The World Aviation Festival (WAF), the world’s largest aviation technology event, has revealed the finalists for its highly anticipated Battle of the Airline Apps competition, set to take place during WAF 2025 from October 7 – 9 at FIL, Lisbon.
Launched to spotlight innovation in airline mobile technology, the Battle of the Airline Apps challenges carriers to showcase how their apps are transforming the passenger journey – from booking and check-in to in flight engagement and post travel loyalty. The live format gives audiences an unfiltered look at the strategies, design choices, and digital investments shaping the future of airline-customer interaction, while fostering healthy competition and knowledge sharing across the industry.
This year’s line-up brings together five global carriers known for their digital innovation:
Qatar Airways – Christoph Guittard, SVP Business to Customer
Copa Airlines – speaker to be confirmed
Air India – Satya Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Technology Officer
Saudia – speaker to be confirmed
Air Canada – Carlos Faxas, Managing Director, Ops Mod and Tech Enablement
The live competition will see each airline present and defend its mobile app strategy before a panel of industry experts:
Anne De Hauw, Founder, In Air Travel Experience
Oliver Schmitt, MD Digital Hangar and SVP Digital Customer Solutions, Lufthansa Group
Seth Miller, Founder, PaxExAero
Mark Lenahan, Consultant, Director, Lenahan Consulting Ltd
Hosted by Henry Harteveldt, Travel Industry Analyst, Atmosphere Research
Now in its latest edition, the Battle of the Airline Apps has become a WAF highlight, offering a rare, side-by-side look at how leading carriers are using mobile platforms to enhance passenger experience, drive loyalty, and streamline operations.
“The Battle of the Airline Apps is more than a competition; it’s a live case study in how airlines are reimagining the digital passenger journey,” said Daniel Boyle, General Manager of Transport at WAF organiser Terrapinn. “With this year’s stellar line-up of finalists and judges, we expect bold ideas, healthy debate, and plenty of inspiration for the aviation industry and beyond.”
The competition is part of a packed WAF 2025 programme featuring 600 speakers, 400+ exhibitors, and more than 4,500 aviation professionals. Taking place across sixteen conference tracks, the event will explore the impact of AI and machine learning, digital transformation, airline retailing, customer experience, and sustainability in aviation.
