The commercial landscape of airports and airlines is undergoing significant transformation. The evolution of passenger expectations – driven by a desire for seamless, personalised experiences, heightened sensitivity to sustainability, and an increasing reliance on technology – has prompted a shift towards more dynamic and integrated approaches to ancillary & retailing services. From optimising the customer journey through data-driven, omnichannel retail ecosystems to balancing high-tech innovations with human-centric service, airports and airlines are rethinking how they engage travellers at every touchpoint. As competition intensifies and the passenger experience becomes ever more critical, industry leaders are exploring new ways to blend digital convenience with emotional connection, creating unique, experience-driven environments that drive both customer satisfaction and revenue. In part 1 of our comprehensive focus, Vantage Group, Iberia, Threedot, Munich Airport and Icelandair share their insights into the key trends and technologies that will shape ancillary & retailing strategies in the air transport industry in 2026 and beyond.
Learn more at APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing, co-located with APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin on 9-11 June 2026. Under the theme ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’, APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing 2026 will examine how airlines, airports and their partners are rethinking retailing, ancillary revenues and end-to-end commercial models in response to changing customer expectations, evolving technology and increasing competitive pressure.
Register for APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing, co-located with APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin, 9-11 June 2026 >> Learn more about the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group >>Vantage Group on technology-enabled journeys and holistic, personalised ecosystems
Sammy Patel, Vice President Commercial, shares that in 2026, Vantage Group’s focus remains clear: delivering smoother, more intuitive, and more human travel experiences by placing the end-to-end guest journey at the centre of how airports and transportation centres are designed, operated, and commercialised. “Our airports are not just points of transit, they are experience platforms and we love that our guests enjoy their time there,” Patel explains. “We have seen the impact of this shift at LaGuardia Terminal B, Chicago Midway, and Kansas City International, and we are excited to advance this vision further at New York’s new JFK Terminal 6. Commercial strategy is a critical enabler of this transformation. When thoughtfully designed, retail and ancillary offerings do more than generate revenue, they remove friction, reduce stress, and create meaningful value for guests.”
Across the retail industry, retailing is evolving from simple add-on sales to fully orchestrated, technology-enabled journeys. “Advances in AI now allow us as airports, our partner airlines, and concessionaires to better understand traveller context in real time and respond with more relevant, personalised offers,” says Patel. “This is driving a shift away from static retail menus toward a more concierge-like approach that improves both guest satisfaction and commercial performance.”
Equally important is collaboration. Vantage Group is working closely with airlines, commercial partners, and brands to build omnichannel, journey-wide retail ecosystems that follow the guest from pre-trip planning through post-trip engagement. “Mobile platforms, airport environments, and inflight connectivity are increasingly interconnected, unlocking new opportunities during moments that were once operationally complex or commercially underutilised,” Patel shares. “Embedded payments and flexible checkout options are further reducing friction, and improving conversion. We’ve seen that at Chicago Midway, and are excited to further embed these learnings throughout our portfolio.”
Patel adds that Vantage Group – a member of the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group – believes the future of airport commercial lies in moving beyond discrete transactions to holistic, personalised ecosystems that balance guest experience with sustainable revenue growth. “Airports that successfully combine experience-led design, simplified commerce architecture, and intelligent personalisation will not only deliver stronger commercial outcomes, they will also build trust and loyalty, delivering the elevated travel experiences today’s guests expect. Watch this space – we have some exciting initiatives underway!”
Iberia on data-driven retailing, AI, omnichannel platforms and smarter personalisation
José Roberto Martin Bishop, Third-Party & Retail Ancillaries Manager, Iberia, highlights that in 2026, ancillary & retailing will increasingly focus on relevance over volume. “One of the industry’s biggest challenges will be finding the right balance between showcasing the full breadth of what airlines can offer and avoiding customer fatigue from constant notifications or overloaded interfaces,” he explains. “Many customers remain unaware of the range of products and services available, yet excessive promotion risks harming the overall experience. To address this, airlines will rely more on data-driven, contextual retailing, using AI and real-time signals to present the right offer at the right moment through the right channel. Seamless omnichannel platforms and smarter personalisation will be essential to educate customers, inspire discovery, and drive incremental revenue – without feeling intrusive.”
Threedot on dynamic offers and agentic retailing in air travel
Eric Léopold, Founder & Managing Director, Threedot, is also Content Director for APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing (Dublin, 9-11 June 2026). Sharing his perspective on ancillary & retailing trends, Léopold highlights that the unbundling of the airline product led to à-la-carte shopping and back to bundled fares. “In a world of offers and orders, this translates into dynamic offers, where both product and price are dynamic,” Léopold shares. “Ancillary revenue means maximising revenue per passenger or seat. Some airlines focus on post-booking optimisation, where revenue represents a higher margin. Eventually airlines can buy back seats on full flights and resell them – virtually having more customers than seats! 2026 is the year of agentic retailing in air travel, where AI assistants shop and book on behalf of travellers. The experience will tell who are the winners and losers in this journey, and how keen AI assistants are in adding ancillaries to improve the travel experience.”
Under the theme of ‘Transformative Approaches and Business Models’, APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing 2026 will inspire delegates to rethink traditional frameworks and explore new ways to maximise revenue, enhance customer engagement, and leverage digital innovation across every stage of the journey. Designed for senior airline, airport and commercially-focused aviation industry executives, APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing 2026 will debut several new features, including a dedicated Marketplace – a purpose-built environment designed to support structured, high-quality engagement between airline and airport commercial leaders and solution providers; and a new Agentic AI Day, focusing on the emerging role of AI agents in travel commerce.
“APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing plays a key role in bringing together the people who are shaping the future of airline and airport retailing,” says Léopold. “The new elements being introduced for 2026 reflect where the industry is heading, towards a new world in which innovative collaborations and technological advancements such as agentic AI will create exciting new opportunities for airlines, airports and all of their commercial partners.”
Register for APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing, co-located with APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin, 9-11 June 2026 >> Learn more about the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group >>Munich Airport on experiential retail, automation, personalisation, sustainability and biometric technology
Munich Airport – a member of the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group – envisions that retail and ancillary trends in 2026 will increasingly fuse integrated experiences, sustainability, and seamless shopping. “While online and duty free commerce will remain relevant, the unique selling proposition (USP) is shifting from pure price advantage to experience, exclusivity, and convenience,” explains Jan-Henrik Andersson, Chief Commercial & Chief Security Officer, Munich Airport. “Key drivers include personalised offers, data-driven services, and automation to minimise purchase barriers (e.g. self-checkout). We owe our customers a frictionless shopping experience. To provide this, we developed our ‘Sense of Place’ retail concept, which will be used in our new Terminal 1 Pier (grand opening in April). This concept allows us to embed a wide variety of brands and stores into the environment of international air travel and Bavarian tradition.”
Emotional and experiential formats, such as pop-ups, brand activations, events, and small “happy moments” boost dwell time quality and revenue. There is a growing demand for sustainable, healthy, and high-quality products, along with environmentally conscious sourcing and packaging solutions. “For 2026, we anticipate a stronger focus on omnichannel integration, digital interactions in duty free, and targeted engagement with Gen Z travellers,” Andersson shares. “Sustainability will also serve as a revenue amplifier in the future. Going forward, we also plan to strengthen our presence in travellers’ digital wallets. Over time (agentic) AI will enable us to place hyper‑personalised offers through these channels. The shopping experience will be made even more intuitive and user-friendly by the integration of biometric technology.”
Icelandair on true offer‑ and order‑based retailing and a broader ecosystem of trip‑level bundles
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Anne-Marie Tremblay-Quenneville, Ancillary Revenue Strategy Manager, Icelandair (a member of the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group) expects that airline ancillary and retailing innovation will be driven by true offer‑ and order‑based retailing, where artificial intelligence (AI) dynamically assembles and prices bundles based on each customer’s context, behaviour and willingness to pay – “moving the customer’s experience closer to what they experience in leading digital retailing platforms”. “At the same time, ‘ancillary’ will evolve into a broader ecosystem of trip‑level bundles, that combine air, ground, and experiences, with embedded payments and pay‑with‑points options that make adding value frictionless at any moment in the journey,” Tremblay-Quenneville shares. “Day‑of‑travel will become a critical retailing stage: upgrades and seat upsell, food and beverages pre‑order, disruption‑aware offers, and in‑app self‑service will blend service recovery with intelligent upsell. Finally, for some markets, sustainability and transparency will be built into the retail flow, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and carbon options into clearer product attributes. In a nutshell, customers can curate not just the price of their trip, but the kind of trip they want to take.”
2026 and beyond: Merging technology, service, and customer experience
The insights shared here by leaders in the air transport industry highlight an exciting year ahead for airport and airline retailing. As we continue to adapt to a more digital, personalised, and sustainable future, the importance of delivering seamless, frictionless experiences for passengers cannot be overstated. Whether it’s leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to create hyper-targeted offers, embracing local authenticity in retail and food & beverage, or enhancing human interactions amidst increasing automation, the future of ancillary services lies in a delicate balance between technology and the human touch. As the sector evolves, those who can blend innovation with customer-centric strategies, while navigating new operational complexities, will be best positioned to not only meet but exceed passenger expectations. With dynamic offerings, flexible contract frameworks, and a focus on meaningful engagement, the next chapter in travel retail promises to be one of both excitement and opportunity.
Learn more at APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing, co-located with APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin on 9-11 June 2026. Under the theme ‘Transformative Approaches & Business Models’, APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing 2026 will examine how airlines, airports and their partners are rethinking retailing, ancillary revenues and end-to-end commercial models in response to changing customer expectations, evolving technology and increasing competitive pressure.
Register for APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing, co-located with APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin, 9-11 June 2026 >> Learn more about the FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Working Group >>You may also be interested in
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