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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Symposium to focus on air travellers

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@kabeeryousef -


‘Airline customers’ aka passengers is going to be in the spotlight at the World Passenger Symposium (WPS) organised by International Air Transport Association (IATA) to be held from November 1 to 3 in Bahrain, to be the first time a GCC country to host a conference of this nature where the Sultanate of Oman will be represented.


The three-day conference sponsored by Gulf Air is themed ‘Unlocking Value Creation by Putting the Customer First’ and will be a platform where the issues of passengers, global standards, transparency, customised offers and baggage tracking are discussed the result of which will form part of how airlines operate keeping a customer- centric approach.


“Like in any business, airlines are most successful when they meet customer expectations. Global standards help to facilitate this. The challenge is ensuring the standards keep pace with digital," said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.


"Air travellers expect transparency and better deals when it comes to fares, and other airline products, and contactless processing at airports. I look forward to discussing how we are making these advancements and more happen at this year’s IATA World Passenger Symposium,” he adds.


WPS this year combines the earlier Digital, Data and Retailing Symposium, the Global Airport and Passenger Symposium and the Accessibility Symposium into a single event to reflect the importance and connectedness of all three elements to the customer experience.


Besides the plenary sessions, as many as three knowledge tracks, such as Retail and Payment, Airport and Passenger Experience and Accessibility, will address the end-to-end customer journey.


This will encompass a wide spectrum of customer needs, from shopping and purchasing an air travel product to arriving at the destination and each area in the travel process will be addressed from the customer and provider perspectives.


“WPS conference will provide a valuable opportunity for the aviation industry to discuss and debate initiatives and standards relating to putting the passenger first. We are very excited to be hosting the IATA World Passenger Symposium and look forward to welcoming the speakers and delegates to Bahrain,” said Captain Waleed al Alawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer at Gulf Air, who will deliver the opening keynote address.


A wide range of topics for various sessions are identified and scheduled to be part of the conference. They include, Enabling customer centricity in a new open ecosystem, how are airlines adapting to the change of customer centricity and true retailing, competition in the aggregation space, customers at the centre of contactless travel, overcoming baggage challenges for a better customer experience, providing customers with an eco-friendly airport experience, end-to-end biometrics technology driving airport development, airport accessibility and inclusive design, transport of mobility aids, disability and accessibility research: what is new and why it matters for aviation, among others.


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