IATA has outlined priorities for turning advances in airline retailing, payments, artificial intelligence, biometrics and digital identity into better passenger journeys and stronger financial resilience. Opening the World Financial Symposium and World Passenger Symposium in Macao, interim director general Sandrine Le Borgne called for technology to deliver measurable commercial value while airlines retain control of their data and customer relationships.
IATA framed the challenge around three objectives: competing in the future marketplace, achieving sustainable financial returns and making travel easier. AI assistants and automated agents are changing how passengers discover and compare trips, increasing the need for accurate data and effective airline control of commercial interactions.
The association’s Offers and Orders programme is central to that transition. Seven airlines are live or implementing Orders, with more than 20 expected to follow from 2027. Technology providers have committed more than US$1.7 billion to Offers and Orders, which provide the commercial foundation for AI-driven retailing while AI acts as the accelerator.
Financial processes must be incorporated from the outset, rather than existing complexity being digitised. Airlines spent more than US$24.5 billion processing payments, making payment choice relevant to both customer experience and cash flow. IATA also called for reconciliation, settlement and revenue accounting to be built into the move to Orders.
Biometrics can streamline airport processing, but fragmented airport and national systems limit the benefit. IATA urged governments to issue and accept digital travel credentials aligned with ICAO standards; more than eight in ten passengers have expressed interest in using a digital passport for check-in.