Industry to assemble in Dublin to discuss key issues in distribution and travel experience

More than 600 industry stakeholders from the air travel value chain will attend the third annual World Passenger Symposium (WPS), taking place on 29-31 October 2013 at the Dublin Convention Center, Dublin, Ireland. Organized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), WPS brings together experts from the airline, airport, travel agent and technology communities to identify ways to improve the air travel experience from the booking process to service delivery.

 “This year, airlines and airports will handle more than 3 billion passengers, equivalent to more than 40% of the world’s population. Accommodating this many people safely, securely and expeditiously, while delivering even more value to the passenger requires enormous cooperation and innovation,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “The World Passenger Symposium provides an excellent opportunity to bring together all parts of the travel value chain to address the challenges that we face and to set a vision for the future of air travel.”

 Under the theme “From Service to Value – A Customer Driven Transformation”, WPS will focus on the overall customer experience. A highlight of the event will be a report on the status of the New Distribution Capability (NDC) program. NDC is an IATA-led, industry supported initiative to create an XML-based language standard for data exchanges between airlines and travel agents. Implementation of the NDC standard will enable access to all of an airline’s products and services and the ability to comparison shop among different features when using a travel agent or visiting an online travel site.

 The WPS will feature keynote addresses by Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller and IATA’s Director General and CEO Tony Tyler. The leadership panel, moderated by BBC Presenter Rajan Datar, will feature leading airline, airport, regulatory and distribution experts, including:

• Douglas Anderson, CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

• Matthew Baldwin, Aviation Director, European Commission

• Alexandre de Juniac, CEO, Air France/KLM

• Christoph Mueller, CEO, Aer Lingus

• Kevin Toland, CEO, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA)

• Gordon Wilson, President and CEO, Travelport Limited

 Other topics to be discussed at WPS include: creating a better passenger experience; the benefits of social media for air travel; realizing the security Checkpoint of the Future; passenger rights; serving the connected traveler; and whether the low cost and network airline models are converging or diverging.