PEC Overview 2021

Digital interfacing has rapidly become the default way of doing business as we all seek to avoid touching communal surfaces and screens and keep our distance from each other. But travel should also be about emotional connections and journeys that delight. What should this look like for air travel and the inflight experience as we embark on recovery? How can we build the human touch back into flying and create new personal and people-centric experiences? How should our approach be informed by insights from the travel and hospitality sectors?

Hear from Muirhead’s leading sustainable innovations in the leather industry, providing the world’s lowest carbon leather, the strategies they have in place to be zero carbon and zero waste, and how they can help customers achieve their carbon emission targets.

Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, aviation, rail and passenger experience leaders are continuing to innovate new cabin environments and preparing to launch new routes, even new airlines. Consumers expectations of the brands they engage with, and their priorities in relation to evidenced hygiene and comfort have significantly shifted over the same period. How are the latest onboard service and interiors solutions addressing new traveller needs? And how are underlying passenger experience business models evolving to create robust businesses for the future?

Cristian Sutter
Chief Executive Officer,
Avensis Aviation

Ingo Wuggetzer
Vice President Cabin Marketing, Airbus

Juliane Trummer
Vice President Strategy & Design, mormedi

Anne Bigand
Passenger Experience Director, Alstom

Collaboration is key when it comes to innovative solutions for the aircraft cabin. A next-generation content supply chain is essential to ensure seamless integration across technologies and systems and to enhance the digital passenger experience in the aircraft.

Air travel confront passengers with a visible disability with a whole range of challenges. There is a much larger cohort with invisible impairments who also feel a loss of dignity from onboard processes in particular and, as a result, are stressed even before they start their journey. Breaking down the barriers to make air dignified for all requires innovation and mindset changes. How then should the aviation community collaborate to take a harmonised and human-centric approach to accessibility? What mechanisms would foster greater innovation? And how can airlines, airports and regulators support adoption?

Christopher Wood
Aviation Accessibility Consultant, Flying Disabled

Sebastian Petry
Director of Innovation, Panasonic Avionics

Sara Marchant
Service Manager – Passengers Requiring Support, Heathrow Airport

Rene Adam
Head of Research and Technology,  FACC

Nico Langmann
Professional Wheelchair Tennis Player, Participant at the Paralympics, Tokyo 2020

This session will consist of a keynote by Ian Golding on Customer Experience followed by a panel discussion with players from the aviation industry on the importance and potential of customer experience on inflight connectivity.

Ian Golding
Global Customer Experience Specialist, Customer Experience Consultancy Ltd

Jan-Peter Gaense
Head of Passenger Experience Solutions, Lufthansa Systems

Mark Cheyney
Inflight Connectivity Development Manager, Virgin Atlantic

The coronavirus pandemic has fast-tracked new thinking on materials and manufacturing techniques as well as the adoption of technologies and methodologies that underpin innovation and co-creation. How can we harness these new components and processes to transform the cabin experience? How are these approaches changing the way the passenger experience community collaborates? What opportunities do they offer to reinvigorate the supply chain to meet the challenges of 2022 and beyond?

Martin Darbyshire
Chief Executive Officer,
tangerine 

Samantha Bunyan
Head of Industry Engagement & Sustainability, Cecence

Roy Bjorlin
Vice President Business Development, e2ip technologies

In recent times food packaging has come under immense scrutiny … Sustainability is the biggest feature…however where lies the answer? The objective of this panel session is to understand the contemporary challenges faced by the inflight catering industry, specifically when it comes to sustainable food packaging, waste of good food and waste stream problems.

Climate change is demanding disruptive thinking from the entire aviation industry and the cabin community has a vital role to play in effecting the necessary paradigm shift. Just how far can we push light-weighting and what materials and technologies will support these initiatives? How should we build end-of-life repurposing into product development processes – and make it easier to recycle? How should we assign value to sustainability and what impact will it have on the business models underpinning the market for interior products and spares? Furthermore, how should we engage with passengers on the industry's sustainable journey?

Murdo Morrison
Head of Strategic Content, Flightglobal

Jan-Boris Philipp
Head of Research System,
Diehl Aviation

Gary Doy
Managing Director,
Doy Design

Consumers increasingly expect to micromanage their lives and their travel – at a granular level through their personal devices. Yet the inflight space has some way to go before it is fully connected to the mobile ecosystem. What strategies should airlines and their partners adopt to meet travellers’ expectations for a more connected – and touchless – inflight experience? Where are the opportunities to support greater customisation of the cabin and help crew to deliver great experiences to their passengers?

Seth Miller
Editor,
Pax.Ex.Aero

Celine Canu
Head Passenger Process & Facilitation, International Air Transport Association

Chris Rogerson
Vice President of Global Sales, Inmarsat Aviation

Ron Verweij
Senior Manager, UX Design & Innovation Connectivity, Safran Cabin

Philippe Combe
Portfolio Manager Mobile ONAIR, SITA

The entry point to convert passengers into customers has traditionally been in the lead-up to flying and when they are in the aircraft. Offering retailing services before and after the journey (and at any other time for that matter) is an opportunity waiting to be explored. What are the challenges for airlines with ambitions to become lifestyle and travel platforms? What are the key digital and business strategies that will support this transformation? And what can be learnt from recent digital travel initiatives?

Daniel Welch
Senior Analyst,
Valour Consultancy

Kian Gould
Founder and Chairman,
Omnevo

Manuel Hübschmann
Retail Director,
Retail inMotion

After more than a year of planning for accelerated adoption of new innovations and processes, there is more disruption to come. Airlines, engineering and passenger experience leaders continue to reimagine the travel journey. How will initiatives to bring electric and hybrid electric or hydrogen cell aircraft to service inform experiences in commercial cabins? How will new business jet and new air vehicle business models and services compete with or complement the commercial fleet and the extended journey? And how should airlines be reshaping their value proposition so that it’s a win-win for their businesses and their passengers?

Dr. Stathis Kefallonitis
Aviation Business & Passenger Intelligence, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Ben Kaufman
Director, Marketing & Communications, JSX

George Land
Commercial Business Development Director, Hybrid Air Vehicles 

Craig M. Vogel
FIDSA, Professor of Design; President, the Live Well Collaborative