ADR, Riyadh Air, AMS, Lufthansa, DOH, PLAY, Vantage Airport Group and easyJet recognised in FTE EMEA Awards

Future Travel Experience has recognised the most transformative change enablers within the airline and airport industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the FTE EMEA Awards. Winners were announced in the FTE Airline/Airport Transformation Power Lists EMEA, the FTE World Airline Ancillary and FTE World Airport Retailing Awards, and the APEX Passenger Choice Awards, during a presentation ceremony, sponsored by FLYR Labs, at the co-located FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing events (23-25 May 2023, RDS Dublin).

FTE Airport Transformation Power List EMEA 2023 – Outstanding Achievement

Emanuele Calà, Vice President Innovation & Quality, Aeroporti di Roma

Emanuele Calà, Vice President Innovation & Quality, is the driving force behind Aeroporti di Roma’s (ADR) ‘Innovation Hub’, which opened last October with the goal of “putting the passenger at the centre by anticipating their needs”. This is, importantly, delivering real, meaningful engagement with startups – something Future Travel Experience champions strongly via the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub, of which ADR is a prominent member. The company’s latest initiative – ADR Ventures – is an additional tool to help startups, which will finance the development of projects in areas with high innovation potential. ADR is leading an open innovation strategy and really playing its part in “ensuring the development of an advanced ecosystem for innovation in the sector”.

Lennert l’Amie, Chief Information Officer, Royal Schiphol Group (accepted by Sjoerd Blum, Schiphol Group Aviation Solutions)

Lennert l’Amie was appointed Chief Information Officer at Royal Schiphol Group in February 2023, with a philosophy that “technology and data are crucial to continue to meet the challenges ahead, from passenger experience to the pressure on the labour market”. He is playing a key role in furthering Royal Schiphol Group’s ‘Vision 2050’, which looks “over the horizon” with three categories of innovation – Earth, Moon and Mars. The emphasis is on “aiming for the Moon and Mars” with a central plan for fully autonomous airside operations by 2050. Efforts are also focused on the future of baggage, with “disruptive, high quality baggage services to make optimal use of capacity”. Meanwhile, new technology, powered by Artificial Intelligence, is expected to enable travellers to go through security checks faster, without compromising on safety. The award was accepted on Lennert l’Amie’s behalf by Sjoerd Blum, Schiphol Group Aviation Solutions.

Suhail Kadri, Senior Vice President Technology & Innovation, Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport was firmly in the global spotlight last November and December during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Suhail Kadri, Senior Vice President Technology & Innovation, Hamad International Airport, focused for the last two years on delivering health, safety and core infrastructure and operational systems, plus cyber security, in preparation for the tournament. The airport’s preparations also included significant investment in customer-centric innovative technologies to provide a fast, seamless travel experience. Kadri is leading the airport’s continuing innovation efforts as it this year moves into Phase B of its expansion and strengthens its ambition of being “the leading global digital airport”. In addition to his position as Senior Vice President, Technology & Innovation at Hamad International Airport, Kadri is Chair of the ACI World IT Standing Committee. He is therefore also recognised for his strong leadership role within the industry.

FTE Airline Transformation Power List EMEA 2023 – Outstanding Achievement

Abe Dev, Vice President Digital & Innovation, Riyadh Air

The rise of Saudi Arabia’s air transport sector is among our industry’s biggest stories right now. The new airlines and airports taking shape there will redefine excellence and disruptive approaches, none more so than Riyadh Air, which was established in March 2023 with the vision to be at “the cutting edge of digital aviation” and serve 100 destinations by 2030. It is also right in the middle of running some PoCs that could potentially change the way full-service airlines deliver digital services. Indeed, the airline is looking to build innovation in both the customer and employee experience, and deliver a product that is next-gen, seamless and intuitive. Abe Dev, Vice President Digital & Innovation, Riyadh Air, is recognised for leading efforts to be at the cutting-edge of technology, enabling digital innovation at every passenger touchpoint, and being “a true disruptor in terms of guest experience”.

Thomas Rückert, Chief Information Officer, Lufthansa Group (accepted by Björn Becker, Head of Program Future Intercont Experience, Lufthansa Group)

Thomas Rückert became Chief Information Officer at Lufthansa Group in January 2021, with a comprehensive remit that includes implementing the group’s IT strategy, IT security and IT infrastructure, as well as coordinating its digitalisation projects. He has enabled the design of “customer-centric airlines” through innovative, fast and flexible information management. Rückert has led efforts to sharpen the airline group’s focus on the customer by digitalising touchpoints throughout the journey. The aim is to offer tailor-made customer information and self-service elements through digitalisation and to make the travel experience even more comfortable through increasing personalisation of products and services along the whole travel chain. Furthermore, the airline group is intensively working on enhancing and digitalising its customer services with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies. The award was accepted on Thomas Rückert’s behalf by Björn Becker, Head of Program Future Intercont Experience, Lufthansa Group.

Georg Haraldsson, Chief Information Officer, PLAY Airlines

PLAY Airlines launched operations two years ago with a strong digital focus. Building on the success that was recognised last year, including the launch of a new Internet Booking Engine to build a solid digital platform, as well as a chatbot and new disruption management tool to enhance the passenger experience, Georg Haraldsson, Chief Information Officer, PLAY Airlines, has led the implementation of progressive, customer-centric solutions that are designed to both enhance the passenger experience and increase ancillary revenue. This includes launching a cutting-edge digital retail platform and payment gateway technology to offer a more convenient and streamlined travel experience.

FTE Airport Transformation Power List EMEA 2023 – Highly Commended

• Aaron Beeson, Innovation Director, VINCI Airports
• Wolfgang Standhaft, Chief Information Officer, Fraport
• Nick Woods, Chief Information Officer, Manchester Airports Group

FTE Airline Transformation Power List EMEA 2023 – Highly Commended

• Keenan Hamza, Vice President Technology Futures & Innovation, The Emirates Group
• Joel Goldberg, Chief Digital Officer, Wizz Air
• Martin Mitev, Innovation Lead, airBaltic

FTE World Airline Ancillary Award – easyJet

20 airlines, from every corner of the planet and representing every type of airline, were nominated for the FTE World Airline Ancillary Award, which was presented by Niels Colemont, Head of New Optimization Programs, FLYR Labs. Our judges were unanimous in choosing easyJet as their winner, with the award accepted by Russell Braterman, Proposition & Innovation Director, easyJet. Impressively, easyJet’s ancillary revenue last year was 15% higher than in 2019, despite passenger numbers being 27% lower. Its impressive efforts also included entering the lounge space, while accelerating its ambition to deliver an industry-leading, digital onboard experience has seen it rollout inflight technology provider AirFi’s portable streaming solution across the entire fleet. This inflight system powers a customised wireless engagement portal, enabling passengers to access games, journey-specific content and airline information, plus browse inflight retail offerings using their own mobile phone, tablet or laptop.

FTE World Airport Retailing Award – Vantage Airport Group

20 airports from around the world were nominated for the FTE World Airport Retailing Award, which was presented by Martin Jones, CEO, CAVU and recognises the most pioneering airport that has gone to the next level in the way it has embraced technology and innovation to shape its airport retail proposition and drive commercial innovation. Our winner is Vantage Airport Group and the award was accepted by Sammy Patel, Vice President Commercial. Vantage Airport Group is innovating commercially in three key areas: automation and robotics, accelerated digital transformation and immersive experiences. These efforts include the deployment of autonomous robots for the delivery of retail and food & beverage; contactless payment options, self-checkout, and mobile ordering; and transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Virtual and Augmented Reality. Innovating in these areas is increasing efficiency, driving revenue, and ultimately improve the customer experience. The judging panel were particularly impressed with the commercial offering at LaGuardia Terminal B, which Vantage Airport Group operates, with many eye-catching innovations and concepts for all passenger types.

APEX Passenger Choice Awards

Meanwhile, the APEX Passenger Choice Awards also took place at the show, recognising airlines from Europe, South America and North America for their outstanding CX efforts as voted for across 1.2 million flights through TripIt. See APEX news channels for more on the winners.