The Inflight Lab returned to Europe on 9-10 June 2026, an event which brought together 30 senior airline and industry professionals for two days of working sessions and hands-on collaboration relating to inflight food and beverages, and the onboard experience.
The event was hosted at The Leo Grand hotel in Vienna in collaboration with Austrian Airlines, with attendees from Finnair, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Aegean Airlines, ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines, as well as a group of industry partners.
The sessions covered topics including inflight equipment trends, crew incentives and onboard selling, sustainability, AI-driven demand forecasting, buy-on-board and pre-order strategies, and a hands-on premium breakfast workshop in which attendees sampled business-class breakfast concepts currently being offered by airlines.
“The Inflight Lab exists because the industry needs a space where real conversations can happen,” said Nik Loukas, founder of Inflight Feed and organiser of The Inflight Lab.
“When you remove the sales agenda entirely, airlines and suppliers stop performing and start collaborating. Vienna was our strongest edition yet – the room was full of people who genuinely wanted to solve problems together, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Airlines shared their latest catering and pax ex initiatives
Aegean Airlines offered attendees an early look at its upcoming long-haul product, as the carrier prepares to launch A321LR services on routes of six to seven hours. Sandy Koutsogianni, head of product marketing and flight services at the airline, presented the experience vision, four product pillars, and the challenge of meeting widebody passenger expectations on a narrowbody aircraft.
Lufthansa presented its new Fox onboard experience programme in detail, covering new service concepts, serviceware, and the thinking behind the changes made across the cabin classes.
Finnair then updated the group on its current inflight programme, and Austrian Airlines followed with new service changes coming across its network.
Vassilios Georgakopoulos, founder and principal of Hôte Advisory, a management consultancy that helps travel and hospitality brands, joined as a special guest. He led four sessions across the two days, concerning product strategy, brand authenticity, lessons from other industries, and the relationship between premiumisation and cost discipline.
The Inflight Lab Vienna was made possible with the support of headline sponsor Gispol, which presented on inflight equipment trends and how the industry sources inspiration for new designs. Platinum sponsors Global-c, MyDrap, ELAG, Intervine, Goedhart Bakery Kitchen Group, and Plane Talking Products also contributed to the programme, with Plane Talking Products running the amenity kits workshop at the event.
What’s next?
Further editions of The Inflight Lab are planned for the USA in November 2026, and Asia in February 2027.
Airlines interested in hosting a future edition are encouraged to get in touch. Hosting is complimentary, with the host airline receiving prominent recognition across all event materials and associated media coverage.
Airlines and suppliers interested in attending or sponsoring future editions can register their details.
