McLEAN, VA, USA, 17 August, 2009 – The World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) proudly revealed today the finalists in the Avion Awards, honoring excellence in inflight entertainment. Winners will be announced at the ceremony during the 30th WAEA Conference & Exhibition in Palm Springs, California on 5 October 2009.

This year, an overwhelming 60,000 passengers rated their IFE experience on 38 airlines that competed for the prestigious Avion Awards for Best in Region and Best Overall categories. Passengers completed online surveys administered by Skytrax, the leader in research to the world airline and air transport industry.

“Passenger voting makes this award truly representative of passenger comfort and satisfaction with their inflight entertainment experience,” says Christine Ringger, president of WAEA and IFE System Engineer and Project Manager for Swiss International Air Lines. “With incredible participation from industry and passengers, the Avion Awards will continue to increase standards for innovation in inflight entertainment.”

Skytrax administered the online survey in 11 languages to determine passenger satisfaction. The five finalists in each category listed alphabetically are:

Best in Region

Americas
Air Canada
Delta/Northwest Airlines
LAN Airlines
TAM Airlines
Virgin America

Asia and Australiasia
Cathay Pacific Airways
Korean Air
Qantas Airways
Singapore Airlines
V Australia

Europe
Air France
British Airways
Swiss International Air Lines
Turkish Airlines
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Middle East and Africa
El Al Israel Airlines
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways
South African Airways

Best Overall (Large Airlines)
over 25 IFE-equipped in fleet
Cathay Pacific Airways
Emirates
Qatar Airways
Singapore Airlines
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best Overall (Small Airlines)
up to 25 IFE-equipped in fleet
Air Tahiti Nui
SAS Scandinavian Airlines
SriLankan Airlines
Swiss International Air Lines
V Australia

The 21st Annual Avion Awards Ceremony will be held on 5 October at 17:00 during WAEA’s 30th Annual Conference & Exhibition, the IFE industry’s premier event. Delivering 30 years of innovation, the WAEA will celebrate by honoring Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Contribution awards during this special ceremony wtih video production sponsored by Post Modern Edit and SKYLINE IFE. All conference delegates and members of the press are invited to attend.

The WAEA 30th Annual Conference & Exhibition attracts hundreds of leaders from airlines and airline-suppliers with a full day of focused education sessions and the most comprehensive display of inflight entertainment and communications products and services in the world. The industry event will take place 5-8 October at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California, USA.

For the complete agenda, event information and to register, please visit www.waea.org.

About WAEA
Founded in 1979 as a non-profit organization, The WAEA is the official worldwide network representing nearly 400 airlines and airline suppliers committed to excellence in inflight entertainment and communications and the continual improvement of the airline passenger experience. For more information regarding the WAEA and the IFE and communications industry, please visit www.waea.org.

The 21st Annual WAEA Avion Awards season is underway and we are proud to announce airlines competing for Best in Region and Best Overall IFE. These prestigious awards are judged solely on passenger feedback though www.ifesurvey.com. Skytrax, the leader in airline passenger opinion studies, will administer the survey.

In 2008, more than 30 airlines competed for the Avion Awards mark of distinction with more than 55,000 passengers worldwide rating airline performance in IFE and selected their favorites. The survey for the 2009 Best in Region and Best Overall IFE awards will be administered during 1 May and 30 June 2009 and available in English, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, French, Hebrew, Russian and Portuguese.

This year, 37 airlines will compete and the top five finalists from each region will be eligible for the Best Overall IFE in one of two categories, Large Airlines and Small Airlines.

Award winners will be announced at the WAEA 30th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Palm Springs, California on 5 October 2009.

Airlines competing for the 21st WAEA Avion Awards for Best in Region and Best Overall IFE are:

Afriqiyah Airways
Air Canada
Air France
Air New Zealand, Ltd.
Air Tahiti Nui
Avianca
British Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.
Delta/Northwest Airlines
El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd.
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Finnair
Gulf Air
Iberia Lineas Aereas De Espana
Jet Airways (India), Ltd.
Kenya Airways
Korean Air
Kuwait Airways
LAN Airlines S.A.
Malaysia Airlines
Qantas Airways, Ltd.
Qatar Airways
Royal Brunei Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines System
Singapore Airlines Ltd.
South African Airways
Swiss International Air Lines
TAM Airlines
Thai Airways International
Thomsonfly
Turkish Airlines
V Australia
Virgin America
Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd.
Virgin Blue

Good luck!

Click here for entry form and complete rules and entry information for other WAEA Avion Award categories.