The agenda for this year’s Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) has been revealed, with three core themes: digital personalisation; sustainability; and wellness, comfort and human-centric design.
The PEC will be held at Hamburg Messe (Hamburg, Germany) on 13 April 2026, ahead of World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), which run on 14-16 April. The co-located expos offer a marketplace for cabin interiors, inflight services and passenger experience innovations.
The PEC programme addresses operational and strategic questions facing airlines, caterers and suppliers. The agenda this year features the highest number of airline speakers in the event’s history.
The opening keynote panel, titled ‘The Great UXcape’, will feature senior leaders from Fiji Airways, Saudi Airlines, Sun PhuQuoc and flyadeal, examining how carriers are redesigning the passenger journey through innovation, design and technology.
Digital personalisation
The Digital First – Personal, Intelligent & Intuitive stream explores how operators can leverage technology to enhance ancillary revenue and deliver personalised experiences.
A session titled ‘Selling in the Clouds: Where Attitude Meets Altitude’ examines how airlines and brands are transforming the inflight shopping experience, with panellists Laura Rösges, CEO at AirFi; Johannes Moll, product director at Omnevo; and Daniel Kerrison, SVP of inflight operations at flydubai.
Another session, ‘Understanding the Traveller: From Persona to Dynamic Signal’, brings together Alexi Thornton, founder of epalithia, and Liyan Huang, director of inflight systems at Zipair Tokyo, to address the challenge of creating seamless journeys for every passenger through data-driven insights.
The session ‘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 and human-centric design
The Wellness, Comfort & Human-Centric Design stream examines how airlines can address physical and psychological comfort whilst ensuring accessibility for all travellers.
‘Lighting Ultra-Long Haul: Embedding Culture and Wellbeing in the Passenger Experience’ examines Philippine Airlines’ approach to wellbeing through dining, comfort and passenger experience. Alvin Miranda, VP of marketing at Philippine Airlines, will be joined by Daniel Baron, managing director of Lift Aero Design.
The panel ‘Biting Back: How Can You Power Wellness with Food for Body and Mind?’ will provide guidance to airlines looking to implement new ingredient concepts and meal programmes whilst addressing operational challenges and emerging opportunities in inflight nutrition to boost overall passenger wellness. Panellists include Vassilios Georgakopoulos, an independent consultant; Duncan Pattillo, director of customer experience at Flair Airlines; and Patrick Door, head of customer experience and product management at Eurowings.
Sustainability and AI in catering
The Sustainability & The Eco-Conscious Traveller stream addresses how airlines can meet environmental targets whilst maintaining passenger satisfaction and operational efficiency.
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.
Meanwhile the session ‘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.
“Right now, the industry is focused on making travel feel more personal while meeting much tougher standards for sustainability and passenger wellbeing,” said Shona Thomson, event director of WTCE. “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.”
World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo 2026 registration is open here.
