As we bring another exciting and eventful year to a close, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you for being part of the Future Travel Experience community. Across Pittsburgh, Dublin, Long Beach, and Singapore, thousands of industry leaders came together to share ideas, challenge conventions, and push our sector forward – and none of it would have been possible without your support.
To mark the end of 2025 and as a show of our gratitude to you for being part of our unique community, we’re delighted to share a selection of exclusive session highlights from our global events, including some of the most talked-about moments of the year, now available for you to revisit or experience for the first time. We’re confident these videos will provide you with valuable knowledge and insights as you prepare your organisation for the future.
Mark your diary for FTE’s 2026 global event schedule in Dublin, Dallas and Singapore:
- APEX FTE EMEA, co-located with Ancillary & Retailing and the new Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation Summit – 9-11 June 2026, Dublin.
- FTE Global – 8-10 September 2026, Dallas, Texas. Headline Partners: DFW, Southwest Airlines and Dallas Love Field Airport.
- APEX FTE Expo Asia – 18-19 November 2026, Singapore. Combining APEX Global EXPO with FTE’s regional APAC event.
Keynote address from Ted Christie, Former President & CEO, Spirit Airlines
The conference agenda at the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2025 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.
Visit the APEX FTE Dublin 2026 website >>Exclusive Ryanair Deep Dive
In a standout keynote session at APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing 2025, 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.
Visit the APEX FTE Dublin 2026 website >>An exclusive interview with British Airways CEO Sean Doyle ahead of his keynote at the FTE World Innovation Summit
Cutting-edge technology introduced as part of British Airways’ £7 billion transformation investment programme has seen the airline boost its operational performance to record levels. In this video interview at the FTE World Innovation Summit 2025 – ahead of his exclusive keynote – Sean Doyle, Chairman & CEO, British Airways, discusses how artificial intelligence (AI), forecasting, optimisation and machine learning have transformed the airline’s operational performance and become an integral part of getting customers to where they need to be with minimal delay to their travel plans. Every part of British Airways now uses this latest technology, which has significantly increased the number of flights departing on time or ahead of their scheduled take-off times. Read our full report on Sean Doyle’s exclusive keynote at the FTE World Innovation Summit here.
FTE Global Opening Keynote Session with Vantage Group & OUTCOME
The FTE Global 2025 Opening Keynote Session included compelling keynotes from George Casey, Chair and CEO, Vantage Group, and Dan Toma, Co-founder, OUTCOME. Vantage Group is an industry leader in investment, development, management, and advisory services around the world with major airport and transportation facilities active across the globe, including the new T6 at JFK which opens in early 2026. George Casey shared how the group is innovating and driving collaboration between airport operator, airline tenants and stakeholder partners to transform facilities, overcome challenges, create better passenger experiences, and drive operational efficiency & revenue performance. FTE Global is renowned for its high-level keynotes from innovators outside of our industry and this year was no different. In an inspiring innovation keynote, Dan Toma focused on ‘From “Moonshots” to a “Space Program” in Enterprise Innovation: Making Growth Repeatable and Scalable’. He explored what it takes to build a true “space program”: a system which consistently generates and scales, bold ideas that drive measurable growth.
Visit the FTE Global 2026 website >>FTE Global Finale Keynote with Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines
An undoubted highlight of the FTE Global 2025 conference agenda was the finale keynote interview with Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, which was moderated by Brian Sumers, Editor of The Airline Observer. In a powerful keynote conversation, Kirby shared United’s ambitious mission to become the best airline in the world. From becoming the first major U.S. airline to offer free high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi to as of this year leading the world in IFE seat-back screens, United drives to set the highest standard for passenger experience. Kirby offered an inside look at the strategy forging this incredible transformation, including the cultural and operational shifts that are rapidly accelerating the airline’s progress. The session highlighted how United’s investments in people, product, technology, and innovation will reshape the future of aviation from the inside out.
Visit the FTE Global 2026 website >>FTE Data Sharing Symposium
A highlight of the FTE Global 2025 conference agenda was the FTE Data Sharing Symposium, incorporating the early thoughts and recommendations of the work being carried out in this area by airline and airport members of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub. Moderated by Samuel Ingalls, Principal, Barich, Inc, it featured panellists including Christian George Kessler, Airports Transformation & Innovation Manager, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority; Keith Walters, Group Transformation Manager, International Airlines Group (IAG); Nicole Hodges-Austin, Innovation Program Manager, Alaska Airlines; and Gudmundur Karl Gautason, Director – Digital Development, Isavia. These efforts will be continued next year, with an FTE Data Sharing Playbook to be released at FTE Global 2026.
Visit the FTE Global 2026 website >>Special Christmas Giveaway
As a special festive thank you, we’re giving away 10 free passes to our 2026 FTE event portfolio. Simply fill out the short form below to enter the draw – entries close on 1 January 2026 with winners announced shortly after. We look forward to welcoming the winners to an FTE event in 2026, during what promises to be an unforgettable year of innovation, collaboration and industry leadership.
Enter the giveaway here >>Mark your diary for FTE’s 2026 global event schedule in Dublin, Dallas and Singapore
- APEX FTE EMEA, co-located with Ancillary & Retailing and the new Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation Summit – 9-11 June 2026, Dublin.
- FTE Global – 8-10 September 2026, Dallas, Texas. Headline Partners: DFW, Southwest Airlines and Dallas Love Field Airport.
- APEX FTE Expo Asia – 18-19 November 2026, Singapore. Combining APEX Global EXPO with FTE’s regional APAC event.
