Last week, thousands of aviation professionals gathered in Lisbon for the World Aviation Festival 2025. A global meeting point for airlines, airports, and technology innovators shaping the next chapter of air travel.
Across three days, the festival buzzed with discussion about the future of digital transformation, sustainability, and customer experience. It was a space where optimism met practicality, and where ideas from across the world were exchanged, challenged and built upon.
As Silver Sponsors of the event, iCoupon was proud to be part of that collective conversation. Our team spent the 3 days on the exhibition floor, connecting with partners old and new, and hearing firsthand how airlines are rethinking disruption management, automation, and care.
With our logo featured on the runway-style walkways throughout the exhibition hall, we felt quite literally part of the festival’s journey. A small but fitting symbol of the industry’s movement towards greater connection.
A shared focus on disruption and care
Among the week’s highlights was a panel discussion titled “How can airlines minimise the impact of disruptions for customers and business?” — featuring our Sales Director, Viktoriya Soubra, alongside speakers from Yvonne De Silva, Director of Operations Control at Aer Lingus, Aley Larkin, Senior Customer Recovery Strategy Consultant at Southwest Airlines, George Ampat, Manager ACS Service Recovery & Airport Strategy at Delta Air Lines, Al Tredinnick, Head of Commercial at 15below, and our mediator Alex Goman, AIR Consulting.
The session explored the operational and emotional realities of disruption, from flight delays and cancellations to the behind-the-scenes coordination needed to keep passengers informed and supported. What stood out most was a shared belief that managing disruption well is no longer a customer service gesture; it’s a strategic priority.
As Viktoriya noted during the discussion:
“When passengers face disruption, they don’t see systems or departments – they see a single airline experience. The challenge for all of us is to make that experience feel connected, no matter how complex the situation behind it is.”
This sentiment echoed throughout the festival, that the most meaningful progress comes not just from technology itself, but from the way it connects and streamlines people and processes.
Conversations that matter
Away from the panel stage, our team engaged in thoughtful exchanges with airlines, airports and ecosystem partners, many of whom are navigating similar challenges:
how to automate without losing empathy, how to measure the true cost of disruption, and how to maintain harmony between operational efficiency and customer care.
It was encouraging to see that collaboration, rather than competition, remains at the core of this industry’s approach to innovation. The discussions throughout the week reflected a shared goal to build systems that make aviation more resilient and experiences that make travel more human.
For iCoupon, the value of the World Aviation Festival lies in perspective; the opportunity to listen, learn and contribute to a conversation that goes far beyond our own solutions.
We left Lisbon energised by the connections made, the stories shared, and the industry-wide commitment to doing better by passengers, staff and partners alike. As the sector continues to evolve, one thing feels certain: disruption care is becoming a defining measure of how well airlines deliver trust.
Thank you to everyone who visited our stand, joined our sessions, or simply stopped for a conversation, and to the organisers at Terrapinn, for bringing together such a thoughtful and forward-looking community of aviation professionals.
