The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events took place at the RDS Dublin on 10-12 June 2025. Firmly established as the definitive event for the EMEA region, at which air transport meets innovation, the show was delivered with the support of headline partners International Airlines Group (IAG), Enterprise Ireland, and Ryanair.
Under the theme of ‘Innovate to Elevate’, the event featured an end-to-end exhibition of the industry’s most progressive companies, the APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing conferences, an Interactive Workshop Zone, meetings of the FTE Communities (Baggage Innovation Working Group; Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub; and World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group), plus the FTE Ancillary & Retailing Awards, the FTE EMEA Transformation Power List, the unique FTE EMEA Innovate Awards, the APEX Best™ in Airline Awards, and a fantastic social and networking programme. Take a look at our visual round-up of the key highlights. The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events return to the RDS Dublin on 9-11 June 2026.
Join us at FTE Global – the “CES of Aviation” – in LA, 9 to 11 September 2025 – registration live >> Join us at APEX FTE Asia Expo in Singapore, 11 to 12 November 2025 – registration live >>An outstanding exhibition of innovative industry suppliers and our biggest-ever startup showcase
More than 50 of the most innovative industry providers showcased their solutions, products and services designed to help airports and airlines redefine the end-to-end passenger experience, optimise operational efficiency and sustainability efforts, and create new commercial endeavours both on the ground and up in the air. Some of the most established global players were present at the show, including CAVU, TravelX, BagID, Datalex, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), Meta, MSM.digital, Protect Group, TWAI, Vodafone Procure & Connect, Branchspace – digital reinvented, Enterprise Mobility, and Sherpa. Plus, the exhibition also featured the biggest-ever Startup Zone at the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events.
A unique social and networking programme
Future Travel Experience is renowned for its social and networking events and APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2025 was no exception. To kick-off the show, delegates were able to enjoy a City of Dublin Walking Tour courtesy of passenger disruption experts Plan3. This was followed by the APEX FTE Dublin Ice Breaker at BrewDog Dublin Outpost. At the end of Day 1 of the conferences and exhibition, attendees were treated to a Networking Reception and awards ceremony on the exhibition floor, with the awards sponsored by Vodafone Procure & Connect. The evening then continued at the ‘Summer in Dublin’ Travel Massive Meet-Up at the iconic Café en Seine.
Our best-ever keynote line-up with industry pioneer Ted Christie, IAG, Ryanair, daa, Aer Lingus, Meta, Booking.com and more
The conference agenda began with an incredible exclusive keynote from Ted Christie, an industry pioneer and former President & CEO of Spirit Airlines. “It’s about value, connection, and the little things,” he said. It was a truly inspirational keynote, in which Christie explored the evolving future of low-cost carriers in the US, highlighting the growing importance of loyalty partnerships, and stressing that delivering value isn’t just about price. It’s about reliability, timeliness, and creating emotional connections. Read the full article here.
In a compelling keynote, Nacho Tovar, Head of Corporate Venture Capital, International Airlines Group (IAG), shared exclusive insights into the new IAGi Accelerator and Ventures, highlighting how they are driving transformative innovation across the airline group. IAG is identifying, investing in, and scaling breakthrough technologies to create smarter, more sustainable and passenger-focused travel experiences across its global airline portfolio. Tovar’s insights centred on six key innovation and investment themes: artificial intelligence (AI), automation, sustainability and mobility, experiential platforms, connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT), and tech evolution and security.
In a compelling Fireside Chat, award-winning journalist and author Tom Lyons reflected on the remarkable rise of Ryanair, as detailed in his book Aer Dogs. He traced how Tony Ryan, Michael O’Leary, and a small group of Irish entrepreneurs transformed the airline from a loss-making side project into a global low-fare leader. Lyons highlighted Ryanair’s groundbreaking approach to ancillary revenue, its bold aircraft orders post-9/11, and the Ryan family’s continued influence through ventures across Latin America and Asia. The session offered powerful insights into Irish-led innovation, resilience, and the lasting global impact of the Ryanair model. Read the full article here.
In a standout keynote session at APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, Ryanair’s senior leadership team – John Hurley, Chief Technology Officer; Tom Kelly, Director of Ground Operations; Sinead Quinn, Director of Inflight; and Greg O’Gorman, Director of Ancillary Revenue – shared exclusive insights into how the airline is innovating across every facet of its operation. From digital platforms and airport processes to inflight service and ancillary strategy, the session highlighted Ryanair’s in-house tech development, data-led decision-making, and no-nonsense approach to improving the customer experience while staying true to its low-cost DNA. Read the full article here.
Day 2 of the conference agenda kicked off with an energising keynote panel exploring customer experience, innovation, digital transformation, and what’s next for the industry. Expertly moderated by Jamie Heaslip, Ireland & UK Strategic Growth Lead at Stripe, the discussion featured insights from Vincent Harrison, Chief Commercial & Development Officer at daa, and Dave O’Donovan, Chief Digital & Transformation Officer at Aer Lingus. It was a truly thought-provoking start to the day, setting the tone for even more big ideas and meaningful conversations.
Bastian Schütz, Head of XR in Travel at Meta, delivered a fascinating keynote on unlocking the potential of Extended Reality (XR) and immersive experiences. He explored the vast potential of Virtual and Mixed Reality in aviation, including enhanced training, improved operations, and revolutionary inflight experiences. It was an unmissable opportunity to discover how these technologies are poised to transform the industry, with an overriding mission to “build the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible.” Read the full article here.
How Booking.com is successfully tapping into the power of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) was the focus of an inspiring keynote delivered by Morna McAulay, Director of Trips Data Engineering at Booking.com, on the final day of the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing. With trust in AI for trip planning rising sharply – from 36% to 48% in just a year – Booking.com is responding with bold innovation. McAulay shared insights into the GenAI Trip Center, which was built in just six weeks, with active AI use cases spanning flights, attractions, and car hire. Booking.com aims to set the standard for how tech and the human touch can combine to create seamless, personalised travel experiences, with a focus on three key areas: innovation, data, and human touch. Read the full article here.
VIP tour of the exhibition
Day 1 of the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events featured a special VIP tour of the exhibition. Following his Opening Keynote, Ted Christie, industry pioneer and former President & CEO of Spirit Airlines, joined a high-level delegation alongside Rany Francois-Marie, CEO, AirIveria; Gudmundur Dadi Runarsson, Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Development Officer, Keflavik Airport; Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA; and Daniel Coleman, Founder & Chairman, Future Travel Experience.
Exclusive announcements from AMS, nlmtd, Avinor, BRU, LHR, ICN, Virgin Australia, HTS, and Retail inMotion
The co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events provided the ideal platform for a series of exclusive industry announcements. Five leading international airports – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Avinor, Brussels Airport, Heathrow, and Incheon International Airport – have joined forces under the BOOST collaboration to publish a landmark white paper redefining the future of baggage handling. The white paper was officially launched in the the ‘FTE EMEA Baggage Innovation Summit’ by Yorick Buys, Head of Baggage, Brussels Airport, and Wopke Dost, Programme Management Lead, nlmtd. Powered by innovation consultancy nlmtd, the BOOST White Paper sets out a shared vision to tackle longstanding challenges in baggage operations and fast-track a smarter, safer, and more sustainable future for the aviation industry. The BOOST initiative spun out of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group and aims to eliminate physical strain and improve working conditions for baggage workers by rapidly adopting advanced technologies. Read our full report on the BOOST White Paper launch here.
At the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events, Virgin Australia and HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) – a Gold Sponsor – announced that they have partnered to launch an enhanced hotel accommodation platform for the airline’s customers. This marks the first HTS partner to integrate HTS Stays – a modern accommodation solution for airlines to accelerate their cross-sell capabilities, into its direct channels. Read the full story here.
At the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events, Retail in Motion (RiM) – one of the world’s leading providers of retail and technology solutions for the travel industry – announced a new five-year contract with its longest-serving client, Ryanair, for onboard retail product, distribution and technology. Read the full story here.
SunExpress, Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Arcube and Emu Analytics recognised in industry’s definitive innovation competition
At the very heart of the event, the FTE EMEA Innovate Awards took centre stage as the industry’s definitive platform for innovation. These landmark awards are unlike anything else in the industry – a unique innovation pitch competition that brought together leading airlines, airports, and vendors from across the region to compete head-to-head and showcase their most forward-thinking initiatives. There were three awards categories: Most Innovative Airline Initiative, Most Innovative Airport Initiative, and Best New CX Concept. Each of the shortlisted entrants pitched on-stage in Dublin in an effort to impress our judges – Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends, Southwest Airlines; Rahel de Vriend, Head of Innovation Research and Scouting, TNW Programs; and Javed Malik, Founder, Bytes not Bricks (former COO, AirAsia Group & BLR Airport) – and our audience, whose all-important votes decided who won. The ceremony also saw the presentation of the FTE EMEA Startup Innovation Award. Read the full awards report here.
APEX FTE EMEA Conference
A key session focused on ‘AI, Innovation & Digital Transformation Excellence’. Ruairí Kell, Head of Innovation, showcased daa Labs’ cutting-edge initiatives, including a personalised mobile app, biometric enrolment, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered customer service to enhance operations and customer experience. Hakan Sögüt, SVP Customer Solutions, Turkish Airlines Technology, shared the airline’s bold ambition to rank among the top three global airlines for digital passenger experience – powered by biometric journeys, multimodal chatbots, and next-gen inflight connectivity. Following their insightful presentations, a dynamic discussion was moderated by Andrew Price, Aviation Consultant, Opermium. Read the full article here.
The FTE EMEA Baggage Innovation Summit explored how we can collaboratively bring new innovations to life to enhance baggage delivery in the very near future. The fast-paced, interactive discussion was moderated by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience, with panellists including Yorick Buys, Head of Baggage, Brussels Airport; Ina Eldøy, CEO, BagID; Pablo Lopez Loeches, Head of Ideation & Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Customer Experience Directorate, Aena; and Laurie Keita, Head of Baggage & Logistics, British Airways. They covered a broad of topics, such as engaging with startups, proof of concepts, and scaling; the biggest barriers to entry and how the industry can overcome them; funding – both CAPEX and OPEX – and whether costs should be shared between airports and airlines; the main safety and regulatory considerations, and much more. The FTE EMEA Baggage Innovation Summit concluded with the launch of a BOOST White Paper on redefining the future of baggage handling. Yorick Buys, Head of Baggage, Brussels Airport, and Wopke Dost, Programme Management Lead, nlmtd, shared how the BOOST White Paper sets out a shared vision to tackle longstanding challenges in baggage operations and fast-track a smarter, safer, and more sustainable future for the aviation industry. The BOOST initiative spun out of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group and aims to eliminate physical strain and improve working conditions for baggage workers by rapidly adopting advanced technologies. Read our full report on the BOOST White Paper launch here.
Giorgia Marizza, Acceleration Program, Open Innovation & Digital Specialist, Aeroporti di Roma, delivered an insightful presentation on the ‘Airports for Innovation’ network – a groundbreaking global collaboration driving the simultaneous rollout of cutting-edge solutions across major hubs. Marizza also revealed early results from the first joint ‘Call4Startups’ and what it means for the future of airport innovation.
Another key session focused on ‘Laying the foundations for an automated future – insights from industry pioneers’. Moderated by Ryan Ghee, Chief Operating Officer, Future Travel Experience, the session featured three compelling presentations.
Harvey Tate, Senior Manager – Airport Automation, discussed how International Airlines Group (IAG), is making the ‘Smart Stand’ a reality. He emphasised how IAG is taking innovation seriously, with €200 million in funding for the next five years – one of the biggest in aviation globally – and a four-step process:
- Research and PoC: “Support the vision, test first-hand impactful tech.”
- IAGi Accelerator: “Attract and do real and relevant things with top startups.”
- IAGi Ventures: “Invest in startups that generate key financial and strategic value.”
- Growth, Scaleup: “Assure innovation value materialisation in OpCos, IAG and ecosystem/society.”
Silvia Rey Abeijón, Innovator, Innovation Hub, Royal Schiphol Group, shared key nine key learnings on testing autonomous technology in Schiphol’s complex and regulated environment. It was a fascinating presentation, in which Abeijón highlighted that the value of autonomous operations is threefold:
- Sustainable: zero emissions, healthy environment and better working conditions.
- Efficient: decrease cost of operations, improve performance and customer experience.
- Future-proof: less human dependent, allowing the airport to scale on demand.
Asteris Apostolidis, Senior Lead, Technical Innovation & Emerging Technologies, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, presented invaluable insights into the airline’s journey to autonomous operations and building the right foundations. Apostolidis shared that the future of autonomy is to independently manage various aspects of KLM’s operations without direct human intervention; to reach a certain level of maturity in a set of core-enabling technologies, so the airline can apply them in different business domains and use cases with effectiveness, scalability, and ensured operability; and a higher autonomy in operations is cost-effective, minimises errors and disruptions, leads to optimum resource utilisation, and improves passenger experience.
A session on ‘Creating truly unique and memorable customer experiences – inspiration from across the globe’ was moderated by Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA. The interative panel discussion featured Eric Pateman, Vice President, Passenger Experience and Chief Experience Officer, Vancouver Airport Authority; Enda Kavanagh, Product Manager (Inflight Customer Experience), Aer Lingus; and Giorgia Marizza, Acceleration Program, Open Innovation & Digital Specialist, Aeroporti di Roma.
APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Conference
‘Inflight innovation – IFEC, ancillaries, payment and more’ was the subject of the opening session in the APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Conference. Moderated by Antonio Penim, Airline Engagement Director, Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), the session featured a compelling scene-setting from Kasia Holthouse, Sales Manager, Meta, and Camillo Stark, Deputy Managing Director (AR/VR Labs), MSM.digital, who shared their insights into shaping the future of inflight with immersive technologies – from inflight entertainment to inflight experience. This was followed by an interactive panel discussion, which was also joined by Dagmar Fischer, Head of Customer Experience, TUI, and Sebastian Blumenthal, Head of Digital Platforms, Product Innovation & Performance, Service Delivery, Emirates. Together, they explored inflight innovation, customer experience, inflight entertainment and connectivity, onboard ancillary revenue opportunities, and much more. Read the full article here.
A key session focused on ‘Advanced approaches to Modern Airline Retailing and Offer & Order management’. Moderator Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot, and APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Content Director, opened with a presentation on the ‘State of Airline Retailing’. He emphasised that modern airline retailing is about value creation through new processes and systems, and the most advanced airlines have started the final stage of the transformation. Dr Jost Daft, Head of Order Transformation, Lufthansa Group, shared how Offers & Orders enable the foundation that airline retailing needs. He explained that transformation starts with clarity, collaboration and commitment, while true transformation only happens when the whole ecosystem moves. Tiddo Veldhuis, VP Offer Management & Ancillaries, highlighted the evolution of the Air France-KLM offer, moving towards multiple offers. The future offer will transformation orchestration to become an airline retailer.
A highlight was ‘The AI Travel Retailing Symposium’, which explored how to successfully leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for dynamic offers, disruption management, customer engagement, trip planning and more. Moderated by Oana Savu, Strategic Advisor, Threedot, the panel discussion featured compelling insights from Baris Findik, Chief Technology Officer, Pegasus Airlines; Juan Pablo Lafosse, CEO, TravelX; and Carlos Ruiz, Director of Commercial Management, Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport.
‘What are the latest trends, and future opportunities, to drive up airline ancillary revenue success?’ That was the subject of a fast-moving panel discussion moderated by Kevin O’Shaughnessy, Founder, CityHook · Indigo. Fascinating insights were shared by a high-level panel, featuring Anne-Marie Tremblay-Quenneville, Ancillary Revenue Strategy Manager, Icelandair; Claire Walraven, Program Manager, Ancillary Revenue, WestJet; and Alan Dunne, Chief Product Officer, Datalex.
Another fast-paced, interative panel discussion focused on ‘Embracing new approaches and models to enhance commercial performance at airports’. Moderated by Albert Jan Prevoo, Director Innovation (Travel Retail), nlmtd; Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, London Gatwick; Guðmundur Daði Rúnarsson, Chief Commercial and Airport Development Officer, Keflavik Airport; Nolan Hough, Chief Growth Officer, CAVU; and Johannes Noack, Product Manager eCommerce, Fraport AG. The session explored key trends shaping airports’ commercial strategies, emphasising the growing role of technology and data in driving performance. Speakers highlighted how AI, automation, IoT, and emerging platforms like the metaverse can enhance passenger experiences and unlock new revenue opportunities. Future-focused discussions examined evolving traveller expectations and the need for retail offerings that cater to diverse demographics through a seamless blend of physical and digital engagement. The airport lounge was also identified as a critical space for differentiation and premium service delivery. Additionally, the importance of data-sharing and advanced personalisation was underscored, along with the need to rethink stakeholder business models to foster innovation, collaboration, and commercial growth.
A key session explored ‘Innovative airport strategies to deliver CX and commercial excellence’. Moderated by Dr Joe Leader, Group CEO, APEX/FTE/IFSA, it featured three insightful presentations. Eric Pateman, Vice President, Passenger Experience and Chief Experience Officer, Vancouver Airport Authority, highlighted how YVR is embracing the intersection between CX and commercial to create exciting new opportunities and experiences. In terms of driving non-aeronautical revenue, Pateman emphasised the importance of a differentiated experience, focusing on passenger needs, hyper-local concepts, and high customer service standards. Martin Jones, CEO, CAVU, discussed the connected trip and leveraging innovation for enhanced passenger experience and revenue growth. He highlighted how travellers are becoming more digitally savvy and expect the same level of convenience and personalisation from airports as they do from top ecommerce brands. This is pushing the industry toward better use of data, more dynamic offers, and connected platforms. Jones also shared details of propel – CAVU’s advanced ecommerce platform designed to drive growth, increase revenue, and deliver a seamless booking experience. Dr Jan-Henrik Andersson, Chief Commercial Officer, Munich Airport, shared insights into the unique collaboration between Munich Airport, Lufthansa and Miles & More, the impact it has had and the lessons learned. Indeed, key learnings from year one of the collaboration include the fact that personalisation and data-driven insights are crucial to create successful campaigns, qualitative as well as quantitative factors are decisive, the test-measure-learn principle is essential, and much more.
A compelling session on ‘Driving ancillary revenue success’ included three pioneering case studies. First, Stephan Heinz, Director, Partnerships & Monetisation, shared how LATAM Airlines is embracing product partnership innovation and monetisation to drive value across the customer journey. He explained that airlines offer the ideal marketing platform, with the onboard passenger a captive audience and their journey a platform for sampling products and experiences. Airlines capture a wealth of data on passenger demographics, and product segmentation means that target audiences are already segmented. Global footprint drives awareness in multiple markets. The ideal partnerships, Heinz said, deliver equal value to the airline and the partner. He also emphasised that effective partnership building requires a holistic approach that integrates the monetisation of physical assets alongside product partnerships.
A fascinating Fireside Chat with Tanya McCaffrey, Head of Ancillary Products, Virgin Australia, and Ella Alkalay Schreiber, SVP & GM of Fintech, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions), explored how travel fintech can deliver flexibility to customers and generate new revenue opportunities. They also unveiled an exciting new chapter in their partnership – the launch of HTS Stays. This marks the first HTS partner to integrate HTS Stays – a cutting-edge accommodation solution – into their direct channels, empowering airlines to accelerate cross-selling capabilities and enhance the traveller experience. Read our full report on the launch of HTS Stays here.
The session concluded with another compelling Fireside Chat focused on leveraging data to develop innovative parametric protection products. Moderated by Oana Savu, Strategic Advisor, Threedot, it featured Ruairi O’Driscoll, Head of Data Science, Protect Group, and Perry McShane, Director of Strategic Accounts, Blink Parametric.
‘Modern Airline Retailing: The right approach for all airlines of all sizes, or only for the industry giants?’ That was the focus of another key session, which was moderated by Mark Lenahan, Director, Lenahan Consulting Ltd. The session began with a virtual Fireside Chat with Surya Kuchibotla, VP eCommerce, Ancillary & Retailing, Oman Air, and David Turton, Chief Technology Officer, Branchspace – digital reinvented. Turton then participated in an interactive panel discussion, alongside Rany Francois-Marie Saad, Designated CEO, AIRIVERIA and Advisory Board Member, Global, and Joonas Leppävuori, Head of Products & Retailing Development, Finnair. This session explored the feasibility of all airline types – regardless of size, model, or market – becoming fully-fledged digital retailers. Panellists discussed the varying starting points for different carriers, emphasising that transformation is possible for all, provided the right strategic steps are taken. Special attention was given to smaller airlines, highlighting cost-effective approaches to digital retailing that don’t require the large budgets of major carriers. Key success factors included a clear vision, investment in data and personalisation, and cultural change within organisations. The session also examined the progress of early adopters, offering insights into both their successes and missteps, and stressed the importance of learning from these first movers to accelerate effective transformation across the industry.
Eric Léopold, Founder of Threedot and former Director Transformation at IATA, led an ‘Exclusive Educational Case Study & Workshop: Lessons learned, best practices and insights from 10 years of NDC implementation to Modern Airline Retailing’. This workshop-mode session included real airline case studies and feedback from participants.
Startup Pitch Session – a hotbed of innovation
The conference agenda also featured the ‘Startup Pitch Session Powered by the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub’. This showcased a diverse range of high-potential startups with a selection of pioneering products and services developed to enhance the customer experience, operational efficiency and commercial performance.
- Emu Analytics highlighted its digital twin for improved airside operations.
- Platform 195 explained how to build multi-million dollar media ancillary revenue stream.
- myPlane discussed the digitalisation of commercial charter flight distribution.
- Orb Media looked ‘Beyond Duty Free to Interactive Retail for the Passenger Economy’.
- Arcube discussed ancillaries, increasing average order value, and more.
Following the Startup Pitch Session, attendees had the opportunity to vote for their winner via the APEX FTE event app. The winner – Arcube – was then announced at the event finale, the FTE EMEA Innovate Awards ceremony. Read the full awards report here.
Interactive Workshop Zone: FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group members’ networking breakfast, plus Interactive Roundtables
The Interactive Workshop Zone provided a platform that encouraged engagement and interaction between participants. It featured interactive roundtables focused on ‘What can be done as an industry to accelerate bringing new innovations to life to enhance baggage handling?’ and ‘How can airlines successfully leverage the latest products, services and technologies to boost revenue generation onboard the aircraft?’
There was also a members’ meeting of the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group. The meeting featured a special roundtable discussion on ‘Innovative Approaches to Driving Passenger Spend’. Moderated by Eric Léopold, Founder, Threedot, and APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Content Director, the session fostered rich conversation and the exchange of actionable insights among industry peers.
Learn more about the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group >>Ryanair, IST, AirAsia, LHR, Wizz Air and MUC recognised in APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing Awards, plus Transformation Power List nominees recognised
Future Travel Experience announced the winners of the APEX FTE World Airline Ancillary and World Airport Retailing Awards, as well as the airline and airport leaders from the APEX FTE EMEA Transformation Power List. The presentation ceremony, sponsored by Vodafone Procure & Connect, was held at the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events as part of the Networking Reception. 25 airlines and 25 airports were shortlisted for the APEX FTE World Airline Ancillary & APEX FTE World Airport Retailing Awards 2025. Three airlines and three airports were awarded with bronze, silver and gold trophies, further to a voting process conducted through FTE Advisory Board members, and other key trusted collaborators. Meanwhile, the APEX FTE Airline/Airport Transformation Power Lists shine a light on the most transformative digital change enablers within the airline and airport industry in the EMEA region, who are pioneering new approaches that have the potential to improve travel for passengers and make the industry safer, more efficient and commercially successful. Read the full report here.
APEX Best™ in Airline Awards
The APEX Best™ in Airline Awards also took place during the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events. APEX leverages its incredible partnership with TripIt® from Concur®, the world’s most used travel-organising app, to gather anonymous passenger feedback based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights for the honours. For the 2025 Awards, over one million flights were rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale. On the same screen, passengers were given the opportunity to provide anonymous ratings in five inflight subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage (presented in conjunction with IFSA), entertainment, and Wi-Fi. The single screen rating allows airline passengers to easily rate their flight in less than 15 seconds. Learn more by visiting the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) website here.
FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub members-only event
The FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub members, including international airlines, airports, investors, and vendors, attended an engaging event hosted by Microsoft at its Dublin headquarters. Following opening remarks from Ryan Ghee, Chief Operating Officer, Future Travel Experience, and Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends at Southwest Airlines and Head of Innovation, Digitalisation & Startup Engagement at Future Travel Experience, a fantastic opening presentation was delivered by Russell Banks, Azure Infrastructure Go-To-Market Manager Ireland, Microsoft. Banks shared compelling insights into driving artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. Offering a high-level Microsoft perspective, he discussed how AI transformation will shift work towards complex, high human judgement tasks. Banks explained that Microsoft Copilot tools have assisted teams in reducing repetitive tasks, saving hours per week. He encouraged aviation leaders to begin using AI now for tasks such as document search and meeting notes support, rather than waiting until every detail is perfected.
Innovation translated directly into operational readiness as five high-growth startups – Causal Labs, Hello Lamp Post, UrbanFox, Arcube, and ARuVR – took the stage to present proven solutions. Each showcased technology already deployed or in active pilots, reinforcing the event’s focus on real-world progress.
Members then heard fascinating presentations from Catherine Grant, Senior Client Advisor, TravelTech, Enterprise Ireland, and Rahel de Vriend, Head of Innovation Research & Scouting, TNW Programs (now part of the nlmtd family). Catherine Grant shared insights into how Enterprise Ireland is a key player in the Irish startup ecosystem, working with partners to ensure a healthy pipeline of innovative and scalable startups. Meanwhile, Rahel de Vriend shared the TNW Programs perspective on the aviation startup ecosystem.
The packed agenda concluded with a panel and interactive group discussion focused on ‘Navigating Open Innovation to Shape the Future’. Moderated by Kevin Kleist, Head of Emerging Trends, Southwest Airlines, panellists included Jorie Sax, Head of Innovation Lab, United Airlines; Rahel de Vriend, Head of Innovation Research & Scouting, TNW Programs; Rob Blair, Chief Commercial Officer, Springshot; and Dar Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, Causal Labs. Read the full article here.
Learn more about the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub >>FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting at AWS, plus exclusive Schiphol baggage tour
Ahead of the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing events, members of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) had the opportunity of an exclusive visit to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This provided a unique opportunity to engage in a timewarp tour of robotics in the baggage space at Schiphol – exploring technology from 12 years ago to the present. The tour included Schiphol’s original robotic build cell, the COBOT lift loading aid, the Eltonomous loading aid, the Aurrigo autonomous container vehicle, the new container tipper unloader for inbound bags, and more.
The BIWG meeting in Dublin was preceded by an exclusive tour of the Amazon Fulfilment Centre. The meeting itself, which took place at Amazon Web Services (AWS) headquarters in Dublin, was led by Darin Juby, Head of Transformation, Future Travel Experience, and had a packed agenda.
Bob Kwik, Worldwide Head of Airports and Ground Transportation, AWS, shared a fascinating presentation on the ‘Airports AI Alliance’, as well as examples of airport adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and GenAI. Kwik explained that airports want to innovate and transform – the ‘Airports AI Alliance’, of which AWS is a founder, assists the aviation industry to deploy AI solutions effectively and responsibly by bringing together C-suite airport leaders, who are committed to creating a roadmap for their organisation. Kwik shared key lessons learned in terms of implementing airport AI and highlighted the importance of adopting a culture of experimentation and taking an iterative approach.
There was then a fascinating update on the BOOST initiative, which spun out of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group and aims to eliminate physical strain and improve working conditions for baggage workers by rapidly adopting advanced technologies. Five leading international airports have joined forces as members of BOOST – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Avinor, Brussels Airport, Heathrow, and Incheon International Airport. At the in-person BIWG meeting in Dublin, Wopke Dost, Programme Management Lead, nlmtd; Dennis van Kleef, Programme Lead Baggage, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol; Yorick Buys, Head of Baggage, Brussels Airport; and Jamie Ratcliffe, Senior Baggage Product Development Manager, Heathrow, provided an update on the BOOST Proof of Concepts taking place, emphasising that the collaboration aims to accelerate baggage automation by “innovation doing”, and previewing a new BOOST White Paper on redefining the future of baggage handling.
Learn more about the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group >>What’s next – FTE Global, LA, 9 to 11 September 2025, and APEX FTE Asia Expo, Singapore, 11 to 12 November 2025
Many thanks to our partners and sponsors
You may also be interested in
12 technology and CX trends that can enhance airline and airport operations in 2025
