Global Loyalty Organisation, now in its 3rd year as a World Aviation Festival partner, dove into the headline sessions to unpack the key themes shaping the rest of 2025—and setting the agenda for airlines, airports, and their partners as they head into 2026. Key 5 themes include: AI, CX, Retailing, Loyalty & Sustainability.
(Image Source)
GLOLisbon, Portugal – If one thing was clear at the World Aviation Festival 2025, it’s that aviation is no longer just about flying aircraft from point A to point B. The industry’s leading voices — from CEOs and government officials to startup founders and Big Tech strategists — gathered in Lisbon to chart the course of an industry at the crossroads of artificial intelligence, sustainability, customer experience, loyalty and retail transformation. Over two and a half packed days, the World Aviation Festival became a microcosm of aviation’s future, where the words “AI,” “Offer & Order,” “Net Zero,” and “Customer Experience” seemed to echo through every hall.
Global Loyalty Organisation, now in its 3rd year as a World Aviation Festival partner, dove into the headline sessions to unpack the key themes shaping the rest of 2025—and setting the agenda for airlines, airports, and their partners as they head into 2026.
Key Theme 1: AI and Machine Learning Take Center Stage
Confirming the original findings of the GLO’s Loyalty Predictions 2025 Report, WAF 2025 shows that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are dominate the agenda from keynotes to startup pitches like no other topic.
Key aspects of AI and machine learning discussion: AI for disruption management, predictive analytics, identity resolution, autonomous systems, Gen-AI platforms, and AI agents.
Accenture’s Emily Weiss and TAP Air Portugal’s Gonçalo Pires headline with “AI Takes Off – Accelerating the Reinvention of the Airline Industry,” framing AI not as a buzzword, but as a structural enabler of operational resilience and customer personalisation.
United Airlines, working with NLX and AWS, demonstrates AI-led disruption management, while Qatar Airways presents machine-learning for predictive network control.
On the startup stage, companies like NoamAI (fuel optimisation) and Acai Travel (agentic AI call centres) prove AI’s impact is scaling beyond theory into everyday operations. Across ground ops, sustainability, and cyber security panels, AI is the connective tissue driving innovation.
The message was clear: AI is not a side project—it is aviation’s next operating system for years to come.
Key Theme 2: Airline Retailing and the Offer & Order Revolution
If AI was the star, then retailing was the showrunners. The shift to Offer & Order retailing—championed by FLYR, Lufthansa, IAG, Saudi Airlines, and British Airways — is discussed in no fewer than half a dozen sessions.
Key aspects of retailing discussion: NDC adoption, Offer & Order roadmaps, ancillary revenues, dynamic pricing, personalization, and subscription models.
The “Offer & Order First Movers” panel feature Ozge Akinci (Hitit) and Jost Daft (Lufthansa), outlining the promise and the pain points of leaving outdated models behind. Accelya’s Jim Davidson, alongside AWS’ Massimo Morin, showcase open, cloud-native retailing platforms designed to free airlines from legacy lock-in.
Meanwhile, Optiontown pitch AI-powered travel subscriptions as the next frontier for loyalty and profitability, while Riyadh Air, FLYR, and IBM reveale how they launched an Offer & Order-native airline in under two years—an industry milestone.
The consensus: Airline retailing is moving fast from promise to practice—and those who lag risk irrelevance.
Key Theme 3: Customer Experience (CX) & Passenger Journey
Customer experience was everywhere — woven through accessibility, loyalty, biometrics, and digital operations.
Key aspects of the CX discussion include: accessibility, inclusivity, seamless end-to-end journeys, biometrics and CX ROI.
American Airlines’ Heather Garboden and Aer Lingus’ Marc Giles emphasize human-centred design, while Virgin Atlantic, in partnership with Adobe, demonstrate loyalty-driven personalisation. Accessibility was a standout: Alaska Airlines, British Airways, and GoodMaps showcase co-creation and new tech to improve inclusivity for passengers with reduced mobility.
The Airport Biometrics Panel with Düsseldorf, Miami, and Vancouver airports, alongside Amadeus and Ericsson, show how biometrics are reshaping the seamless journey.
United Airlines and Volantio demonstrate post-booking CX innovation, while Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson highlight loyalty-linked CX strategies.
The recurring theme: Passenger experience is no longer confined to in-flight service—it is the connective tissue from booking to baggage reclaim.
Key Theme 4: Loyalty
Loyalty wil dominate day 2 of WAF and has retained a high-profile place in Lisbon, confirming its role as both a standalone revenue driver and a backbone of airline retailing.
Key aspects of the CX discussion include: loyalty integration into customer journey, loyalty monetisation, gamification, use for predictive AI for personalisation.
“Back to the Roots – Loyalisation vs Commercialisation” panel features Emirates’ Nejib Ben-Khedher debate program models.
Tomorrow Plusgrade’s Frank Astheimer will emphasise loyalty partnerships, while Air France-KLM’s Benjamin Lipsey and Miles & More’s Gerald Schloegl will address member engagement across diverse profiles.
On the innovation side, Optiontown will unveil AI-powered subscriptions tied to loyalty, reshaping revenue predictability.
Virgin Atlantic and Adobe also reinforce that loyalty and CX are inseparable, with personalisation as the common bridge.
The thread across sessions: Loyalty can be a profit centre and a central part of consumer-facing strategy, evolving from transactional points to deeper, more personalised relationships.
Key Theme 5: Sustainability & Net Zero Strategies
Sustainability is still trending and this year it moved decisively from ambition to implementation.
Key aspects of the sustainability discussion: SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), emissions reduction, decarbonization roadmaps, circular economy, and climate-tech investment.
The Digital Sustainability Summit feature Lukas Kaestner (Sustainable Aero Lab), Haldane Dodd (ATAG), and Glenn Morgan (Skies Fifty), who confront the “valley of death” between innovation and investment.
Capgemini and AWS will present lifecycle optimisation for aircraft components to extend the lifespan of parts, while Dick Benschop (Mission Possible Partnership) push for financially viable paths to scale decarbonisation.
Panels on SAF scaling, contrail mitigation, and climate-tech investment stressed pragmatism: 2050 targets won’t be met without immediate scaling and financing.
The tone: Sustainability is no longer just about goals—it’s about financial models that make climate tech bankable today.
—
At the World Aviation Festival 2025, it is clear that the aviation industry is not simply “recovering” from disruption—it is reinventing itself.
AI, retailing, sustainability, customer experience, and loyalty are no longer siloed conversations. They are interconnected pillars of aviation’s future and customer journey strategy.
If Lisbon was the stage, then the message to the world was unmistakable: the future of aviation is already taxiing to the runway.
Source: GLO
Disclaimer: Press release
© Press Release 2025
Send us your press releases to news@globalloyalty.org
Press releases originate from external third-party providers. This website does not have responsibility or control over its content, which is presented as is, without any alterations. Neither this website nor its affiliates guarantee the accuracy of the views or opinions expressed in the press release.
The press release is intended solely for informational purposes and does not offer tax, legal, or investment advice, nor does it express any opinion regarding the suitability, value, or profitability of specific securities, portfolios, or investment strategies. Neither this website nor its affiliates are liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, nor for any actions taken based on it. By using the information provided in this article, you agree to do so at your own risk.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers, and licensors shall not be liable to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to lost profits, savings, and revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract, or any other theory of liability, even if the possibility of such damages was known or foreseeable.
The images used in press releases and articles provided by 3rd party sources belong to the respective source provider and are used for illustrative purposes in accordance with the original press releases and publications.
Disclaimer: Content
While we strive to maintain accurate and up-to-date content, Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the correctness accuracy, completeness, adequacy, or reliability of the information or the results derived from its use, not that the content will meet your requirements or expectations. The content is provided “as is” and “as available”. You agree that your use of the content is at your own risk. Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. disclaims all warranties related to the content, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and title, and is not liable for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and title, and is not liable for any interruptions. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so these jurisdictions may not apply to you. Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. Reserves the right to modify, interrupt, or discontinue the content without notice and is not liable for doing so.
Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. shall not be liable for any damages, including special, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages, or damages for lost profits, revenue, or use, arising out of or related to the content, whether in contract, negligence, tort, statute, equity, law, or otherwise, even if advised of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on liability for incidental or consequential damages, so this limitation may not apply to you. These disclaimers and limitations apply to Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. and its parent, affiliates, related companies, contractors, sponsors, and their respective directors, officers, members, employees, agents, content providers, licensors, and advisors.
The content and its compilation, created by Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd, are the property of Global Loyalty Organisation Ltd. and cannot be reproduced without prior written permission.
