A first of its kind Think Tank that has brought together a selection of the key players charged with defining the future in-flight passenger experience will exclusively reveal its “Onboard 2025” vision and recommendations in the ‘Up in the Air’ conference at Future Travel Experience Global 2015, which will take place in Las Vegas from 9th-11th September.
This groundbreaking project brings together senior figures from Airbus, Avianca, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Panasonic Avionics and Honour Branding who have held frequent brainstorming sessions over the last three months to create a detailed joint vision to answer the following question: “What is needed to increase the speed at which industry progress in improving the passenger experience up in the air is achieved, and what might the passenger experience onboard narrow-body aircraft look like by 2025?”
Each of the Think Tank members – Ingo Gäthje, Head of Cabin Design Office, Airbus; Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, Senior Vice President Ground Operations, In-flight Services & Cargo, Norwegian Air Shuttle; Neil James, Executive Director of Corporate Sales & Product Management, Panasonic Avionics Corporation; Rodrigo Llaguno, Vice President – Customer Experience, Avianca; and Think Tank Captain Mike Crump, Product & Innovation Director, Honour Branding – will take to the stage together in Las Vegas to unveil their “Onboard 2025” vision.
The presentation will cover Cabin Design & Passenger Comfort, In-flight Entertainment & Connectivity, Crew & Passenger Empowerment, and Cabin Classes & Differentiation Strategies, exploring how each aspect of the onboard experience will be influenced by a variety of key developments over the next decade, including technological advancements, changing passenger demands, evolving market trends, increased demand for personalisation and next-generation cabin design. The Think Tank will not just present a vision, though; it will also reveal a raft of recommendations to the industry on what steps need to be taken by all stakeholders to make this vision a reality.
‘We need to make sure the future isn’t shaped by the past’
Neil James, Executive Director of Corporate Sales & Product Management, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, lauded the role that this Think Tank can play in shaping the passenger experience of 2025. “No one has a crystal ball, but our industry needs thought leadership and informed debate – we often see a stage set for vendors to sell at events like this as a thinly veiled ‘education’ session – this is not that.
“This is a group of decision makers from companies who are shaping the roadmap for the future of travel identifying challenges and offering solutions. We see many airlines trying to make decisions today for a 2020+ aircraft. They need to know that there are people who want to help them anticipate the challenges and set the stage for solutions to be delivered. We need to make sure that the future isn’t shaped by the past – we need to think beyond current programmes to break that cycle.”
Building on this point, Honour Branding’s Mike Crump, the Think Tank Captain, said: “By taking a 10-year vision on what customers and airlines need, we have a greater opportunity to effect change with the OEMs and supplier base that will create the aircraft interiors and passenger experience of the future. Drawing upon industry experts across the globe, the insights and strategies drawn from this Think Tank are a valuable tool for any airline considering investing in new narrow-body aircraft in the future.”
Collaborating to define the industry’s future
Avianca’s Rodrigo Llaguno also explained why he has invested so much time into helping to shape this pioneering “Onboard 2025” vision: “The great advantage of this is that all the parties involved in defining the passenger experience are involved in the project. This is not just a trade or airline or supplier initiative – all of the players involved in this Think Tank are the ones that are defining the industry’s future. 2025 may sound like a long way away, but if we’re going to align to define the future we need to do that now. Collaboration is so important – there’s no other way to do it. None of the players can go it alone. You have to collaborate in order succeed.”
The FTE Onboard 2025 Think Tank will exclusively reveal its vision and recommendations in the ‘Up in the Air’ conference at Future Travel Experience Global 2015, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas from 9th-11th September 2015 – register now to ensure you don’t miss the unveiling of the game-changing Think Tank vision and recommendations.
If you have any thoughts or ideas on how the onboard experience of 2025 will differ from today’s experience, please leave a comment below and it will be forwarded on to the Think Tank members.
» View the full ‘Up in the Air’ conference agenda
» Register to attend FTE Global 2015
