Data driven...

Personalisation has become the buzz word of the onboard hospitality industry and the hero of the hour, it seems, is data.

For many, the current tech talk is either mind-blowing or mindnumbing, but as back office analytics are used to crunch the numbers, refined passenger profiles and clearer insights into their habits and hang-ups are already beginning to drive product and service development.

The wealth of data appears to offer some exciting opportunities for suppliers and buyers to translate a rich digital harvest into products passenger are known to actually want. That will of course offer benefits to travellers (as you can read in our personalisation feature on page 54) but there will be wider benefits too. The issue of sustainability is moving up the agenda fast (as we explore on page 26), and if all this data can help airlines and their suppliers match supply and demand more accurately, they will cut waste and ensure every touchpoint has added value - to the benefit of travellers, operators and the planet alike.

In this issue we are also pleased to recognise the winners of our 2018 Onboard Hospitality Awards (page 7), identifying some top products, trendsetters and true forward thinking. Congratulations to them all and here's to those creative minds standing by to translate all those digital inputs into yet more incredible onboard passenger experiences.