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FTE Global 2022 in pictures – more exclusives, more launches and more innovation than ever before

The following article was published by Future Travel Experience
Take a look at our visual round-up from Future Travel Experience Global 2022, which took…

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The following article was published by Future Travel Experience

Take a look at our visual round-up from Future Travel Experience Global 2022, which took place in Las Vegas on 6-9 September.

More than 1,000 senior industry figures representing airlines, airports, government agencies, industry vendors, technology giants and startups gathered at Future Travel Experience Global 2022 in Las Vegas between 6-9 September. The industry came together to learn, collaborate and be inspired on the next moves to transform passenger experience, business performance and sustainability strategies. Under the theme of “Future-proofing air transport”, the event was packed with exclusive announcements, new product launches, airline and airport CEO keynotes, inspirational presentations, interactive workshops, technical briefings, networking opportunities and the FTE Global Awards ceremony. Here we round up some of the highlights from the show.

Largest FTE Global exhibition to date – 75+ exhibitors showcased cutting-edge solutions from parallel reality and digital twins to biometric and automation solutions

The biggest FTE Global exhibition to date featured an international collection of suppliers ranging from household names through to the most innovative startups. More than 75 exhibitors showcased their cutting-edge solutions, products and services designed to help inspire the industry’s next moves to enhance end-to-end customer experiences and improve business performance and sustainability efforts. The exhibition featured some of the most established players in the sector, including NEC, Amazon One, Collins Aerospace, Amadeus, Copenhagen Optimization, IDEMIA, Lufthansa Systems and Vision-Box, plus FTE’s biggest Startup Zone to date.

Among some of the exclusive solutions on display in the exhibition was Vision-Box’s new Seamless Assistant – a state-of-the-art security gateway device to make passengers’ processing flow more efficient. This flexible and fully standalone mobile device is built with a small form factor on wheels and can be used in different scenarios. With a reduced footprint, the Seamless Assistant allows biometric identification with liveness detection and fast deployment in various locations, through its battery powered capability and mobile Wi-Fi wireless connection.

Attendees were also able to experience Amazon One’s Just Walk Out frictionless retail experience, which allows travellers to seamlessly enter the outlet with a swipe of their credit card or use “Tap to Pay”, take the products they’re looking for, and then walk out of the store. The technology has already been adopted by Hudson Nonstop across a number of airports in the US, including Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). Among other impressive solutions on display was NEC’s comprehensive identity management platform, NEC I:Delight, which aims to deliver the future of digital identity in aviation.

Meanwhile, Veovo selected FTE Global to announce its new partnership with Norwegian airport operator Avinor to provide an integrated platform to forecast, plan, and optimise passenger movement, flight operations and baggage handling across all airports. In one of the airport industry’s most comprehensive machine learning programmes, the strategic collaboration aims to improve passenger experiences across its 40+ airports and allow for more cost-effective and reliable operations.

Attendees were also able to demo Misapplied Science’s Parallel Reality technology, deployed by Delta Air Lines at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and preview Willow’s digital twin solution adopted by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Another highlight was Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport’s (CVG) stand where delegates were able to find out more about CVG’s Innovation Partner Program and the companies taking part in the programme, including Ease, Donovan Energy and Ottonomy.

The exhibition floor also included a dedicated Startup Zone, featuring some of the most progressive new suppliers on the market, including Airware Solutions, Ariadne Maps, Avvinue, DutyFreak, Falco Systems, femPAQ, IDENTY, Make Some Noise, Oreyeon, SeatCash, Shabstec, UCPlaces and ZestIoT.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Exhibition Wrap-up – packed with exclusive announcements, new product launches, demos, and prize draw giveaways

New this year was the Exhibition Wrap-Up on Day 2 of the show, which provided an ideal opportunity for attendees to spend some quality time on the exhibition floor. Exhibitors had prepared exciting activities, such as drink receptions, prize draw giveaways, launches and demos. Among the highlights were NEC’s digital identity game which earned one lucky winner an Apple Watch; Plaza Premium Group’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ competition with prizes such as passes to any of Plaza Premium Group’s lounges; samples of Icelandic ‘fire water’ by Plan3; a pet-friendly travel giveaway by Avvinue; a drinks reception and a prize draw from Copenhagen Optimization, who celebrated their one millionth Virtual Queueing customer; and many more.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Inspiring keynotes from Air Canada, Blue Origin, Connect Airlines, United Airlines, AUS and more 

Michael Rousseau, President and CEO, Air Canada, shared some fascinating leadership insights in an interview with APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader in the Opening Keynote Session. “We embrace technology to make the customer experience much more personal, using data to market individually to each customer. We were an early adopter of AI, which has given us a very strong forecasting tool to look at future demand. We’re using AI in many different areas to make us more efficient and do a better job for our customers. We are also focused on putting more control in the customer’s hands, while giving our employees much more real-time information on the customers they are serving,” Rousseau said.

Blue Origin’s John Couluris then took to the stage to deliver an outstanding Opening Keynote, outlining his vision for the future of travel. As Vice President, Advanced Development Programs – Lunar Permanence, he leads an incredible team to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, working to design and build multiple classes of landers, habitats and resource-utilising technologies to ensure we reach the Moon and stay there. “We have one mission: building a road to space – installing infrastructure to enable our vision, or establishing an enduring human presence in space. We have had 23 successful flights of New Shephard – our first rocket. The next rocket is New Glenn, which carries the largest volume of cargo of any rocket currently in existence, as we’re trying to build that road to space.”

The Closing Keynote from John Thomas, CEO, Connect Airlines & Member of the Board at SkyService Inc and Icelandair Group, provided a fantastic finale to the first day of the FTE Global conference. Thomas explained how Connect Airlines will be “first to market with zero emission”. In collaboration with Universal Hydrogen, the airline is retrofitting 75 ATR 72-600s with hydrogen electric conversion kits to be the first zero emission airline in the US by 2025. He added that Connect Airlines will super-scale to become an industry benchmark with improved economics. “We will work with the ATR 72 aircraft manufacturer – once conversion is certified – so that all new aircraft are delivered with Universal Hydrogen’s system, so that Connect’s zero emission fleet can grow beyond the used market.”

Day 2 opened with the FTE Airports 2030 Symposium which featured an airport leadership keynote from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s (AUS) CEO Jacqueline Yaft. Yaft described how design, technology and innovation will be instrumental to future-proofing the airport, which is currently undergoing the most extensive improvement programme in its history.

Innovation Catalyst, Sustainability Architect & Futurist John Picard provided a glimpse into the future with his fascinating keynote on what’s next for the aviation sector. Picard challenged the industry to think differently – to “think beyond the possible”, as he put it. It’s our choice to make that “little push” to go beyond, he told attendees.

The grand finale of the conference on Day 3 featured a keynote presentation from Jeff Crist, SVP, Enterprise, Regional Properties, and Gaming Technology and Digital, MGM Resorts. He provided some insightful outside of the industry inspiration for the travel sector, with the MGM Resorts view on how physical digital convergence is transforming gaming and entertainment. Crist explained: “In the past, the physical and digital worlds were diverging and separate. Now, we have a collection of innovations that are converging the space into one, including Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, analytics, virtual reality, augmented reality, metaverse, NFTs, digital currency, and blockchain. The convergence results in a digital mirror or overlay of the physical with the ability to interact with both – a Digital Twin.”

The conference concluded with an exclusive Fireside Chat between Dr Joe Leader, CEO, APEX/IFSA and Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines. In a truly engaging discussion, Kirby focused on topics including diversity, technology, and the passenger experience, while his passion for sustainability also shone through. “Making travel easy is the most important objective – getting better at communicating with customers and taking the stress out of travel, while making the product better, more reliable, and friendly. My goal is to generate a culture where our employees are proud of the airline, as they will want our customers to feel the same way.” Kirby added that biometrics, which United Airlines is trialling, will be transformational to the customer experience.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Future Airports conference

The Future Airports conference kicked off with an exclusive interview with Chris Annetts, Chief Strategy Officer, Heathrow Airport, led by Daniel Coleman, founder & CEO, Future Travel Exeperience. Annetts addressed current challenges around workforce and scaling back up to pre-COVID-19 levels, and shared strategies for the future, including investments in new security equipment, new T2 baggage system, digitalisation of processes, and sustainability programmes.

The Future Airports conference focused on how airports should adapt, look, collaborate and operate going forward. The many pertinent topics covered included digital transformation and automation, identity, biometrics and security, planning and design, sustainability, reimagined customer experiences, commercial, workforce, baggage and operations, as well as the latest developments in areas such as the metaverse, NFTs, cryptocurrency, and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). A key session in this track focused on transformative approaches to industry collaboration that can reimagine the ways in which airports are developed, managed, leverage technology and realise potential. Moderator David Wilson, Managing Partner, daa International, was joined by Preston Peterson, Director of Customer Experience Innovation, American Airlines; Paul Puopolo, Executive Vice President of Innovation, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; Melissa Conley, Executive Director of Capability Management and Innovation, Transportation Security Administration (TSA); and Dan Tanciar, Chief Innovation Officer, Pangiam.

The Airport Tech Leaders Conversation featured fascinating insights from global airport leaders on the technologies they are most excited about, and currently exploring. Marcus Session, Vice President Information Technology Services, Tampa International Airport & Chair of the ACI Innovation@Airports Working Group, led a panel of experts from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Amazon Web Services, Harry Reid International Airport, Hamad International Airport, Collins Aerospace, and Metropolitan Airports Commission, who shared learnings and potential use cases for technologies from the likes of Web 3.0 and the metaverse, AI, machine learning, robotics, autonomous vehicles, digital identity and biometrics, digital twins, IoT and many more.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Digital & Innovation conference

Among the highlights in the Digital & Innovation conference track was a truly progressive session on ‘Putting the metaverse, crypto & NFTs to work in air transport’. Moderated by Dave Wilson, CEO, The Airport Guy, speakers in the session included Thomas Kearns, Digital Innovation Strategist, Perkins & Will, and Jooyoon Choi, Manager – Fast Travel Team / Passenger Innovation Group, Incheon International Airport Corporation. Kearns commented on the thresholds between realities: “The evolution of the hybrid workplace will normalise spatialised screen-based interactions for productivity and entertainment.” He added: “As AR normalises into everyday eyewear, the current phenomenon of reskinning your identity (RTFKT) will be employed to allow anyone to reskin/rebrand the built environment. Many different kinds of value will compete for your customers’ spatial filters.”

An insightful session on ‘Innovative technology utilisation by airlines’ also took place in the Digital & Innovation conference track, moderated by Erwan Perhirin, Director – Product Marketing, T-Mobile. Alaska Airlines’ Senior Product Manager Amanda Drescher and Principal Software Engineer Miguel Ruiz presented on how the carrier is leveraging apps for a connected day of travel experience. Greg Forbes, Managing Director Airport Experience, Delta Air Lines, explained the ground-breaking Parallel Reality beta experience it has introduced at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in partnership with Misapplied Sciences. The technology allows up to 100 customers to simultaneously see personalised content tailored to their unique journey on a single digital screen. Customers who opt in to the experience will see customised flight and wayfinding information. T-Mobile’s Erwan Perhirin also led an insightful Fireside Chat with Rocky Wiggins, SVP & Chief Information Officer, Spirit Airlines.

Day 2 in the Digital & Innovation track opened with a keynote session on Future-proofing airline CX, commercial, loyalty and marketing strategies. Moderated by Snowfall’s Vice President – North America, Ron Glickman, attendees heard keynotes from Scott DeAngelo, Executive Vice President – Chief Marketing Officer, Allegiant, on leveraging the power of partnerships; and a joint presentation by Air Europa Commercial Manager, Panama, Central America and Mexico Carlos Conde and TravelX’s Chief Officer Travel Supply, Erika Moore, on how they teamed up to launch the world’s first NFT flight. Among the key benefits the airline highlighted were increased revenues, reduced costs, brand awareness and an improved user experience.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

FTE Air MobilityX conference

Vegas played host once again to the FTE Air MobilityX conference, designed to help industry stakeholders plan for eVTOL, drone and electric aircraft operations. An incredible line-up of innovators and visionaries kicked off the Air MobilityX conference exploring the future mobility landscape and how airports, airlines and their partners should be preparing and adapting. As part of the session, Teague’s Principal Futurist delivered a scene-setting keynote on how new mobility will transform the passenger experience, followed by a panel discussion including James Dorris, co-Founder and CEO, Odys Aviation; Pierre Gourdain,
Senior Managing Director, US, Canada, FlixBus; Naashom Marx, Director of Strategic Innovation – Advanced Mobility, Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport; and Innovation Catalyst, Sustainability Architect & Futurist John Picard.

Attendees witnessed a short demo of Dar Group’s Airformer platform, which was unveiled at FTE Global, highlighting how advanced air mobility can intersect with existing transportation and transform how we might plan cities and mobility in the future. This was followed by another insightful panel exploring what advanced air mobility ground infrastructure and customer journeys might look like in the future, moderated by Chris Runde, Corporate Strategy & Innovation, Ross & Baruzzini, and featuring insights from Ian Scoley, Head of Design, AMP (Applied Mobility Partners); Thanos Smith, Chief Visionary Officer, Paragon VTOL Aerospace; Bryant Walker, ACM / Aviation Administrator, City of Brownsville – Department of Aviation; and Justin Towles, President, Crown Consulting.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Tomorrow’s Customer Journey conference

Among the many standout sessions in the Tomorrow’s Customer Journey conference track was the Inflight Experience 2030 Symposium. Moderated by Dr Joe Leader, CEO, APEX/IFSA, a working group consisting of board members from APEX and IFSA, including Vanessa Lindstrom, Director – Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance, United Airlines & Board Member, International Flight Services Association (IFSA); Alex Wilcox, CEO & Co-founder, JSX & Board Member, LATAM Airlines, and Mike Byrom, Vice President, Airports & Crew Services, Spirit Airlines, presented their views on what the inflight experience of 2030 could look like.

The importance of the human touch emerged as a central topic in a session titled ‘Reimagining end-to-end customer and baggage journeys’. Speakers from J.D. Power, JetBlue, All Nippon Airways, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, SkySquad and Southwest Airlines agreed that finding a good balance between the personal touch and automation and self-service is of vital importance.

Digital Identity & Biometrics Symposium

The Digital Identity & Biometrics Symposium, sponsored by NEC, included a series of presentations and a panel discussion on how industry leaders are advancing digital identity to deliver next-level customer experiences and efficiencies for stakeholders. The session kicked off with a scene-setting presentation from Nael Samha, Acting Executive Director – Targeting and Analysis Systems Program Directorate, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who provided an overview of U.S. CBP facial biometric operations, and explained how TVS can support their air travel partner’s modernisation efforts as they plan to meet the biometric exit mandate.

A fascinating presentation followed by Maurice Jenkins, Chief Innovation Officer, Miami International Airport (MIA); Jason Van Sice, Vice President, NEC; and Sherry Stein, Head of Technology Strategy, Americas, SITA, on how MIA is implementing the largest rollout of biometric technology in the US, after the airport committed to biometric boarding across its 130+ gates. Attendees also heard a presentation from Patrick Sgueglia, Product Manager – Regulatory Services & Biometrics, Lufthansa, who shared learnings from Lufthansa’s biometric rollout across its network on both sides of the Atlantic.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

A unique social and networking programme in the “Entertainment Capital of the World”

Future Travel Experience Global is renowned for its social and networking events and FTE Global 2022 was no exception. To kick off the show, delegates were invited to network at the ‘Unofficial Mixer’ at the quirky Beerhaus Las Vegas. At the end of Day 1 of the conference and exhibition, attendees were then treated to a Networking Reception in the exhibition hall, sponsored by Pangiam, where they were able to enjoy demonstrations in the exhibition and network with their peers, over refreshing drinks and snacks. An undoubted highlight was Pangiam’s biometric bar, which proved to be the centre of attention.

FTE Global 2022 culminated with a Networking Party & Awards Ceremony, sponsored by the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub and hosted by Harry Reid International Airport, at the Liquid Pool Lounge, ARIA Resort & Casino. During the party, Daniel Coleman, founder & CEO, FTE, and Justin Erbacci, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), took the opportunity to announce that LAWA will host FTE Global 2023, which will take place on 19-21 September 2023, at Long Beach Convention Center in California (find out more here).

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

FTE Global 2022 award winners announced

A highlight during the Networking Party on 8 September was the FTE Global 2022 Awards Ceremony, which recognised outstanding achievements in the following categories – Airline Pioneer Awards; Airport Pioneer Awards; Startup Idol 2022; and Best Exhibitor Presence 2022. Miami International Airport, Edmonton International Airport and iGA Istanbul Airport were recognised in the FTE Airport Pioneer Awards, while Delta Air Lines, Qatar Airways and Air Europa emerged victorious in the FTE Airline Pioneer Awards category. ThorDrive was named the winner of the inaugural FTE Startup Idol Award, delivered with the official support of JetBlue Technology Ventures, while IDEMIA won the Best Exhibitor Presence Award, in recognition of the company’s impressive showcase and activities at FTE Global. The IDEMIA booth was designed to replicate a seamless end-to-end airport experience of the future. You can read the full report from the Awards here.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Guided tours of the TSA Innovation Checkpoint / Advancing the Checkpoint Environment (ACE) initiative at LAS 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Innovation Task Force once again led guided tours and delivered a briefing to showcase the latest iteration of the future checkpoint site running at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), which is trialling new machines, and new approaches, to gather data and feedback on whether the technology is something TSA would like to use at airports nationwide. TSA’s Assistant Administrator, RCA, Austin Gould and Director, Innovation Task Force Matt Gilkeson also shared the TSA’s future plans around the evolution of security processes.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Inaugural FTE Startup Idol competition, delivered with the official support of JetBlue Technology Ventures

This year’s event also played host to the inaugural FTE Startup Idol competition, delivered with the official support of JetBlue Technology Ventures. A total of 12 early-stage, high-potential startups were invited to pitch to an audience of industry decision-makers, focusing on three of the most pertinent air transport industry topics: Sustainability, Automation & Workforce, and Digital Identity & Security. The judging panel, including industry experts from Harry Reid International Airport, JetBlue Technology Ventures and Plan3, selected one startup from each category to advance to the final, with ThorDrive then chosen as the overall winner by an audience vote.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub members-only activities

In addition to having access to the FTE Startup Idol pitch sessions, the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Corporate Partners – including international airlines, airports, investors and vendors – had access to an exclusive interactive workshop led by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR). ADR’s Pietro Caminiti, Head of IT, and Stefano Biondi, Head of Maintenance Engineering, led the workshop in which they shared how ADR’s Innovation Cabin Crew – a dedicated team of innovators within the airport group – is helping to successfully foster corporate innovation throughout the entire organisation.

FTE Global also served as the launchpad for the new-look FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub, which has been rebranded to better reflect its three core areas of focus: digital transformation, innovation, and startup engagement.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting at LAS and briefing session

The FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) members met at Harry Reid International Airport on 6 September to share their experiences, and learnings, from extensive baggage related pressure over the summer period. Anique Kamphuis, Senior Product Owner Baggage Teams Business Platform Ground, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, delivered a special presentation, followed by discussions around the future of baggage information sharing, led by Darin Juby, Director Baggage Services, Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), and Head of Baggage Transformation at Future Travel Experience. Later in the week, the FTE BIWG captains from GTAA, Barich, Inc, Avinor and Southwest Airlines, plus the vendors involved in the latest POC efforts, were available to meet participants who wanted to learn more about the results from the recent trial of reclaim optimisation at YYZ. Members also shared the latest plans on the next BIWG POCs relating to moving baggage between the US and Canada, leveraging computer vision technology, and testing of permanent bag tags by Airport Lab Network partners this Fall.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

U.S. CBP Briefing & Technical Overview Workshop

FTE Global 2022 was once more complemented by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S CBP) workshop, at which CBP’s Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Diane J. Sabatino; TSA’s Assistant Administrator, RCA, Austin Gould; and Delta Air Lines’ Managing Director Airport Experience, Greg Forbes, led in-depth technical sessions in an interactive environment on the best approaches to expand facial biometrics from curb to gate.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Interactive workshops and co-creation sessions

The FTE Global conference featured a raft of formats, including interactive co-creation sessions and workshops. Among the highlights were workshops on building a case for entering the metaverse led by Dave Wilson, CEO, The Airport Guy; creating a culture of innovation, led by Barich, Inc; delivering next-generation CX in travel led by customer experience pioneer Tom Stevens; decarbonising travel led by Myron Keehn, Vice President – Air Service, Business Development, ESG and Stakeholder Relations, Edmonton International Airport; and establishing and leveraging private networks at the airport jointly led by Eduardo Valencia, CIO, Metropolitan Airports Commission and Samuel Ingalls, Principal, Barich.

Join us at FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore, 9-10 November 2022 – find out more
Join us at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin, 23-25 May 2023 – find out more
Join us at FTE Global 2023 in LA, 19-21 September 2023 – find out more

Mark your diary: FTE Global 2023 to take place on 19-21 September 2023, Long Beach Convention Center, California – hosted by Los Angeles World Airports

In 2023, FTE Global will be re-locating to Los Angeles, where it will be staged alongside APEX EXPO 2023. The move will support FTE’s ambitions to create the largest gathering of air transport executives in North America to learn, collaborate and be inspired on their next moves to transform their organisations’ passenger experience, business performance, innovation, and sustainability strategies. Mark your diary today!

Article originally published here:
FTE Global 2022 in pictures – more exclusives, more launches and more innovation than ever before

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International

“Extreme Events”: US Cancer Deaths Spiked In 2021 And 2022 In “Large Excess Over Trend”

"Extreme Events": US Cancer Deaths Spiked In 2021 And 2022 In "Large Excess Over Trend"

Cancer deaths in the United States spiked in 2021…

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1 hour ago

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March 16, 2024

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"Extreme Events": US Cancer Deaths Spiked In 2021 And 2022 In "Large Excess Over Trend"

Cancer deaths in the United States spiked in 2021 and 2022 among 15-44 year-olds "in large excess over trend," marking jumps of 5.6% and 7.9% respectively vs. a rise of 1.7% in 2020, according to a new preprint study from deep-dive research firm, Phinance Technologies.

Algeria, Carlos et. al "US -Death Trends for Neoplasms ICD codes: C00-D48, Ages 15-44", ResearchGate, March. 2024 P. 7

Extreme Events

The report, which relies on data from the CDC, paints a troubling picture.

"We show a rise in excess mortality from neoplasms reported as underlying cause of death, which started in 2020 (1.7%) and accelerated substantially in 2021 (5.6%) and 2022 (7.9%). The increase in excess mortality in both 2021 (Z-score of 11.8) and 2022 (Z-score of 16.5) are highly statistically significant (extreme events)," according to the authors.

That said, co-author, David Wiseman, PhD (who has 86 publications to his name), leaves the cause an open question - suggesting it could either be a "novel phenomenon," Covid-19, or the Covid-19 vaccine.

"The results indicate that from 2021 a novel phenomenon leading to increased neoplasm deaths appears to be present in individuals aged 15 to 44 in the US," reads the report.

The authors suggest that the cause may be the result of "an unexpected rise in the incidence of rapidly growing fatal cancers," and/or "a reduction in survival in existing cancer cases."

They also address the possibility that "access to utilization of cancer screening and treatment" may be a factor - the notion that pandemic-era lockdowns resulted in fewer visits to the doctor. Also noted is that "Cancers tend to be slowly-developing diseases with remarkably stable death rates and only small variations over time," which makes "any temporal association between a possible explanatory factor (such as COVID-19, the novel COVID-19 vaccines, or other factor(s)) difficult to establish."

That said, a ZeroHedge review of the CDC data reveals that it does not provide information on duration of illness prior to death - so while it's not mentioned in the preprint, it can't rule out so-called 'turbo cancers' - reportedly rapidly developing cancers, the existence of which has been largely anecdotal (and widely refuted by the usual suspects).

While the Phinance report is extremely careful not to draw conclusions, researcher "Ethical Skeptic" kicked the barn door open in a Thursday post on X - showing a strong correlation between "cancer incidence & mortality" coinciding with the rollout of the Covid mRNA vaccine.

Phinance principal Ed Dowd commented on the post, noting that "Cancer is suddenly an accelerating growth industry!"

Continued:

Bottom line - hard data is showing alarming trends, which the CDC and other agencies have a requirement to explore and answer truthfully - and people are asking #WhereIsTheCDC.

We aren't holding our breath.

Wiseman, meanwhile, points out that Pfizer and several other companies are making "significant investments in cancer drugs, post COVID."

Phinance

We've featured several of Phinance's self-funded deep dives into pandemic data that nobody else is doing. If you'd like to support them, click here.

 

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 16:55

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Government

Gen Z, The Most Pessimistic Generation In History, May Decide The Election

Gen Z, The Most Pessimistic Generation In History, May Decide The Election

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Young adults are more…

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6 hours ago

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March 16, 2024

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Gen Z, The Most Pessimistic Generation In History, May Decide The Election

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Young adults are more skeptical of government and pessimistic about the future than any living generation before them.

This is with reason, and it’s likely to decide the election.

Rough Years and the Most Pessimism Ever

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on The Rough Years That Turned Gen Z Into America’s Most Disillusioned Voters.

Young adults in Generation Z—those born in 1997 or after—have emerged from the pandemic feeling more disillusioned than any living generation before them, according to long-running surveys and interviews with dozens of young people around the country. They worry they’ll never make enough money to attain the security previous generations have achieved, citing their delayed launch into adulthood, an impenetrable housing market and loads of student debt.

And they’re fed up with policymakers from both parties.

Washington is moving closer to passing legislation that would ban or force the sale of TikTok, a platform beloved by millions of young people in the U.S. Several young people interviewed by The Wall Street Journal said they spend hours each day on the app and use it as their main source of news.

“It’s funny how they quickly pass this bill about this TikTok situation. What about schools that are getting shot up? We’re not going to pass a bill about that?” Gaddie asked. “No, we’re going to worry about TikTok and that just shows you where their head is…. I feel like they don’t really care about what’s going on with humanity.”

Gen Z’s widespread gloominess is manifesting in unparalleled skepticism of Washington and a feeling of despair that leaders of either party can help. Young Americans’ entire political memories are subsumed by intense partisanship and warnings about the looming end of everything from U.S. democracy to the planet. When the darkest days of the pandemic started to end, inflation reached 40-year highs. The right to an abortion was overturned. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East raged.

Dissatisfaction is pushing some young voters to third-party candidates in this year’s presidential race and causing others to consider staying home on Election Day or leaving the top of the ticket blank. While young people typically vote at lower rates, a small number of Gen Z voters could make the difference in the election, which four years ago was decided by tens of thousands of votes in several swing states.

Roughly 41 million Gen Z Americans—ages 18 to 27—will be eligible to vote this year, according to Tufts University.

Gen Z is among the most liberal segments of the electorate, according to surveys, but recent polling shows them favoring Biden by only a slim margin. Some are unmoved by those who warn that a vote against Biden is effectively a vote for Trump, arguing that isn’t enough to earn their support.

Confidence

When asked if they had confidence in a range of public institutions, Gen Z’s faith in them was generally below that of the older cohorts at the same point in their lives. 

One-third of Gen Z Americans described themselves as conservative, according to NORC’s 2022 General Social Survey. That is a larger share identifying as conservative than when millennials, Gen X and baby boomers took the survey when they were the same age, though some of the differences were small and within the survey’s margin of error.

More young people now say they find it hard to have hope for the world than at any time since at least 1976, according to a University of Michigan survey that has tracked public sentiment among 12th-graders for nearly five decades. Young people today are less optimistic than any generation in decades that they’ll get a professional job or surpass the success of their parents, the long-running survey has found. They increasingly believe the system is stacked against them and support major changes to the way the country operates.

Gen Z future Outcome

“It’s the starkest difference I’ve documented in 20 years of doing this research,” said Twenge, the author of the book “Generations.” The pandemic, she said, amplified trends among Gen Z that have existed for years: chronic isolation, a lack of social interaction and a propensity to spend large amounts of time online.

A 2020 study found past epidemics have left a lasting impression on young people around the world, creating a lack of confidence in political institutions and their leaders. The study, which analyzed decades of Gallup World polling from dozens of countries, found the decline in trust among young people typically persists for two decades.

Young people are more likely than older voters to have a pessimistic view of the economy and disapprove of Biden’s handling of inflation, according to the recent Journal poll. Among people under 30, Biden leads Trump by 3 percentage points, 35% to 32%, with 14% undecided and the remaining shares going to third-party candidates, including 10% to independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Economic Reality

Gen Z may be the first generation in US history that is not better off than their parents.

Many have given up on the idea they will ever be able to afford a home.

The economy is allegedly booming (I disagree). Regardless, stress over debt is high with younger millennials and zoomers.

This has been a constant theme of mine for many months.

Credit Card and Auto Delinquencies Soar

Credit card debt surged to a record high in the fourth quarter. Even more troubling is a steep climb in 90 day or longer delinquencies.

Record High Credit Card Debt

Credit card debt rose to a new record high of $1.13 trillion, up $50 billion in the quarter. Even more troubling is the surge in serious delinquencies, defined as 90 days or more past due.

For nearly all age groups, serious delinquencies are the highest since 2011.

Auto Loan Delinquencies

Serious delinquencies on auto loans have jumped from under 3 percent in mid-2021 to to 5 percent at the end of 2023 for age group 18-29.Age group 30-39 is also troubling. Serious delinquencies for age groups 18-29 and 30-39 are at the highest levels since 2010.

For further discussion please see Credit Card and Auto Delinquencies Soar, Especially Age Group 18 to 39

Generational Homeownership Rates

Home ownership rates courtesy of Apartment List

The above chart is from the Apartment List’s 2023 Millennial Homeownership Report

Those struggling with rent are more likely to be Millennials and Zoomers than Generation X, Baby Boomers, or members of the Silent Generation.

The same age groups struggling with credit card and auto delinquencies.

On Average Everything is Great

Average it up, and things look pretty good. This is why we have seen countless stories attempting to explain why people should be happy.

Krugman Blames Partisanship

OK, there is a fair amount of partisanship in the polls.

However, Biden isn’t struggling from partisanship alone. If that was the reason, Biden would not be polling so miserably with Democrats in general, blacks, and younger voters.

OK, there is a fair amount of partisanship in the polls.

However, Biden isn’t struggling from partisanship alone. If that was the reason, Biden would not be polling so miserably with Democrats in general, blacks, and younger voters.

This allegedly booming economy left behind the renters and everyone under the age of 40 struggling to make ends meet.

Many Are Addicted to “Buy Now, Pay Later” Plans

Buy Now Pay Later, BNPL, plans are increasingly popular. It’s another sign of consumer credit stress.

For discussion, please see Many Are Addicted to “Buy Now, Pay Later” Plans, It’s a Big Trap

The study did not break things down by home owners vs renters, but I strongly suspect most of the BNPL use is by renters.

What About Jobs?

Another seemingly strong jobs headline falls apart on closer scrutiny. The massive divergence between jobs and employment continued into February.

Nonfarm payrolls and employment levels from the BLS, chart by Mish.

Payrolls vs Employment Gains Since March 2023

  • Nonfarm Payrolls: 2,602,000

  • Employment Level: +144,000

  • Full Time Employment: -284,000

For more details of the weakening labor markets, please see Jobs Up 275,000 Employment Down 184,000

CPI Hot Again

CPI Data from the BLS, chart by Mish.

For discussion of the CPI inflation data for February, please see CPI Hot Again, Rent Up at Least 0.4 Percent for 30 Straight Months

Also note the Producer Price Index (PPI) Much Hotter Than Expected in February

Major Economic Cracks

There are economic cracks in spending, cracks in employment, and cracks in delinquencies.

But there are no cracks in the CPI. It’s coming down much slower than expected. And the PPI appears to have bottomed.

Add it up: Inflation + Recession = Stagflation.

Election Impact

In 2020, younger voters turned out in the biggest wave in history. And they voted for Biden.

Younger voters are not as likely to vote in 2024, and they are less likely to vote for Biden.

Millions of voters will not vote for either Trump or Biden. Net, this will impact Biden more. The base will not decide the election, but the Trump base is far more energized than the Biden base.

If Biden signs a TikTok ban, that alone could tip the election.

If No Labels ever gets its act together, I suspect it will siphon more votes from Biden than Trump. But many will just sit it out.

“We’re just kind of over it,” Noemi Peña, 20, a Tucson, Ariz., resident who works in a juice bar, said of her generation’s attitude toward politics. “We don’t even want to hear about it anymore.” Peña said she might not vote because she thinks it won’t change anything and “there’s just gonna be more fighting.” Biden won Arizona in 2020 by just over 10,000 votes. 

The Journal noted nearly one-third of voters under 30 have an unfavorable view of both Biden and Trump, a higher number than all older voters. Sixty-three percent of young voters think neither party adequately represents them.

Young voters in 2020 were energized to vote against Trump. Now they have thrown in the towel.

And Biden telling everyone how great the economy is only rubs salt in the wound.

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/16/2024 - 11:40

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Women’s basketball is gaining ground, but is March Madness ready to rival the men’s game?

The hype around Caitlin Clark, NCAA Women’s Basketball is unprecedented — but can its March Madness finally rival the Men’s?

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March 16, 2024

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In March 2021, the world was struggling to find its legs amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Sports leagues were trying their best to keep going.

It started with the NBA creating a bubble in Orlando in late 2020, playing a full postseason in the confines of Disney World in arenas that were converted into gyms devoid of fans. Other leagues eventually allowed for limited capacity seating in stadiums, including the NCAA for its Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournaments.

The two tournaments were confined to two cities that year — instead of games normally played in different regions around the country: Indianapolis for the men and San Antonio for the women.

But a glaring difference between the men’s and women’s facilities was exposed by Oregon’s Sedona Prince on social media. The workout and practice area for the men was significantly larger than the women, whose weight room was just a single stack of dumbbells.

The video drew significant attention to the equity gaps between the Men’s and Women’s divisions, leading to a 114-page report by a civil rights law firm that detailed the inequities between the two and suggested ways to improve the NCAA’s efforts for the Women’s side. One of these suggestions was simply to give the Women’s Tournament the same March Madness moniker as the men, which it finally got in 2022.

But underneath the surface of these institutional changes, women’s basketball’s single-biggest success driver was already emerging out of the shadows.

During the same COVID-marred season, a rookie from Iowa led the league in scoring with 26.6 points per game.

Her name: Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin Clark has scored the most points and made the most threes in college basketball.

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

As it stands today, Clark is the leading scorer in the history of college basketball — Men’s or Women’s. Her jaw-dropping shooting ability has fueled record viewership and ticket sales for Women’s collegiate games, carrying momentum to the March Madness tournament that has NBA legends like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce more excited for the Women’s March Madness than the Men’s this year.

Related: Ticket prices for Caitlin Clark's final college home game are insanely high

But as the NCAA tries to bridge the opportunities given to the two sides, can the hype around Clark be enough for the Women’s March Madness to bring in the same fandom as the Men for the 2024 tournaments?

TheStreet spoke with Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, who has been following sports viewership trends for the last two decades; Melissa Isaacson, a veteran sports journalist and longtime advocate of women’s basketball; and Pete Giorgio, Deloitte’s leader for Global and US Sports to dissect the rise Caitlin Clark and women’s collegiate hoops ahead of March Madness.

“Nobody is moving the needle like Caitlin Clark,” Lewis told TheStreet. “Nobody else in sports, period, right now, is fueling record numbers on all these different networks, driving viewership beyond what the norm has been for 20 years."

The Caitlin Clark Effect is real — but there are other reasons for the success of women's basketball

The game in which Clark broke the all-time college scoring record against Ohio State on Sunday, Mar. 3 was seen by an average of 3.4 million viewers on Fox, marking the first time a women’s game broke the two million viewership barrier since 2010. Viewership for that game came in just behind the men’s game between Michigan State vs Arizona game on Thanksgiving, which Lewis said was driven by NFL viewership on the same day.

A week later, Iowa’s Big Ten Championship win over Nebraska breached the three million viewers mark as well, and the team has also seen viewership numbers crack over 1.5 million viewers multiple times throughout the regular season.

The success on television has also translated to higher ticket prices, as tickets to watch Clark at home and on the road have breached hundreds of dollars and drawn long lines outside stadiums. Isaacson, who is a professor at Northwestern, said she went to the game between the Hawkeyes and Northwestern Wildcats — which was the first sellout in school history for the team — and witnessed the effect of Clark in person.

“Standing in line interviewing people at the Northwestern game, seeing men who've never been to a women's game with their little girls watching and so excited, and seeing Caitlin and her engaging with little girls, it’s just been really fun,” Isaacson said.

But while Clark is certainly the biggest success driver, her game isn’t the only thing pulling up the women’s side. The three-point revolution, which started in the NBA with the introduction of deeper analytics as well as the rise of stars like Steph Curry, has been a positive for the Women’s game.

“They backed up to the three-point line and it’s opening up the game,” Isaacson said.

One of the major criticisms from a lot of women’s hoops detractors has been how the game does not compare in terms of quality to the men. However, shooting has become a great equalizer, displayed recently during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend last month when the WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu nearly defeated Curry — who is widely considered the greatest shooter ever — in a three-point contest.

Clark has become the embodiment of the three-point revolution for the women. Her shooting displays have demanded the respect of anyone who has doubted women’s basketball in the past because being a man simply doesn’t grant someone the ability to shoot long-distance bombs the way she can.

Basketball pundit Bill Simmons admitted on a Feb. 28 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he used to not want to watch women’s basketball because he didn’t enjoy watching the product, but finds himself following the women’s game this year more than the men’s side in large part due to Clark.

“I think she has the chance to be the most fun basketball player, male or female, when she gets to the pros,” Simmons said. “If she’s going to make the same 30-footers, routinely. It’s basically all the same Curry stuff just with a female … I would like watching her play in any format.”

But while Clark is driving up the numbers at the top, she’s not the only one carrying the greatness of the product. Lewis, Isaacson, Giorgio — and even Simmons, on his podcast — agreed that there are several other names and collegiate programs pulling in fans.

“It’s not just Iowa, it’s not just Caitlin Clark, it’s all of these teams,” Giorgio said. “Part of it is Angel Reese … coaches like Dawn Staley in South Carolina … You’ve got great stories left and right.”

LSU's Angel Reese (right) and her head coach Kim Mulkey are two of the biggest names in Women's college hoops. 

Eakin Howard/Getty Images

The viewership showed that as well because the SEC Championship game between the LSU Tigers and University of South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, Mar. 10 averaged two million viewers.

Bridging the gap between the Men’s and Women’s March Madness viewership

The first reason women are catching up to the men is really star power. While the Women’s division has names like Clark and Reese, there just aren’t any names on the Men’s side this year that carry the same weight.

Garnett said on his show that he can’t name any men’s college basketball players, while on the women’s side, he could easily throw out the likes of Clark, Reese, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, and USC’s JuJu Watkins. Lewis felt the same.

“The stars in the men's game, with one and done, I genuinely couldn't give you a single name of a single men’s player,” Lewis said.

A major reason for this is that the Women’s side has the continuity that the Men’s side does not. The rules of the NBA allow for players to play just one year in college — or even play a year professionally elsewhere — before entering the draft, while the WNBA requires players to be 22-years-old during the year of the draft to be eligible.

“You know the stars in the women's game because they stay longer,” Lewis said. “[In the men’s game], the programs are the stars … In the women's game, it's a lot more like the NBA where the players are the stars.”

Parity is also a massive factor on both sides. The women’s game used to be dominated by a few schools like UConn and Notre Dame. Nowadays, between LSU, Iowa, University of South Carolina, Stanford, and UConn, there are a handful of schools that have a shot to win the entire tournament. While this is more exciting for fans, the talent in the women's game isn’t deep enough, so too many upsets are unlikely. Many of the biggest draws are still expected to make deep runs.

But on the men’s side, there is a bigger shot that the smaller programs make it to the end — which is what was seen last year. UConn eventually won the whole thing, but schools without as big of a national fanbase in San Diego State, Florida Atlantic University, and the University Miami rounded out the Final Four.

“People want to see one Cinderella,” Lewis said. “They don't want to see two and three, they want one team that isn't supposed to be there.”

Is Women's March Madness ready to overtake the Men?

Social media might feel like it’s giving more traction to the Women’s game, but experts don’t necessarily expect that to show up in the viewership numbers just yet.

“There’s certainly a lot more buzz than there used to be,” Giorgio said. “It’s been growing every year for not just the past few years but for 10 years, but it’s hard to compare it versus Men’s.”

But the gap continues to get smaller and smaller between the two sides, and this year's tournament could bridge that gap even further.

One indicator is ticket prices. For the NCAA Tournament Final Four in April, “get-in” ticket prices are currently more expensive for the Women’s game than the Men’s game, according to TickPick. The ticketing site also projects that the Women’s Final Four and Championship game ticket prices will smash any previous records for the Women’s side should Clark and the Hawkeyes make a run to the end.

NCAA "get-in" price comparison.

Getty Images/TheStreet

The caveat is that the Women’s Final Four is played in a stadium that has less than a third of the seating capacity of the Men’s Final Four. That’s why the average ticket prices are still more expensive for the men, although the gap is a lot smaller this year than in previous years.

The gap between the average ticket prices of the Final Four tournaments is getting smaller.

But that caveat pretty much sums up where the women’s game currently stands versus the men’s: There is still a significant gap between the distribution and availability of the former.

While Iowa’s regular season games have garnered millions of viewers, the majority of the most-viewed games are still Men’s contests.

To illustrate the gap between the men’s and women’s game — last year’s Women’s Championship game that saw the LSU Tigers defeat the Hawkeyes was a record-breaking one for the women, drawing an average of 9.9 million viewers, more than double the viewership from the previous year.

One of the main reasons for that increase, as Lewis pointed out, is that last year’s Championship game was on ABC, which was the first time since 1995 that the Women’s Championship game was on broadcast television. The 1995 contest between UConn and Tennessee drew 7.4 million viewers.

The Men’s Championship actually had a record low in viewership last year garnering only 14.7 million viewers, driven in-part due to a lack of hype surrounding the schools that made it to the Final Four and Championship game. Viewership for the Men’s title game has been trending down in recent years — partly due to the effect the pandemic had on collective sports viewership — but the Men’s side had been easily breaching 20 million viewers for the game as recently as 2017.

The 2023 Women's National Championship was the most-viewed game ever, while the Men's Championship was the division's least watched. 

Iowa's Big Ten Championship win on Sunday actually only averaged 6,000 fewer viewers than the iconic rivalry game between Duke and University of North Carolina Men’s Basketball the day prior. However, there is also the case that the Iowa game was played on broadcast TV (CBS) versus the Duke-UNC game airing on cable channel (ESPN).

So historical precedence makes it unlikely that we’ll see the women’s game match the men’s in terms of viewership as early as this year barring another massive viewership jump for the women and a lack of recovery for the Men’s side.

But ultimately, this shouldn’t be looked at as a down point for Women’s Basketball, according to Lewis. The Men’s side has built its viewership base for years, and the Women’s side is still growing. Even keeping pace with the Men’s viewership is already a great sign.

“The fact that these games have Caitlin Clark are even in the conversation with men's games, in terms of viewership is a huge deal,” Lewis said.

Related: Angel Reese makes bold statement for avoiding late game scuffle in championship game

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