"The Report Card Nobody Asked For" The State of Airline Retailing 2026 — What the Industry Believ...

Episode - 003 (May 13, 2026) Ann Cederhall just published the most honest assessment of airline retailing in years — and the results will surprise you. The State of Airline Retailing 2026 is a global survey of 213 aviation stakeholders conducted by the esteemed Ann Cederhall through LeapShift, sponsored by Retailaer. It benchmarks where the industry actually stands — not where the press releases say it stands. The survey highlights the progress the industry has made, and the specific friction points that remain, as we transition to modern retailing. We are making the full report available so you can benchmark your current progress against the rest of the industry. Eric and Steph go deep across three narratives the data surfaces. Airlines are less confident in their own retailing than they were in 2023 — Despite three more years of NDC investment, ancillary tooling, and transformation programs, 41% of airline respondents rate their own retailing capabilities as poor or very poor. Airlines report feeling more confident in their peers than in themselves. With a 3.7% industry net margin and $120–150B in annual ancillary revenue at stake, the gap between ambition and execution is not a small problem. NDC is losing the room — and ONE Order is quietly gaining it — Negative sentiment toward NDC and Modern Airline Retailing has grown since 2023, while optimism about ONE Order has increased. The more important finding is why: the industry has failed to explain the difference between an order-based PSS and an OMS, and that confusion is causing airlines to freeze. You do not have to replace your PSS to unlock order-based retailing. That misunderstanding is costing real money. The biggest retailing opportunity in aviation is already inside every airline — Group travel, corporate direct purchasing, disruption moments, upgrades, and post-purchase touchpoints remain almost entirely untouched. Ann's conclusion is precise: the next wave of retail growth will not come from new products. It will come from retailing existing ones better — at the right moment, with the right offer, triggered by data airlines already have. Report Referenced in This Episode State of Airline Retailing 2026 — Ann Cederhall / LeapShift - Download the full report (https://web.cvent.com/survey/c6801c20...)  — LeapShift, in collaboration with Airline Information, sponsored by Retailaer The V1 Airline Retailing Report publishes every Monday. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.