Dear friends and colleagues,
As Future Travel Experience marks its 20th anniversary, I want to share some important personal news. I’ve decided that this is the right moment for me to step away from day-to-day involvement in the business, take a much-needed recharge, and pursue new personal life adventures.
Building FTE from just an idea into a truly global, multi-platform business has required immense hard work and sacrifice, and – most importantly – an incredible team around me. I am enormously proud of what we’ve created together and what FTE represents today: a platform that connects thousands of aviation leaders worldwide, sparks meaningful innovation for airlines & airports, and drives unrivalled collaboration that delivers real progress for passengers and industry professionals alike.
Over the past two decades, FTE has consistently been at the forefront of industry transformation – from self-service, biometrics, baggage and cabin digitisation, through to digital retailing, robotics and AI. We’ve helped startups scale, supported suppliers entering new markets, industry stakeholders future proof their strategies and championed pioneers whose work has helped light the way for others to advance the future of air transport.
A new era for FTE, and an exciting line-up for 2026 and beyond
I’m also hugely confident about FTE’s future. The business is in excellent hands, supported by a strong and passionate team that has been further strengthened by several new additions – including our new Managing Director Max Gosney who joined a few weeks back, and who has already started to make big contributions to the organisation. Max brings over 20 years of experience across events, journalism, and media, alongside deep aviation expertise from his role as Portfolio Director & Conference Chairman at Ground Handling International since 2017. His proven ability to drive engagement, community, and collaboration aligns perfectly with FTE’s mission, and I’m delighted to hand him the leadership baton as he works to guide FTE to even greater heights with the invaluable support of our Advisory Board (which has recently added senior representatives from Virgin Atlantic & Munich Airport to our impressive line-up).
As we celebrate this milestone year, I’m also excited to share a snapshot of what lies ahead in 2026:
Breaking news: FTE World Innovation Summit – Tokyo | 29 June – 1 July 2026
Hosted by Haneda Airport, this global summit will unite pioneers from aviation and beyond to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges, spotlight first-movers in technology, infrastructure, operations, and sustainability, and showcase Tokyo as a leading innovation hub through a unique program of tours, conferences, pitch sessions, showcases and networking. With Japan’s bold ambitions for tourism growth and its world-leading advances in autonomy, robotics, and collaboration, there is no better setting, which I can vouch for personally having visited last November to experience for myself the exciting progress and hospitality Japan in renowned for. As always, attendance will be free for airlines and airports. If you are interested in attending or supporting the summit, please click here to make an enquiry.
APEX FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing – Dublin | 9-11 June 2026
We return to Dublin with a powerful co-location of APEX FTE EMEA and Ancillary & Retailing, under the theme “Transformative Approaches & Business Models”. APEX FTE EMEA 2026 will spotlight first-movers in operational and digital innovation, with a focus on Digital Transformation and Smart Ramp & Baggage Innovation, while the co-located Ancillary & Retailing event remains the industry’s definitive forum for commercial innovation and revenue growth, enhanced in 2026 with new elements including the exclusive launch at the show of an FTE Commercial Collaboration Playbook delivered in partnership with Munich Airport, the new FTE Marketplace and a dedicated Agentic AI Day. Ryanair is already confirmed as an initial partner, and we expect record participation that will be maximised by a new Speed Networking initiative to ensure engagement between all our attendees hits new levels in 2026. Airlines can attend for free, while there is a limited number of complimentary airport tickets still available, with Early Bird rates available for vendors until 1 May. You can register here.
FTE Global – Dallas | 8-10 September 2026
Our flagship FTE Global event – the “CES of Aviation” – marks its 20th anniversary with a move to Dallas-Fort Worth. In partnership with DFW Airport, Southwest Airlines, and Dallas Love Field Airport, this edition will feature our largest exhibition yet, a focused two-day format, collaborative showcases, and innovation awards all supporting our show theme of “Transforming Travel Together”. In addition, we are introducing the new FTE Global “Moon Shot” Competition, and to pay tribute to our 20 years we will induct legends at an FTE “Hall of Fame” Ceremony, and revisit some of the best FTE Global keynotes since we started in 2006 to hear their latest thinking. Co-located with IFSA Global EXPO, we expect more than 2,000 attendees. The registration is now live with new exhibition-only and conference-only attendance packages to ensure flexible participation for all, and you won’t want to miss it!
APEX FTE EXPO Asia – Singapore | 18-19 November 2026
This year, we build on 15 years of extraordinary momentum as FTE’s long-running regional show transforms into a true mega-event with the launch of the unified APEX FTE EXPO Asia. For the first time in a decade, the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) brings its flagship APEX Global EXPO to Asia, combining its unrivalled customer experience heritage with Future Travel Experience’s long-established regional innovation platform. Together, these two highly respected industry brands unite under one roof at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore to create the largest end-to-end passenger experience and innovation expo. Backed by Changi Airport Group and Singapore Airlines as Headline Partners, the event is expected to attract 3,000 participants from 100+ airlines and airports.
Visionary FTE Communities output & working group meetings in Orlando, London, Dublin, Dallas & Singapore
Our FTE Communities are highly active throughout 2026 with plenty of in-person and online gatherings. Members of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group met-up in Orlando last month, and last week they gathered together again, alongside members of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub, at an exciting meeting hosted by Heathrow themed around “Relentless Productivity” that included baggage tours, a networking lunch and presentations/panels featuring the likes of Heathrow, All Nippon Airways, DataArt and the humanoid robotics company Engineered Arts. Meanwhile, FTE Smart Ramp members (with the additions of Munich Airport & Lufthansa recently joining) who are working to achieve a future vision of autonomous aircraft turnaround, convened in Amsterdam in January for a three-day workshop defining the inbound turnaround of the future, and met again in London last week to define the outbound process also to complete the whole vision. The output of this landmark effort will be showcased, and ratified, with the whole industry at APEX FTE EMEA in Dublin this June. In addition, the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub members are collaborating on a Data Sharing Playbook, and learnings from this effort will be shared at each of the FTE shows throughout the year.
Conclusion
As I reflect on 20 years of FTE, and its far-reaching impact, I’m incredibly grateful to have worn the captain’s armband for the ecosystem of innovators we represent, and to have shared this journey with so many inspiring people, many of whom have become lifelong friends. FTE is a genuine force for good, and I will watch on proudly as it continues to evolve and serve our sector from my seat on the FTE Board. We can stay in touch personally on LinkedIn after this week, but I encourage your continued support and engagement as we work together to shape the future of our industry – because we’ll get to where we are trying to go faster, if we do it together.
With my sincere thanks,
Daniel Coleman
Founder & Board Member
Future Travel Experience
www.FutureTravelExperience.com
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