AIX and WTCE Virtual: Day 2 recap

Day 2 of the virtual edition of Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) has been another resounding success, with expert sessions, exhibitor launches and the announcement of the Crystal Cabin Award winners.

Lessons from the experts
Attendees have garnered knowledge on the latest insight and trends through industry experts sharing their experiences on how to elevate business strategy and embrace the trends of the future.

Kick-starting the second day of the Passenger Experience Conference was experts from Lufthansa Systems, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa Group, Deutsche Telekom AG and Customer Experience Consultancy Ltd. They addressed how airlines can offer their passengers more value with digitization and outstanding customer experience, and the importance and potential of customer experience on inflight connectivity.

The second session of the day explored how the 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. Representatives from tangerine, ADS, Cecence, e2ip Technologies, Munich Studio Designworks, and the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research discussed how innovative materials and methodologies are underpinning recovery, and how these approaches are changing the way the passenger experience community collaborates.

Helping attendees understand how to reduce the cabin’s environmental footprint, speakers from FlightGlobal, Diehl Aviation, DOY Design, Boeing and Collins Aerospace demonstrated how climate change is demanding disruptive thinking from the entire aviation industry. While the final session looked at strategies for a digital revolution in the cabin, with valuable insights shared by representatives from PaxEx.Aero, IATA, Inmarsat Aviation, Safran and SITA.

Tailored sessions for aircraft interiors and onboard catering professionals
Highlights from Day 2 of AIX Sessions include a presentation on the outlook for commercial aviation and the interiors market, moderated by Andrew Doyle, Senior Director of Strategy at Cirium. Rob Morris, Head of Consultancy, Ascend by Cirium, was first to take the virtual stage, with the latest insights on the outlook for commercial aviation and answering the question: has the landscape changed forever? He discussed the company’s ‘scenario projections’ for the future, looking at when demand might recover to 2019 levels. One such scenario, coupled with new IATA forecast data, predicted a strong rebound in traffic in 2022, implying a strong recovery in both active fleet and utilisations.

Gary Weissel, Managing Officer at Tronos Aviation Consulting, shortly followed, discussing how fleet size is currently driving the interior market, sharing a five-year forecast for regional jets, widebody and narrowbody aircraft. Finally, in a panel discussion, Andrew, Rob and Gary were joined Beth de Young and Harald Mehring to delve deeper into the key issues facing the aviation sector.

As part of WTCE Virtual’s education programme, the popular Taste of Travel sessions, produced in association with Onboard Hospitality, feature discussions covering food allergies and managing wellness onboard. The panel, featuring experts from Niche Free From Kitchen, Virgin Atlantic, Food Allergy Aware and Creative Nature debated whether certain allergens should be banned completely. One of the panellists, founder of Creative Nature, Julianne Poonan described how she was once refused access to board a plane due to her severe and multiple allergies, despite having advised the airline in advance. With an increasing number of people suffering from severe allergies, the panel discussed whether it would make sense to ban certain allergens from the aircraft completely. Caroline Benjamin from Food Allergy Aware commented: “People don’t smoke on flights anymore because of the health risks, so why do we allow, for example, peanuts onboard?” People might think it’s an infringement of their human rights but I’m sure passengers would be happy with an alternative if it meant keeping someone safe.”

Experts from IFSA Foundation Board and Hayward Partnership, LSG Group, Purpose Made Solutions Limited, Onboard Hospitality Magazine, Niche Free-From Kitchen and Monty’s Bakehouse explore the opportunity for a career in onboard hospitality. The panel revealed how the pandemic has impacted the talent pool, with many companies having to re-boot with fewer people. With a real need to build back the strength of the knowledge pool and encourage companies to rethink how they recruit, the panel addressed the critical question of how to bring the onboard hospitality industry to the forefront as an exciting and enticing choice for those new to the industry.

The Taste of Travel and AIX Sessions will be available on-demand for attendees to view on the final day of AIX and WTCE Virtual.

Crystal Cabin Award Winners Announced
The Crystal Cabin Awards, the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovations, was also presented at AIX Virtual on Day 2 of the show. The session opened up with a keynote discussion looking at how air travel might evolve in the next few years and how the industry recovery might change cabin layouts. The panel was made up of experts from the judging panel including Ingo Wuggetzer, Vice President Cabin Marketing at Airbus, Bridget Sheriff, VP Engineering & Technology at Collins Aerospace and Prof Peter Vink from the Delft University of Technology. They discussed major topics including sustainability, the future of premium economy and more.

A high-calibre jury made up of these experts as well as other renowned academics, engineers, specialist journalists and airline and aircraft manufacturer representatives, crowned Safran Cabin with the “Clean & Safe Air Travel” category award. The Beacon Clean Lavatory concept combines dual-access sanitize and refresh facilities together with the best biocidal materials and technologies.

Safran cleaned up at the 2021 award ceremony, as it was then announced that Safran Seats had been awarded the “Judges Choice” Award for its INTERSPACE concept with Universal Movement. Interspace is dedicated to improving rest and sleep in Business Class and Premium Economy. ‘Comfort through flexibility’ is the motto behind the concept: padded wings the full length of the seat, which can be folded out of the backrest as needed and provide both headrest and privacy. The fact that this “comfort zone” can be retrofitted made it a favourite with the jury.

Exciting launches and product innovations from leading suppliers
The global cabin interiors and onboard services community has also been busy exploring the latest product innovations from more than 150 exhibitors. At AIX Virtual Deutsche Telekom revealed how its in-flight connectivity solutions are taking passenger connectivity experience to the highest level. Using the industry’s largest partner ecosystem, the company is supporting the aviation industry by streamlining processes and sharing insights on what passengers really want. All that enables revenue growth along every step of an airline’s journey – pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight.

At WTCE Virtual, PLAYin CHOC showcased its range of chocolate products, which have scooped some 19 awards since the company launched in 2018. The brand’s packaging is 100% recyclable and plastic-free, while the ingredients are natural, organic and Soil Association certified. Furthermore, being vegan and free from 14 of the main allergens means they can be enjoyed by almost everyone.

Another exhibitor, Snackboxtogo, will be showing its range of premium onboard snacks in sustainable packaging, such as Rösti Snack, its carbon-neutral potato nibbles. The company also distributes cashews from Sunshine Nut Company, produced in Mozambique, where they are harvested, roasted and packed in airtight 30g bags by local people, meaning they are fresh and have a low carbon footprint.

Day 3: Final chance to source, network and learn

AIX and WTCE Virtual returns tomorrow for the final day of sourcing, networking, and learning opportunities. Attendees can join exhibitors to explore the latest solutions for the global cabin interiors and onboard services industries, while a busy day of conference sessions will shine the light on a number of the most prevalent trends and challenges facing the industry.

At the Passenger Experience Conference, attendees can join live sessions on the following:

• Passenger-engagement-as-a-service – the new revenue driver? (11:00-12:00 CEST)
• Getting ready for the next round of disruptive innovation (15:30-16:30 CEST)

Attendees can also catch up on missed sessions on-demand and explore new content. At AIX Virtual, this includes the Women Behind Aviation panel, while a second session will explore the Design exchange between the business aviation and commercial airline interior sectors. At WTCE’s Taste of Travel, sustainability champions will debate how the global industry is coming together to support the challenges of environmentally conscious onboard hospitality provision in Where to next? Sustainability trends, while a session on New Catering Concepts will look at the accelerated trend towards pre-ordering and how technology and personalisation is driving this shift.

For more information and to register to attend, click here for AIX and click here for WTCE.

AIX and WTCE Virtual replace the live editions, which will not take place in 2021 due to the ongoing challenges and global restrictions on international travel. AIX and WTCE will return to Hamburg from 14-16 June 2022 at the Hamburg Messe.