking place on Wednesday 5 September at 0905.

Click here to read “Four Ways AI is Re-imagining the Future of Travel” by Mindtree.

Sponsored by Global Aviation Festival