Don’t Miss Skift Aviation Forum on November 1 in Fort Worth, TX

Set your course for a captivating aviation event in Fort Worth, where aviation leaders and visionaries will guide you through the latest trends and game-changing developments in the industry.

Skift Aviation Forum returns to Fort Worth, TX on November 1, 2023, bringing together CEOs and senior executives from across the airline industry to discuss the future of aviation. Hosted in partnership with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and driven by the editorial authority of Skift Airline Weekly, this event will bring deft analysis and in-depth conversations with airline leaders as we look to the future of the aviation.

If you haven’t seen our latest agenda, here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store:

9:00 – 9:10 am: Welcome and Introduction Rafat Ali, CEO of Skift, sets the stage for a day of exciting discussions.

9:10 – 9:40 am: Big Opportunities and Headwinds: American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and Ned Russell, Editor of Airline Weekly, delve into the industry’s prospects and challenges.

9:40 – 10:05 am: Boosting Capacity to Meet Demand: Industry legend, Steven Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease, and Brian Sumers, Founder of The Airline Observer, will explore the soaring demands for aircraft and his big picture view.

10:05 – 10:20 am: Reimagining the Modern Retailing Experience: Kartik Yellepeddi, VP of Product, Offer & Order at FLYR, Mike Melton, Enterprise Cloud Architect at Google Cloud, and SkiftX Research Editor, Dan Marcec, will look at the new retailing landscape and how technology is transforming the business of selling and marketing flights.

10:20 – 10:45 am: Putting Passengers First in a Digital World: Charu Jain, SVP of Merchandising & Innovation at Alaska Airlines, and Ned Russell, Editor of Airline Weekly, will discuss prioritizing passengers in the digital age.

☕ 10:45 – 11:15 am: Networking and Coffee Break

11:15 – 11:35 am: How Airports Are Evolving for the Decades Ahead: Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW International Airport, and Sarah Kopit, Editor-in-Chief of Skift, will discuss how global shifts in demographics will impact both airports and airlines in the coming decades.

11:35 – 11:50 am: Understanding Today’s Airline Traveler: Manisha Jain, Vice President at American Express Travel, and Jeremy Kressmann, Head of Studio at SkiftX, will explore how airline traveler preferences are evolving, and what it all means for the industry.

11:50 am – 12:10 pm: Is Low-Cost Long-Haul Here to Stay?: Charles Duncan, President of Norse Atlantic Airways, and Brian Sumers of The Airline Observer, dissect the low-cost long-haul market and its future as overseas travel seems to remain strong.

12:10 – 12:45 pm: Building Operational Resilience: Bob Jordan, President & CEO of Southwest Airlines, and Brian Sumers of The Airline Observer, unravel the next phase of operational resilience for the airline, as well as many other big picture views.

🍽️ 12:45 – 1:45 pm: Networking Lunch

1:45 – 2:10 pm: The Friendly Skies: 2023 Edition: Andrew Nocella, EVP, Chief Commercial Officer of United Airlines, and Brian Sumers of The Airline Observer, discuss the evolution of the global network, hubs, frequent flyers, fleets, and more.

2:10 – 2:25 pm: Building Brand Loyalty Beyond Points: Ricky Horwitz, Chief Sales Officer at Allianz Partners, and Andres Barry, President of JetBlue Travel Products, with speak with Jeremy Kressmann, Head of Studio at SkiftX for a look at how airlines can cultivate long-term loyalty through smarter partnerships and better customer experiences.

2:25 – 2:40 pm: The Trillion Dollar Dilemma: Growth vs. Sustainability: Shashank Nigam, Founder and CEO of SimpliFlying, will share his presentation uncovering the challenges and big opportunities ahead for sustainability in aviation, and why now is more important than ever to make it a priority.

2:40 – 3:05 pm: Building a More Sustainable Industry: Sheila Remes, VP of Environmental Sustainability at Boeing and Helen Giles Managing Director of Environmental Sustainability at Southwest Airlines, will speak with Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit on stage to explore sustainability’s future in aviation and the paths they see ahead.

3:05 – 3:30 pm: Strengthening Consumer Trust: Jude Bricker, CEO of Sun Country Airlines, and Brian Sumers of The Airline Observer will dive into what drives consumers decisions around airfare and airlines, fares and revenue across networks, and airline performance in a post-Covid landscape.

☕️ 3:30 – 4:00 pm: Networking and Coffee Break

4:00 – 4:25 pm: Modernizing Aviation’s Future: Jeff Knittel, Chairman & CEO of Airbus Americas, and Sarah Kopit of Skift, will discuss the overall aviation workforce, the current operating environment, sustainability, and of course, future aircraft innovations.

4:25 – 4:40 pm: Why Leading Airlines Are Focused on Data: Massimo Morin, Global Head of Travel for Amazon Web Services, and Alex Zoghlin, President and CEO of ATPCO, will engage in a lively discussion on data’s increasingly crucial role in aviation, guided by Dan Marcec.

4:40 – 5:00 pm: A New Era of In-Flight Experience: Ekrem Dimbiloglu of Delta Air Lines will share his views on the future of in-flight experience in an era of increased personalization and digital opportunity.

5:00 – 5:30 pm: What’s Next for Airlines in Latin America? For our closing discussion, Peter Cerdá of IATA, Juan Carlos Zuazua of Viva Aerobus, José A. Freig of American Airlines, will speak with Skift Airline Weekly Editor, Ned Russell, to look at one of the most exciting regions in aviation, Latin America.

5:30 pm: Closing Thanks: Sarah Kopit, Editor-in-Chief of Skift, wraps up the day’s discoveries.

🥂 5:35 pm: Join Us for a Networking Reception

Don’t miss out on this extraordinary aviation event in Fort Worth. Register now to secure your spot and be part of the aviation industry’s journey into the future. Maximize the learnings (and the savings) by taking the whole team to the forum and get ready to soar to new heights on November 1, 2023.