Passenger Experience Conference 2026 sets the agenda for redefining the passenger travel experience across digital, wellness, and sustainability

The agenda for the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) has been announced, featuring a record-breaking lineup of airlines alongside dedicated sessions on inflight food and beverage innovation and the evolving standards of onboard hospitality.

Taking place on Monday 13 April 2026 at Hamburg Messe ahead of World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE), the conference programme addresses critical operational and strategic questions facing airlines, caterers, and suppliers through three core themes: Digital First – Personal, Intelligent & Intuitive; Sustainability & The Eco-Conscious Traveller; and Wellness, Comfort & Human-Centric Design.

In a year featuring the highest number of airline speakers in the event’s history, experts from Fiji Airways, Lufthansa Group, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Saudi Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, United Airlines, and many more join the lineup to share first-hand insights.

he day’s speakers will offer practical guidance for customer experience professionals, airlines, and caterers to refine service strategies and optimise revenue streams, enhancing their competitive positioning. By combining operational adaptations with market-trend visibility, the sessions enable the entire supply chain to meet the changing challenges of modern travellers.

Following the opening keynote address and keynote panel ‘The Great UXcape,” featuring senior leaders from Fiji Airways, Saudi Airlines, Sun PhuQuoc, and flyadeal. They will examine how carriers are redesigning the passenger journey through innovation, design, and technology – from booking to boarding.

Digital First – Personal, Intelligent & Intuitive

As digital channels increasingly drive passenger purchasing decisions and service expectations, the first stream explores how airlines can leverage technology to enhance ancillary revenue generation and deliver personalised experiences. Here, ‘Selling in the Clouds: Where Attitude Meets Altitude’ steps into the dynamic world where travel intersects with retail innovation. Panellists Laura Rösges, Chief Executive Officer at AirFi; Johannes Moll, Product Director at Omnevo; and Daniel Kerrison, Senior Vice President Inflight Operations at flydubai, will explore how airlines and brands are transforming the inflight shopping experience into a bold, engaging, and hyper-personalised journey alongside other panellists.

Bringing together Alexi Thornton, Founder of epalithia and Liyan Huang, Director of Inflight Systems, ZIPAIR Tokyo, ‘Understanding the Traveller: From Persona to Dynamic Signal’ addresses the challenge of creating seamless and memorable journeys for every passenger by capturing traveller motivations and needs through data-driven insights. Building on this personalisation theme, ‘Rise of the Frequent Flyer Programme: In It for the Long-Haul…’ examines how traditional loyalty models are being challenged by changing traveller behaviours, focusing on redefining customer loyalty and increasing revenue through gamification and subscription models.

Wellness, Comfort & Human-Centric Design

With passenger wellbeing emerging as a key differentiator in airline service delivery, the next stream examines how airlines can address physical and psychological comfort while ensuring accessibility for all travellers. ‘Lighting Ultra-Long Haul: Embedding Culture and Wellbeing in the Passenger Experience’ examines Philippine Airlines’ case study of success where the well-being wow factor is reached through dining, comfort and passenger experience. Alvin Miranda, Vice President of Marketing at Philippine Airlines, will be joined by supply chain partner Daniel Baron, Managing Director of LIFT Aero Design.

Meanwhile, “Biting Back: How Can You Power Wellness with Food for Body and Mind?” will provide practical guidance to airlines looking to implement new ingredient concepts and meal programmes, while addressing both operational challenges and emerging opportunities in inflight nutrition to boost overall passenger wellness. Joining this panel will be Vassilios Georgakopoulos, Independent Consultant; Duncan Pattillo, Director, Customer Experience at Flair Airlines; and Patrick Door, Head of Customer Experience and Product Management at Eurowings.

Sustainability & The Eco-Conscious Traveller

As environmental performance becomes integral to brand positioning and regulatory compliance, the final stream addresses how airlines can meet sustainability targets while maintaining passenger satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Focusing on technological innovation in catering operations, the presentation ‘Breaking New Ground: Airline Catering with AI’ will demonstrate how AI is transforming the sector by driving sustainable practices, from demand forecasting and waste reduction to ingredient choices and efficient inventory management.

Complementing this operational perspective, ‘Flying green: Enhancing CX for the Eco-Conscious Passenger’ examines how airlines can align sustainability commitments with passenger expectations through sustainable inflight product offerings, transparent carbon footprint communication, and personalised offset options.

Shona Thomson, Event Director of WTCE, said: “Right now, the industry is focused on making travel feel more personal while meeting much tougher standards for sustainability and passenger wellbeing. We are excited to see PEC 2026 bring the largest-ever lineup of airlines to show how these goals are being turned into real-life results, already redefining the passenger experience.”

Following PEC, WTCE will once again be co-located with the industry-leading Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX). Together, the two events create a comprehensive marketplace for cabin interiors, inflight services and passenger experience innovations. The co-location provides opportunities for networking and collaboration, ensuring visitors can explore every aspect of the passenger experience in one place.

For more information on Passenger Experience Conference 2026, please visit: https://www.passengerexperienceconference.com/en-gb.html

For more information on World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo 2026, please visit: https://www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/en-gb.html