Michael O’Leary and Robin Hayes in conversation with aviation expert John Strickland

CEOs of low-cost carriers from both sides of the Atlantic will give updates on how they are adapting amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting downturn in international air travel, during two hour-long sessions at WTM Virtual.

As of 1 June 2020, 156 governments completely closed their borders to international tourism, and more than 9 out of 10 people in the world lived in countries that had cross-border travel restrictions in place.

This year, Airlines have had to drastically reduce and in some cases ground their fleets and cease their activities, with extreme impacts on the short-term on employees and dependant activities. IATA expects recovery in air travel to lag economic recovery, with no uptick before 2021.

Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair Group, and Robin Hayes, CEO of US carrier JetBlue, will each take part in separate Aviation Updates with highly respected aviation expert John Strickland at WTM Virtual. This will be the first time that both CEO’s appeared at a WTM Q&A session.

As leader of Europe’s largest low-cost carrier – and never one to hold back on expressing his views – Michael O’Leary’s session is expected to be a lively, no-holds-barred interview.

Along with other airlines, Ryanair has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and O’Leary has been vocal in his criticism of the way governments have handled its impact on the sector.

From a US perspective, Robin Hayes will explain how the airline has established a leading position in the USA, both in the domestic market out of its New York JFK and Boston bases, whilst increasing its international reach, including the Caribbean and Mexico.

In addition to expanding its activity on the west coast as it opens up Los Angeles as a base, the airline is also planning to expand to Europe, with particular emphasis on the corporate market, with its renowned lie-flat bed Mint business product.

WTM London’s Senior Director Simon Press said:

“This is the first time these two airline CEOs have appeared at WTM – and what they have to say has never been more important. They’ll be sharing insight into how low-cost carriers are adapting to the current pandemic situation, and will give their thoughts on what governments should be doing to help the airline industry.

“Michael O’Leary is a vibrant character, who never shies away from saying what he thinks. His perspective and directness will resonate with industry followers – now more than ever.

“JetBlue, meanwhile, has its eyes firmly set on Europe. It’s good to know that, despite the challenges of COVID-19, Robin Hayes and the team clearly view expansion to cities such as London and Paris as future growth markets.

“Both sessions are sure to draw attention to the ongoing debate, led by the man who knows the questions to ask – WTM’s airline expert John Strickland.”

The John Strickland Aviation Update with Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary takes place on Tuesday, November 10, from 10:00-11:00 GMT at WTM Virtual.

The John Strickland Aviation Update with JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes takes place on Wednesday, November 11, from 14:00-15:00 GMT at WTM Virtual.

 

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About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises six leading travel events, an online portal and a virtual platform across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM Global Hub, is the new WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/

WTM Virtual, is the new WTM Portfolio virtual platform, created to offer global delegates the chance to arrange one-to-one virtual meetings to do business, attend conference sessions and roundtables, take part in speed networking and more. WTM Virtual will embrace the global leading travel shows in one platform.

Taking place: Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November 2020 – Virtual http://london.wtm.com/

London Travel Week, brought to you by WTM London, is the one-stop-shop for event hosts and visitors

to be able to shape the next 12 months of travel together. The festival of events supports the global travel and tourism industry through capturing invaluable news and enhancing industry connections.

Next event: Friday 30 October to Thursday 5 November 2020 – Virtual https://londontravelweek.wtm.com/.

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over £3.71 billion in travel industry contracts. This year the show will be fully-virtual.

Next event: Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November 2020 – Virtual http://london.wtm.com/

Travel Forward London is the leading travel technology event, co-located with WTM London. Travel Forward is renowned for showcasing the next-generation technologies for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Over 19,000 travel officials and 150+ innovative solution providers attend for 3 days of cutting-edge insights, open debate and unrivalled networking opportunities. The combination of a 2-day conference, interactive exhibition and Start-up showcase makes Travel Forward truly unique. This year the show will be fully-virtual.

Next event: Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November 2020 – Virtual http://travelforward.wtm.com/

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 27^th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s resilient and ever-changing travel and tourism landscape and prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas – providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities.

Next event: Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2021 – Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)- Sheikh Zayed Rd – Trade Centre 2 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.

WTM Latin America attracts around 19,000 participants – 11,586 unique. The trade show, which takes place in São Paulo, has a worldwide audience that meets to establish the direction of the travel industry. The event is recognised for attracting a high level of professionals from the segment, including buyers and travel agents. It also offers programmes with qualified content and plenty of opportunities for networking and generating business that is relevant to the travel industry

Next event: Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 April 2021 – Expo Center Norte, São Paulo http://latinamerica.wtm.com/.

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. More than 6,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.

Next event: Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 April 2021 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/.

Reed Exhibitions is a leading global events business. It combines face-to-face with data and digital tools to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 500 events in almost 30 countries across 43 industry sectors, attracting more than 7 million participants.  Our events, organized by 35 global offices, leverage industry expertise, large data sets and technology to enable our customers to generate billions of dollars of revenues for the economic development of local markets and national economies around the world. Reed Exhibitions is part of RELX, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedexhibitions.com

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 20 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, LGBTQ+ travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf and spa travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions. https://www.reedtravelexhibitions.com/