Where’s Willie? Not on the CEO panel in LA….

Yesterday we attended the CEO panel – which is basically a talk with 3 CEO’s about business travel and obviously the current airline situation. Our very own Willie Walsh was meant to be sat with the CEO of Air Canada and Delta. But of course needed to cancel due to the Iberia and BA merger news. The excuse the MC gave? He was stuck at T5. With his bags in Milan. 2,200 people roared with laughter. The shame. The mud on our face.

The conference afterwards was brilliant though. Boeing was sponsoring and their key pitch was the real possibility that we would have bio fuels in airplanes in the next 10 years. Which is an amazing feat. Discussion later challenged this as a viable opportunity as the overall infrastructure of logistics and the cost to be able to do this will be massive challenge.

Boeing continued with the overall developments which is making aircrafts more fuel efficient overall and since developing aircrafts they have made them 70% more efficient than their first generation. The Dreamliner will be 20% more efficient on top of that. Which is quite incredible.

The highlights of the discussion overall centred around the challenges of fuel; frequent flyer programmes; baggage allowance and charging; and air traffic control issues.

One of the most striking comments was said by the CEO of Delta Air Lines Richard H. Anderson. He said that air travel was not only the only industry that has and is continuing to make huge leaps with regards to improvements in fuel efficiencies but is also pushing forward and leading the movement to find viable alternatives to fossil fuels.

After he said that, I felt a team hug coming on.