The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the Airline Industry Retailing Symposium (AIRS), formerly part of the World Passenger Symposium (WPS), will focus on how changes in distribution and payment are paving the way for a new era of airline retailing.

“Initiatives like the New Distribution Capability are enabling airlines to become true internet retailers and to control the offer in every sales channel.

Concurrently, digital transformation and big data are creating huge opportunities for personalization and customization. The result is a new era in which travelers will have more transparency and greater options to tailor their journey when they shop for travel, while airlines will be able to offer a richer, more customized retail experience, and own their content, regardless of shopping channel.

The Airline Industry Retailing Symposium provides a forum to examine challenges to achieving this vision for a new era of airline retailing,” said Aleks Popovich, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Financial and Distribution Services.