Raven, the aviation growth specialists, today launched the Customer Growth Index (CGI) at the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro: a single, comparable rating of the digital experience that wins or loses airline bookings. The CGI scores carriers on four measures of airlines’ digital estates – speed, accessibility, booking flow and AI findability – and ranks each one against a bespoke competitive set matched by both business model and geogrhy. In practice, this means a low-cost carrier is judged against comparable low-cost carriers in the same region rather than against a long-haul flag carrier or an operator in another market.

The launch operationalises the central argument of Aviation’s New Flight Plan, Raven’s groundbreaking report on the future of airline customer experience: that after two decades of competing on efficiency, the next decade of flight will be won on experience. As the report puts it, customer experience is becoming the new currency of the sector, and the CGI gives airlines the first like-for-like way to measure how much of it they are earning across their owned digital journey.
Each measure reflects where revenue is made or lost. Speed ctures the conversions that slow, clunky booking flows shed on commodity routes. Accessibility matters because around one in five travellers has a disability: a large, loyal and underserved market that an accessible booking flow wins, and one that the EU Accessibility Act, the US Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the UK Equality Act increasingly require carriers to serve. Booking flow exposes the real friction that costs completed bookings. And AI findability measures whether AI assistants and meta-search can find, read and recommend a carrier as discovery shifts from search results to AI answers.

The gains are not confined to the point of sale. A faster, clearer, fairer and more accessible journey also builds loyalty: the retention that compounds over time as travellers return to a carrier they trust. McKinsey finds that airlines with consistently high satisfaction retain customers around 30% more effectively than peers on similar fares, and that integrated customer-experience investment is associated with +6–8% EBITDA within three years.
The index is delivered in three tiers of rising depth. The Index is an automated benchmark giving a CGI score, category rank, plain-English read on every measure and a confidence rating. The Analyst Review adds human judgement, including screen-reader and live booking-flow testing, to confirm where friction is real and what it is costing. The Distribution Review examines deeper revenue leaks across price, trust and channel mix, including how a carrier’s NDC and distribution setup helps or hurts. As a dedicated AGM offering, Raven is making The Index complimentary for IATA member carriers.

Methodologically, the CGI blends automated scanning with expert human review. Its automated speed, accessibility and web-vitals analysis is powered by the Pythia rating engine, with scoring designed by Dr Conor Farrington, the index and methodology lead.
Quotes

For two decades aviation competed on efficiency. The next decade will be won on experience. Customer experience is the new currency, and the Customer Growth Index gives airlines the first comparable way to see how much of it they are earning, or leaving on the table, across their digital journey.
Louise Croft Baker, Experience Director, Raven, and author of Aviation’s New Flight Plan

Discovery is moving from search results to AI answers. If an assistant cannot read and recommend you, you are invisible at the very moment a traveller is choosing. That is why AI findability sits at the heart of the CGI: it is fast becoming the front door to every booking.
Edward Croft Baker, Transformation Director, Raven

INDUSTRY VOICE · FROM AVIATION’S NEW FLIGHT PLAN
Younger passengers don’t buy loyalty, they buy alignment.
Caroline Whyatt, Head of Seamless Travel Programme, British Airways

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that leaders of the global aviation industry are gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) on 6-8 June 2026.

The last AGM to be held in South America was in 1999, also in Rio de Janeiro. This marked the formal introduction of the World Air Transport Summit format, recognizing the IATA AGM as the leading industry platform for high-level debate on critical issues surrounding aviation.

LATAM Airlines Group is the host airline of the event in which some 1,500 industry leaders, government officials, and media are expected to participate.

We are thrilled to meet in South America after 27 years. Over the past decades the entire region has made significant investments in aviation infrastructure, positioning the continent to benefit economically and socially from air connectivity. Brazil’s ridly modernizing aviation sector already supports 2.1% of the country’s GDP. With rich tourism resources, enormous SAF production potential, and growing exports, the potential to further strengthen Brazil’s air connectivity is a winning proposition for people, jobs, trade, and the wider economy. We’ll highlight policies and changes needed to turn Brazil’s potential into reality as part of a program addressing aviation’s most pressing global issues, said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Brazil continues to consolidate its leadership in South America, reaching nine million international visitors in 2025. According to IATA’s Value of Aviation report (pdf), the country’s aviation sector (airlines, airport operators and onsite businesses, air navigation service providers, and manufacturers) employs 246,800 people and generates USD 10.3 billion of economic output or 0.5% of total GDP. Taking into account the wider aviation value chain, including employee spending and tourism activities, the total number of jobs supported reached 1.9 million with a GDP contribution of USD 46.4 billion equivalent to 2.1%.

Aviation demand in South America’s largest aviation market remains strong. In 2025, Brazil recorded an 11.5% year-on-year growth in total passenger demand, with both domestic and international markets surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Domestic traffic exceeded 100 million passengers for the first time, while international demand grew by 17% as compared to 2024, gaining 20.4 percentage points on 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

As the host airline of the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting, LATAM Airlines Group is honored to welcome members of the global aviation community to Brazil. In Brazil, they will see an aviation market that is contributing significantly to the country’s economic development. LATAM Airlines Group is proud to be a key player in that progress which is changing people’s lives for the better. The event is a great opportunity to inspire the conditions to make aviation in Brazil and across South America an even greater catalyst for growth and development, said Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group.

World Air Transport Summit

The World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which follows immediately after the AGM, will address key issues facing the aviation industry with an ambitious agenda of global and regional topics.

Highlights include the ever-popular CEO Panel hosted by CNN’s Richard Quest and featuring Luis Rodrigues, CEO of T Air Portugal, Con Korfiatis, CEO of Oman Air, Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines, and Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of Abra.

Key topics to be addressed in the WATS include:

Turning Brazil’s aviation potential into reality
Closing the g between Brazil’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel production potential and airline needs
Securing airspace to accommodate growth as conflicts proliferate
Trade, tariffs, and the role of air cargo
The Psychology of passengers in stressful situations
Passenger rights, data, and prospects for better regulation
Is AI living up to its promises for airlines?
The program also includes the eighth edition of the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards. These awards recognize individuals and organizations who are advancing gender balance in the industry through the 25by2025 initiative.

Most airline passengers interact with an alliance before they realise one exists.

The lounge access waiting at the other end of a long-haul flight. The frequent-flyer miles earned on a carrier they have never flown before. The ability to check baggage in London and collect it in Sydney despite travelling on multiple airlines with different owners, different liveries and different national identities.

Today these experiences feel routine. In the late 1990s they represented one of the most ambitious experiments the aviation industry had ever attempted.

The emergence of Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam fundamentally changed how airlines compete. Together, the three alliances now carry more than 1.8 billion passengers each year, generate revenues proaching US$700 billion and connect almost every significant aviation market on the planet. In scale alone, they rank among the most influential commercial organisations ever created in travel.

Yet none of them were originally conceived as marketing programmes.

They were born out of a structural problem.

As globalisation accelerated throughout the 1990s, airlines found themselves trped between two opposing realities. Their customers increasingly operated internationally, while the airlines themselves remained constrained by national ownership rules, bilateral air service agreements and political sensitivities that made cross-border mergers extraordinarily difficult.

A multinational corporation could serve customers around the world. An airline largely could not.

The solution emerged not through consolidation, but cooperation.

Chter One: Star Alliance Creates a New Category

When executives from United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, SAS and Thai Airways gathered in Frankfurt on 14 May 1997, they were not simply announcing a partnership. They were attempting to create an entirely new category of business.

Among the driving forces behind the initiative were Lufthansa chief executive Jürgen Weber and United Airlines chief executive Gerald Greenwald. Both recognised that airlines needed to find a way of behaving globally without actually becoming global companies.

This is a historic step in commercial aviation, Weber declared at launch.

At the time, the claim sounded bold.

The aviation industry had spent decades competing through route networks, aircraft orders and national prestige. Cooperation was generally limited to bilateral agreements and relatively simple codeshare arrangements. The notion that five independent airlines could effectively market themselves as a single network struck many observers as overly ambitious.

Not everyone was convinced.

Some analysts questioned whether airlines with different cultures, labour structures and commercial priorities could genuinely work together. Others argued that passengers still bought tickets primarily based on schedule and price. Frequent-flyer reciprocity and shared branding seemed unlikely to influence consumer behaviour on a meaningful scale.

The sceptics underestimated how quickly the market was changing.

Corporate travel buyers immediately understood the value proposition. Multinational companies wanted fewer supplier relationships, broader coverage and more consistent service. Star Alliance offered exactly that.

Greenwald framed the opportunity succinctly when he observed that customers were increasingly demanding a seamless travel system.

The timing was almost perfect. International business travel was expanding ridly. Global consulting firms, investment banks and multinational corporations were building increasingly international workforces. The internet was beginning to shrink distances between markets. Airlines that remained confined to their own route networks suddenly looked vulnerable.

Star Alliance transformed the economics of aviation by creating what was effectively a virtual global airline. A passenger could book through one carrier, earn miles across multiple carriers, access lounges around the world and enjoy coordinated schedules without ever needing to understand the complexity behind the scenes.

The alliance expanded ridly. Airlines across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America sought membership. The network effect became increasingly powerful. Every new member increased the value of the alliance for existing members.

Today Star Alliance remains the world’s largest airline alliance, comprising 25 member airlines, more than 5,000 aircraft, proximately 760 million annual passengers, over 18,000 daily flights and estimated combined revenues of US$230-250 billion.

Its membership now includes some of aviation’s most respected brands, among them Lufthansa, United Airlines, Singore Airlines, ANA, Air Canada, Swiss and Turkish Airlines.

What makes Star Alliance remarkable is not simply its scale but its influence. It established the template that every major competitor would eventually follow. Before Star Alliance, there was no recognised category called the global airline alliance. After Star Alliance, every major airline needed an alliance strategy.

The industry had been changed permanently.

Chter Two: Oneworld Fights Back

Star Alliance’s success created an uncomfortable reality for everyone outside the network.

The alliance was attracting corporate contracts, strengthening customer loyalty and expanding its global reach. Airlines that had previously viewed themselves as competitors suddenly found themselves competing against something larger, a coordinated ecosystem.

For British Airways and American Airlines, the response could not wait.

In September 1998, British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Canadian Airlines announced plans to form Oneworld. The alliance formally launched in February 1999 and immediately positioned itself as a credible alternative to Star Alliance’s growing dominance.

The personalities behind the launch were formidable. British Airways chief executive Robert Ayling and American Airlines chief executive Donald Carty understood the strategic stakes. Their carriers already occupied dominant positions in some of the world’s most valuable aviation markets. London and New York remained the centre of global business travel. The transatlantic corridor generated extraordinary yields. Allowing Star Alliance to dominate the emerging alliance landsce was not an option.

Unlike Star Alliance, however, Oneworld did not attempt to win through sheer scale.

If Star Alliance was built around reach, Oneworld was built around influence.

British Airways brought Heathrow. American Airlines brought the largest domestic aviation market in the world. Cathay Pacific controlled one of Asia’s most important gateways through Hong Kong. Qantas dominated Australia’s long-haul connections.

The alliance effectively assembled a collection of premium brands whose combined influence exceeded their numbers.

This is all about people, customers, employees and shareholders, Donald Carty said at launch, emphasising that the alliance was intended to create value far beyond route ms and schedules.

Robert Ayling described Oneworld as a truly global alliance, but even as the alliance launched, there remained a fascinating tension at its heart. British Airways and American Airlines continued pursuing deeper bilateral cooperation across the Atlantic. The alliance was the public face of global cooperation, but the real commercial value increasingly sat beneath the surface in more integrated partnerships.

Some industry observers questioned whether airlines with such powerful individual brands would ever truly subordinate themselves to a shared alliance strategy. Others wondered whether Oneworld was simply a defensive reaction rather than a coherent vision.

What emerged was something different.

Rather than becoming a unified network in the Star Alliance mould, Oneworld evolved into a federation of premium carriers. The alliance focused heavily on business travellers, premium passengers and some of the world’s most lucrative long-haul routes.

This positioning proved highly effective.

Over the following decades Oneworld attracted additional high-profile members including Finnair, Iberia, Jan Airlines and, perhs most significantly, Qatar Airways. The addition of Qatar brought one of the aviation industry’s fastest-growing global networks into the alliance and strengthened its position across the Middle East.

Today Oneworld comprises proximately 13 member airlines, around 4,300 aircraft, roughly 500-550 million annual passengers and estimated combined revenues of US$180-220 billion.

Its influence extends well beyond those numbers.

Many of the world’s most profitable aviation corridors sit within the Oneworld ecosystem. London-New York, London-Hong Kong, Sydney-Los Angeles and numerous transatlantic business markets continue to generate substantial value for member airlines.

While Star Alliance may be larger, Oneworld demonstrated that alliances could compete on quality, premium positioning and strategic influence rather than scale alone.

Chter Three: SkyTeam Arrives Late and Wins Anyway

By the summer of 2000, the alliance movement peared to be settling into a two-horse race.

Star Alliance had pioneered the model. Oneworld had assembled an impressive roster of premium brands. Many observers assumed the industry’s future would revolve around these two competing networks.

Delta Air Lines and Air France saw things differently.

On 22 June 2000, Delta Air Lines, Air France, Aeroméxico and Korean Air launched SkyTeam in New York.

Unlike Star Alliance, which was driven by first-mover ambition, or Oneworld, which emphasised premium positioning, SkyTeam emerged from necessity.

The airlines involved recognised that remaining outside the alliance system carried increasing risks. Corporate travel buyers were beginning to evaluate networks rather than individual airlines. Loyalty programmes were becoming more important. Global connectivity was ridly becoming a competitive requirement rather than a differentiator.

Leading the initiative were Delta chief executive Leo Mullin and Air France chief executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta, two executives who understood that aviation was entering a period of structural change.

Spinetta described SkyTeam as a customer-focused alliance that would deliver global reach and seamless service. Mullin similarly emphasised simplicity and convenience for travellers navigating increasingly international lives.

The launch was greeted with less excitement than Star Alliance had generated three years earlier, largely because the concept itself no longer needed proving.

The debate had shifted.

The question was no longer whether alliances would succeed.

The question was which alliances would dominate.

SkyTeam’s founding members brought together a compelling collection of hubs. Atlanta provided unrivalled domestic connectivity within the United States. Paris Charles de Gaulle offered one of Europe’s most important international gateways. Seoul strengthened the alliance’s position in Asia. Mexico City expanded its reach across Latin America.

Critics nevertheless questioned whether the alliance could match Star Alliance’s scale or Oneworld’s prestige.

Those concerns proved short-lived.

A series of industry-defining mergers transformed SkyTeam’s trajectory. Air France merged with KLM in 2004, creating one of Europe’s largest airline groups. Delta merged with Northwest Airlines in 2008, dramatically expanding its international footprint.

Rather than trying to replicate its rivals, SkyTeam built strength through consolidation, operational scale and powerful connecting hubs.

The strategy worked.

Today SkyTeam comprises proximately 19 member airlines, around 4,000 aircraft, between 630 and 700 million annual passengers and estimated combined revenues of US$180-210 billion.

Members include Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, Korean Air, China Eastern, Saudia and Aeroméxico, creating one of the world’s most extensive aviation networks.

Its success demonstrated an important lesson. Being first is not always necessary. Sometimes arriving later allows an organisation to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of those who came before.

Is That It? Or Is Another Chter About to Be Written?

Looking back, the airline alliance pears almost inevitable.

In reality, it was anything but.

The industry spent much of the twentieth century organised around national carriers competing primarily within regulatory frameworks designed for another era. The rise of globalisation exposed the limitations of that model. Airlines needed international scale, but governments remained reluctant to surrender national ownership and control.

Alliances became aviation’s workaround.

They allowed airlines to create global businesses without creating global airlines.

The results have been extraordinary. Combined, Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam carry more than 1.8 billion passengers each year, operate proximately 13,000 aircraft and generate revenues proaching US$700 billion.

Yet for all their success, airline alliances no longer sit at the centre of aviation strategy in quite the same way they once did.

The industry’s deepest commercial relationships increasingly exist beneath the alliance brands themselves. Joint ventures between British Airways and American Airlines, Lufthansa and United, or Delta and Air France-KLM often generate more value than the broader alliance structures in which they sit. At the same time, airlines such as Emirates have demonstrated that global scale can be achieved without joining any alliance at all.

Meanwhile, a new generation of partnerships is emerging.

The relationship between Riyadh Air and Delta. The growing cooperation between Gulf carriers and Western airlines. The rise of digital distribution, AI-driven trip planning and increasingly personalised loyalty ecosystems. Each points towards a future where passengers may care less about alliance logos and more about whether their journey simply works.

There is also a geopolitical dimension. The centre of gravity in global aviation continues to shift eastward, with India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Southeast Asia becoming increasingly influential in shing future air travel flows. The alliances that emerged from the North Atlantic aviation order of the 1990s may eventually need to adt to a very different world.

Which raises a fascinating question.

Were Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam the final answer to aviation’s globalisation challenge?

Or were they simply the first answer?

Nearly thirty years after five airlines gathered in Frankfurt to launch Star Alliance, the alliance era remains one of the most successful innovations in aviation history. Yet the forces that created it, technology, globalisation, changing consumer expectations and shifting economic power, continue to evolve.

The first chter of airline alliances has undoubtedly been written.

Whether the next chter belongs to deeper joint ventures, AI-powered travel ecosystems, new Gulf-led partnerships, or perhs an entirely new form of global aviation network remains one of the most intriguing strategic questions facing the industry.

Because if aviation history teaches us anything, it is that the structures that seem permanent rarely are.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is expanding the presence of its cargo offerings in Latin America, including the Cargo Accounts Settlement Systems (CASS). Cargo tonne kilometers for carriers based in the region grew an average 3.3% year-on-year in the 10 years to ril 2026, resulting in a cumulative growth of 38.8% over the decade. This underpins the following developments:

Mexico

CASS Domestic operations began in ril 2026 on the strong foundations laid by the CASS Export operations which started in 1987. Mexico will be the second country, after the US, to roll out IATA FlexiPay, enabling real‑time billing, secure prepayment, and flexible payment arrangements between airlines, cargo agents, and freight forwarders.

Mexico is one of the largest air cargo markets in the region. In 2025, the domestic air cargo segment transported over 125,000 tonnes of air cargo, accounting for 15.8% of the total tonnage transported from, to and within Mexico. In Q1 2026, domestic connectivity strengthened, with the fastest-growing routes including Monterrey-Mexico City International Airport (+50.9% YoY), Tijuana-Guadalajara (+36.0% YoY), and Mexico City International Airport-Hermosillo (+17.0% YoY).

Paraguay

CASS Export is planned to open in Paraguay in the last quarter of 2026, with strong industry uptake anticipated as cargo volumes grow.

While one of Latin America’s smaller markets, Paraguay has recorded significant growth in volumes. In 2025, Paraguay transported over 42,000 tonnes of air cargo, up 225.3% YoY.

Brazil

IATA plans to introduce CASS Domestic in Brazil from early 2027. This builds on the strength of CASS Export which has operated in the market for more than two decades.

In 2025, carriers serving Brazil transported over 791,000 tonnes of air cargo, of which 7.9% was domestic traffic. Overall, air cargo transported 5.9% of Brazil’s exports by value in 2025, although these high-value, low-density exports accounted for only 0.3% of the total weight of Brazilian exports.

IATA has for decades actively supported airlines in Latin America with streamlined payment and settlement systems. The cargo industry has long recognized the value of IATA’s CASS and it now places its trust in IATA to support the growth of domestic markets in Brazil and Mexico and an emerging export market in Paraguay, said Juan Antonio Rodríguez, IATA’s Executive Director for Financial Services, BSP & CASS.

About CASS

CASS plays a vital role in streamlining the global movement of air cargo by simplifying the billing and settlement of accounts between airlines and freight forwarders. This is managed through CASSLink, an advanced global, web-based e-billing solution.

In 2025, CASS processed USD 47.5 billion, with an on-time settlement rate of 100%. Globally, IATA operates 89 CASS Export operations, 9 CASS Import operations, and 2 CASS Domestic operations, including the newly launched Mexico Domestic CASS.

Curated Spaces – the world’s first travel booking platform powered by tastemakers – expands internationally into Europe. The next phase of growth will see the platform introduce a curated portfolio of independent stays across countries such as, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Greece, including storybook châteaux, seaside hideaways, romantic rural retreats, and characterful countryside esces, each selected with the same focus on soul, design, and community.

Recently joining the platform across Western Europe includes: in France, Château de Pomiro, a petit château in the Gers hidden among centuries-old trees and rolling vineyards in Gascony; Velvet House, a French collection of architect-designed nature houses outside Paris; and Manor Repère Sauvage; in Spain, the converted stone farmhouse Mas Sant Marc; in Italy, the 19th-century Puglian palazzo Palazzo San Vito and the 11th-century South Tyrolean farmhouse Felder Alpin; in Morocco, the country guest house Villa Maroc; and in Germany, the Bavarian farmhouses of Ebenreider in the Allgäu hills.
This expansion marks a significant milestone for Curated Spaces, which launched in August 2025, as it scales its mission to redefine how people discover and book travel – moving beyond algorithm-led platforms toward a more human, trusted, and meaningful way to explore the world.

This expansion marks a significant milestone for Curated Spaces, which launched in August 2025, as it scales its mission to redefine how people discover and book travel – moving beyond algorithm-led platforms toward a more human, trusted, and meaningful way to explore the world.

Curated Spaces will bring its signature model to new regions: connecting travellers, who are frustrated with outdated booking models, with a handpicked collection of independently owned properties, all recommended by tastemakers whose perspective and style they already trust. From sun-drenched Italian masserias to French châteaux steeped in history and Greek coastal hideaways, each space reflects a distinct sense of place, character, and lived experience.
Co-Founder Molly Cooper commented on the expansion: Our vision has always been to make travel discovery feel more human, more soulful, and more personal – wherever you are in the world. Expanding into Europe is a natural next step, allowing us to spotlight some of the most beautiful, characterful spaces across France, Italy, and Greece, while continuing to support independent hospitality and trusted recommendations.

Cooper continues: These aren’t just places to stay, they’re spaces with story, heart, and identity. The timing feels natural as people seek more intentional travel, from girls’ trips and hen celebrations to honeymoons. We’re here to make those moments unforgettable – uncovering hidden gems, sharing insider knowledge, and championing under-the-radar stays with real soul and a strong sense of place.
The expansion will also open new opportunities for creators across Europe, enabling tastemakers based in the UK and overseas to curate and monetise their travel recommendations on a global scale. By turning inspiration into seamless, bookable experiences, Curated Spaces continues to bridge the g between content, commerce and discovery – supporting both creators and independent hosts in a more sustainable way.
Co-Founder, Alex Oldfield, added: We’re building more than a booking platform – we’re building a global community shed by taste, trust, and shared values. As we grow into Europe and more regions, maintaining that sense of intimacy and curation is key. Every space, every recommendation, and every partnership will continue to be intentional.

Curated Spaces currently features over 200 handpicked stays, including Beaverbrook, Cottage Orne, Thyme, Restaries, Rest + Wild, and Broadwick Soho, and a growing network of leading tastemakers. These include Laura Jackson, Estee Lalonde, The Hungry Hobbit and more. With its expansion into Europe, the platform strengthens its position at the intersection of the global travel industry and the creator economy – while continuing to define a new category of travel discovery cemented in authenticity.