IFExpress is back from a week in sunny Los Angeles, California where many new developments in the IFEC arena were on exhibit at APEX EXPO 2019. As we mentioned to many of you during the show, 2019 has predominately been a ‘step change’ year; however, there were a few exceptions, which we will cover in upcoming issues of IFExpress. But here are a few trends and highlights from last week’s exhibition.
One of the primary discussions during APEX was the need to assure the quality of service the passenger experiences while inflight. Much of this discussion focused around IFEC, especially, the quality of Wi-Fi and streaming content as well as data. The size of the pipe to/from the aircraft does not necessarily determine what the quality of the experience will be for the passenger. Think about your recent experience at a hotel. Many times the routers are bogged down with too many residents connecting to their nearest node, resulting in slow internet speeds. In fact, many times it is difficult to do simple email, not to mention streaming video and this is on the ground! This is where intelligent allocation comes in to play with the Wireless Access Points – an area that several IFEC hardware providers have tackled head on.
Having said that, another area of concern that has, and will continue to be, voiced was the issue of privacy and security around the individual traveler’s personal data. This translates to the need for an increasingly cybersecure system. Last week, we did see an increase in the number of companies addressing the issue of cybersecurity within the aviation sphere. At APEX there were several software security specialists working in conjunction with hardware manufacturers to layer security software within Wireless Access Points (WAPs). As an industry, both the airlines and the IFEC vendors are continuing to focus on the issues of hacking and maintaining the passengers’ faith and trust that their personal information is secure. This is an issue that is here to stay.
On another note, further developments were on display that included LiFi (a mobile wireless technology that uses light instead of radio frequencies to transmit data), which we had seen for the first time at APEX 2018 in Boston. Some companies are looking at using this innovative technology for streaming content to passenger devices, while others are exploring what opportunities this technology provides for uploading/downloading data to/from the aircraft on the ground. One thing is for certain, LiFi is here to stay and this is a technology that we will see implemented in our industry in the near term.
Some major advancements have been made in the area of satcom antennas since AIX 2019. We were very impressed with the new antenna development project from Safran Passenger Innovations (formerly Zii). IFExpress first caught a glimpse of the antenna in April at AIX 2019. Destined for delivery in 2021, this antenna will be approximately 35 kg – roughly 2/3 lighter than today’s antennas and will have a smaller foot print and lower profile! We will be covering more from the SPI booth in a later issue. But we foresee smaller, lighter, and more dynamic antennas as a much-needed industry trend.
in abundance at the show, were 4K displays but the real issue is 4K content – its availability and whether or not the movie houses will approve the onboard IFE systems to run them! More on this to come as well. Also, regarding content, Touch and Castlabs announced a joint-venture (ABOVE) to move the passenger entertainment supply chain to the cloud. This is an open, standards-based platform for the encoding, storage and distribution of encoded video and related metadata through cloud-based services. This JV has the potential to revolutionize content processing, approval and delivery workflows, while increasing efficiencies and functionality.
Another area that continues to gain traction within the industry is the concept of health and wellness. This is a definite growth area with airlines and vendors embracing it. The continued desire of the airlines to engage their passengers with technology and services that meet their expectations and ease the stress of the travel experience is here to stay. One IFEC supplier said, “Imagine getting off a long-haul flight and feeling better than you did when you boarded!” Lofty expectations and it remains to be seen whether or not this objective will be achievable. However, these applications will certainly help, not hinder, the travel experience.
None of the aforementioned would be possible without the new, massive solid-state drives that are embedded in today’s IFEC in conjunction with the proliferation of installed connectivity services, artificial intelligence and biometrics. As these four technologies evolve in the IFEC industry the amount of data that can be garnered about each individual traveler and their expectations will result in a tailored travel experience from the moment the ticket is booked, throughout the journey itself, until the passenger reaches his/her destination. The industry has long talked about touching the end-to-end passenger experience and how it will facilitate the airlines ability to meet, and possibly exceed, expectations of those utilizing their services whether it be for leisure or business travel. It is the belief of IFExpress that we are finally on the cusp of being able to deliver on that promise.
Over the next few weeks, our publication will review what we had the opportunity to see and experience during APEX EXPO. We will start with some highlights from the Thoughts and Leadership Conference on Monday September 9, as well as, some of the afternoon’s information tracks. During the following weeks we will do a deeper dive into the interviewed companies and their technologies. As always, thanks for subscribing and reading IFExpress!
APEX/IFSA AWARD WINNERS
Members of the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) honored their peers as they celebrated the top innovators from airlines and vendor partners around the globe during the inaugural APEX/IFSA Award Ceremony. Winners were announced Monday evening (9/9/19) during the ceremony at APEX EXPO. “APEX is proud to highlight the most innovative approaches to business in passenger experience from our member airlines and vendors. We honor these organizations who have shown exemplary dedication and innovation to advancing the passenger experience,” says Maura Chacko, co-chair of the APEX Awards Committee.
Winners were determined by industry and media judging panels.
APEX Award Winners are:
- Fiji Airways – Best Lounge Innovation: Fully Qualified Nannies at Fiji Airways Premier Lounge
- SriLankan Airlines – Best Marketing Innovation: Spirit of SriLankan Airlines & The Magic of Vesak
- VT Miltope – Best Inflight Connectivity Innovation: Securing Wireless Cabin Networks for the Future
- American Airlines – Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation: Calm on American Airlines
Newcomer of the Year Award Winner is:
- Flight Center Instituto de Aviación – Flight Attendant VR Training Program
IFSA Award Winners are:
- American Airlines – Best Inflight Food or Beverage: Zoës Kitchen Partnership
- Clip Limited – Best Onboard Amenity: JetBlue Mint Kits
New this year is the APEX/IFSA Awards for Best Cabin Innovation and Best Product or Service. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in creating a thoughtful new cabin environment and innovations in passenger comfort, including seats, design, lighting, temperature control, air quality and more.
APEX/IFSA Award Winners are:
- Astronics – Best Cabin Innovation: Intelligent Bin Solution/Smart Aircraft System
- Air New Zealand – Best Product or Service: Skycouch Improvements
2020 APEX + Crystal Cabin Award Winner is:
AIRBUS – Best Customer Journey Experience: Connected Experience
Life Time Achievement Award Winner is:
Brinder Bhatia (see photo in right hand column)
AIRBUS
Comlux placed a new order for an ACJ320neo, re-affirming its role as the largest single customer for the aircraft and taking its total orders for the type to four. The deal means that Comlux has now ordered a total of 20 Airbus corporate jets. Cabin outfitting will be done by Comlux Completion in Indianapolis. Corporate jet orders and commitments for A320neo Family-derived aircraft now total 15.
OTHER NEWS
- How about an airplane with a 385 ft. wingspan? Meet the Stratolaunch, the world’s largest airplane
- “The only way to see the solar system is to build one” – so they did! (109) To Scale: The Solar System – YouTube This is way cool and tells it like it is!
- Google Translate is one of coolest apps you need if you travel. The app allows photoing the foreign text, as well as, entering the data to translate. While Internet connections are required, they now have a downloadable Spanish version, at least for your phone, and, it works on the connected computer too! Google Translate With our iPhone, we just searched for Google Translate at the app store.
- If you could be interested in learning more online, you might try MOOC – 3,700+ MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) Getting Started in September: Enroll Today | Open Culture Note: they have thousands of courses listed from all over the world.
- Dynamic pricing in the airlines industry is very interesting – (109) Dynamic pricing in airline industry: why flight fares constantly change – YouTube
- Here are 21 photos of inflight craziness and we wonder how many you have seen (or done)? 21 Photos Published by a Former Flight Attendant Show the Extravagant Passengers You Can Find Onboard
- Seeing-eye horse allowed on airplanes. No. Yes they are! Mini horses make great service animals — and now they’re allowed on planes – Vox
- Here is a wonderful website that shows the realtime airplanes inflight over your location worldwide! Flightradar24: Live Flight Tracker – Real-Time Flight Tracker Map
- We don’t know how accurate this website is, but if you need a wireless internet connection at the airport (and password), you might try this one: Wireless Passwords From Airports And Lounges Around The World – Google My Maps
- You tell us about this one?
- Flipboard! Sign up, choose your interest – It’s Free! Cover Stories
- Boeing’s China Aviation Problem (video) – (109) Boeing’s China Problem – YouTube
Finalists for the Crystal Cabin Awards 2019 include airlines, manufacturers, suppliers and universities from all over the world
Hamburg, Germany | February 26, 2019– The Crystal Cabin Award is one of the most coveted seals of quality in the global aviation industry. The finalists have now been decided for each of the eight categories. Competition was never tougher for the 24 places in the finals. The international expert jury viewed and evaluated some 94 shortlisted entries. Airlines, manufacturers, suppliers and universities from all around the world have made it to the last round. Just who will be taking one of the precious trophies home will be decided in Hamburg on 2 April at a celebrity gala dinner for the industry during the leading global trade show, Aircraft Interiors Expo.
An overview of the finalists: 8 categories, 24 innovations
Three well-known heavyweights of the aviation industry are going head-to-head in the “Cabin Concepts” category. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has come up with a new use for the space underneath the passenger cabin with its Lower Deck Pax Experience Modules. Today, the space is used for, amongst other things, cargo containers. In the future, though, it could contain lounge areas or quiet zones for Economy class passengers to make ultra-long haul routes more pleasant. Travel with First Class, on the other hand, and you can already experience such luxuries on the newer aircraft in the Emirates fleet. The Boeing 777 First Class Fully Enclosed Suites have the atmosphere of a private jet. There are also numerous high-tech components such as video calls from the passenger to the crew and virtual windows for suites located in the centre of the plane. This means that every seat has a guaranteed window view. Rather than opulence, Safran Essential Business Class is focused on efficiency and sustainability. Doing away entirely with heavy mechanical components, the concept relies instead on innovative cushion structures. The result: 25 percent less weight and almost 20 percent more space for the passenger.
One of the central questions shaping the “Cabin Systems” category is how to most efficiently use the space within an aircraft. Collins Aerospace provides a great example with its Flex Duet self-service counter for snacks and drinks. During cruise flight, it can just be opened up like a closet door, folding in front of the aircraft door to give a purpose to otherwise unused space. The X-Tend Seat from Airbus increases efficiency in individual seating rows by partially folding down the seat cushion when the passenger stands up. This provides the passenger with more freedom of movement within the row, whilst the airline can compress the seating pitch in emergency exit rows. Diehl Aviation, meanwhile, offers greater seat pitch independence with its Flexible Passenger Service Unit system. The modules, containing for example air vents and reading lamps, are not fixed in place above the seats; instead, they can be repositioned for optimal passenger convenience.
And if perfectly positioned air vents aren’t enough to keep everything smelling of roses, one finalist’s concept for the “Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment” category may have the solution: the nanoe air filtration system by Panasonic extracts pungent smells from the cabin, for example after meals, improving the air quality. Sadly, the concept is currently only available for Business Class. For some years already, the Skycouch from Air New Zealand has led the way in creating a genuine luxury upgrade for Economy Class passengers, converting an entire row of seats to a bed on demand. And now, this practical concept is available in a family edition, with new belts and safety guards ensuring that even babies and infants can be safely put to bed here. The jury showed its appreciation of this enhancement with a place in the finals. Diehl Aviation provides the third candidate in this category, too, with an innovation equally advantageous for old and young. The UV-LED Water Disinfection Unit is a retrofit antibacterial filter for the toilet area. For the first time, tap water is reliably drinkable on board.
A different type of passenger wellbeing, meanwhile, is at the heart of the “In-flight Entertainment and Connectivity” category. One entry here has won over not just the jury but also the Emirates airline. The virtual windows from Collins Aerospace are already in use in the airline’s concept that has made the finals in another category. Global Eagle has a product that benefits not just First Class passengers: the Low-Earth Orbit Satellite, LEO. Floating in space at a relatively low altitude, it provides extra-fast broadband internet for airborne clients, even in regions currently subject to poor connectivity, such as polar regions. United Airlines, on the other hand, is here with connectivity between the passenger and the in-flight entertainment system. “Entertainment for All” provides passengers with diverse, semantically valid settings to personalise the multimedia experience on board.
Another Collins Aerospace concept is in the spotlight — in the truest sense of the word — in this year’s “Material & Components” category. The μLED Reading Light replaces existing cabin reading lamps with ingenious LED technology. With precisely targeted light cones, a single lamp can illuminate several seats. The Lumina concept from KYDEX is all about pleasant lighting, too. The US company has developed a thermal plastic that can conduct light and provides mood lighting via plastic panels in the cabin. If privacy is what you need for a sense of wellbeing, the Flexible Door from supplier Safran may be your thing. The thinly coated element is integrated in the side wall of the Business Class seating berth and can be drawn across between the seat and the aisle, almost like a blind, when needed. For passengers, it means more privacy; for airlines, the ultralight weight makes it attractive.
The “Passenger Comfort Hardware” category is home to physically larger amenities. This includes the Active Noise Control technology for Business Class seats from Panasonic. Noise- cancelling headphones will be a thing of the past with this seat, which filters the cabin and engine background noise by itself at the press of a button. Calming music or bird noises can be added if required, accompanied by the appropriate lighting. It brings sleeping in the skies close to cloud nine. And in Economy Class? Here, too, attention has been paid to long-haul sleeping comfort. Seat manufacturer RECARO has enhanced its long-haul route seat with a number of comfort elements that make it a little more like an armchair at home. This includes a flexibly adjustable head and neck support as well as movable back and leg upholstery. French design studio Style & Design has taken an even more radical approach to long-haul seating. The Moments concept significantly extends the seating space in Business Class, offering a range of sofa-like positions for sitting, lying and tuning, without costing the airline in terms of precious space.
Radical new travel ideas are traditionally the domain of the “University” category for the Crystal Cabin Award, with students from all over the world bringing their competing plans for the future to the arena. Sahngseok Lee from Hongik University in Korea, for example, has designed the 1 For All concept in collaboration with seating manufacturer Adient. It interweaves the various seat classes to achieve the maximum possible use of space. Premium and Economy passengers may find themselves next to one another or even above or below one another — alone or within compartments. Clément Heinen of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has undertaken a redesign of Business Class, in collaboration with Safran. The innovative “Stratus” seat can not only be ergonomically tilted, it can also be turned into a standing desk for completing office work. Joseph Lane from the University of Cincinnati, meanwhile, has developed an innovative approach to on-board catering. With the SkyDining app, passengers will not just have the choice of “chicken or pasta”; instead, they can order a meal from a restaurant at the departure airport in advance, using their smartphones. The meal is delivered to the airport at the gate and served hot during the flight — in an environmentally friendly cardboard box, of course.
Creative ideas from outside the academy find their place at the Crystal Cabin Award, too, in the “Visionary Concepts” category. Flexibility is the order of the day here again this year, as seen in the Ultraflex Zone from AIM Altitude that has made it to the final round. Passengers of all classes can use the snack bar, relax in lounge chairs, work on a presentation at a laptop workstation or do something for their physical comfort in the yoga zone. The Peacock Suite from Paperclip Design in Hong Kong offers more space for airlines to vary their First Class products, with flexible partitions and seating arrangements allowing for individual products to be put together on a flight-by-flight basis as required, ranging from family compartments to three-room luxury suites. Boeing, meanwhile, has approached visionary cabin redesign from a different perspective. The Smart Cabin transforms the aircraft interior into an “Internet of Things” for crew members. Similar to a Smart Home infrastructure, it allows for all components to be digitally managed and controlled with voice commands, from lighting to seating and even lavatories.
The innovations of the year — showdown on 2 April
The Crystal Cabin Award, an initiative of the cluster Hamburg Aviation, is presented in eight categories: “Cabin Concepts”, “Cabin Systems”, “IFEC”, “Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment”, “Material & Components”, “Passenger Comfort Hardware”, “University”, and “Visionary Concepts”.
To win one of the coveted snow-white 3D printed trophies, the 24 finalists now have to present their ideas in person to the 27 members of the international expert jury. Winners will be announced at a prestigious Gala Dinner taking place in the trading floor hall of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on 2 April, as always as part of the Aircraft Interiors Expo (2 – 4 April in Hamburg). Guests of honour will include Hamburg’s Governing Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher, along with the Federal German Government’s Coordinator of Aerospace Policy, Thomas Jarzombek. All winners will then present their concepts once again at the Hamburg show in the Cabin Space LIVE Auditorium, near the official Crystal Cabin Award Gallery on the first floor in Hall B4, at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 3 April. Information on all finalists will be available there throughout the entire Expo. This year, for the first time, trade fair visitors can also take part in a popular vote.
Respected industry award — respected industry support
The following sponsors and media partners support the Crystal Cabin Award: Airbus, Aircraft Cabin Management, Aircraft Interiors Expo (Reed Exhibitions), Aircraft Interiors International Magazine, AIME 2020 – Aircraft Interiors Middle East, Ameco Beijing, APEX, The Boeing Company, Bluebox Aviation Systems LTD., Boltaron Inc. – A SIMONA Company, BURRANA, Collins Aerospace, DIEHL Aviation, Emirates, FERCHAU AVIATION Division, FIT AG – Additive Manufacturing Group, Flightchic, Flightglobal, Future Travel Experience, HAECO Cabin Solutions, Inflight Magazine, Jetliner Cabins, jetlite, Lufthansa T echnik AG, NORDAM, Panasonic, RECARO, Runway Girl Network, SEKISUI SPI, tesa SE and Vartan Aviation Group.
You too can join the list of sponsors and supporters of the Crystal Cabin Award. Information on sponsoring opportunities and packages is available from Carmen Krause: carmen.krause@crystal-cabin-award.com
- No Matter Where You’re Sitting, JetBlue is the Best U.S. Airline, Says The Points Guy
- JetBlue Sweeps Editor’s Choice Awards for Domestic Travel at First-Ever NYC Event
New York | December 7, 2018–JetBlue announced it has been recognized by The Points Guy with awards for Best Domestic Economy Class (Airbus A321 Core) and Best Domestic Business Class (Mint). JetBlue was the only airline – domestically and globally – to win awards for both economy and business. The wins underscore JetBlue’s long-standing commitment to offering the very best customer experience in the sky.
“No matter where you sit on a JetBlue flight, your experience will be the best in the industry and we thank The Points Guy for sharing that message with even more travelers who we hope to welcome aboard soon,” said Ian Deason, senior vice president customer experience, JetBlue. “These awards are a testament to the investment JetBlue makes in our customers, our crewmembers, our aircraft and every part of the travel experience.”
The Points Guy (TPG) is a trusted travel and lifestyle media platform that focuses on maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending. Through an informative, clever point of view, TPG has become the leading online resource for all things points, miles and resourceful travel experiences. This week, The Points Guy Brian Kelly hosted the first-ever TPG Awards at a star-studded event held on The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York.
The recognitions come as JetBlue is doubling down on the “cabin of your dreams” in Core with newly restyled Airbus A320 aircraft featuring the most legroom in coach (a) with better seats, bigger televisions, more channels, free Fly-Fi broadband and streaming entertainment on all aircraft (b). The Points Guy highlights some of these customer-friendly features in its award review:
“A modern cabin, industry-leading legroom and top-notch IFE options are just a few reasons JetBlue beat out the rest of the major domestic airlines in the economy category. Based on hard product alone, it’ll be hard to top [JetBlue] next year.”
At the same time, the airline continues to expand premium Mint flights on cross-country routes and in the Caribbean and Latin America. JetBlue now operates more than 80 daily Mint flights in 15 JetBlue cities. On most of these routes, JetBlue is the only airline to offer regularly scheduled flights with a lie flat seat. And with Mint’s tapas style dining, amenity kits by Hayward and Hopper, dessert from local artisanal ice cream makers and dedicated hospitality trained crewmembers, The Points Guy says JetBlue is leading the industry:
“Hands down, JetBlue features the best business-class product for a domestic airline. A private suite for a cross-country flight? We’ll take it! Combine a phenomenal seat with friendly service and tasty food, and you’ve got a winning formula that has put other domestic carriers on defense.”
The agency’s Spafax Profile with Amazon Alexa and Business Traveller TV solutions are nominated in the “Best Use of Artificial Intelligence” and “Best Native/Sponsored Content Program” categories, respectively.
London | October 19, 2018– Global content agency Spafax was nominated this week for two B2B Brave Awards, an initiative hosted by global media platform and Europe’s largest marketing website: The Drum. The B2B Brave Awards celebrate excellence in B2B campaigns produced for digital and Out-of-Home as well as strategic initiatives in data, artificial intelligence, PR, social media and more. The awards are judged by a panel who have extensive experience in the B2B industry, including representatives from Stein IAS, LinkedIn, IBM, Momentum Worldwide, Adobe, MRM McCann, Ogilvy and more.
Spafax is a finalist in the following two categories:
1. Best Use of Artificial Intelligence: Spafax Profile with Amazon Alexa for American Airlines
2. Best Native/Sponsored Content Program: Business Traveller TV
In its announcement revealing this year’s finalists, The Drum noted the panel of judges were particularly impressed with the submissions in the “Best Use of Artificial Intelligence” category. Adobe’s Senior Strategic Business Development Manager, Creative Agencies, Creative Cloud Enterprise, Chris Duffey said:
“The brands and businesses that embrace the complexity of this new reality differentiated themselves by conducting a magical orchestration of creativity, data and media.”
Chair of the judging panel and Director of North America Agency Relations at LinkedIn, Lynn Badler said:
”Beautiful, emotional, provocative. These are not the adjectives we typically use to describe B2B creative. Many of this year’s entries pushed aside the notion that B2B brands are dull and boring. The bar was raised, the work across all categories was outstanding. I was inspired by the strategic plan for many of the programs, the engaging creative direction and the strong results. Was hard to choose winners in many of the categories.”
Niall McBain, Chief Executive at Spafax said:
“We’re thrilled to be listed as finalists in two categories for The B2B Brave Awards alongside industry leaders including Ogilvy, MediaCom and IBM. It’s a great honor to achieve this recognition and both nominations represent our commitment to deliver the best passenger experience through innovation.”
A full list of the nominations can be found here. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony held in New York City on November 15, 2018.
Black Swan and partner IAG took home award for Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation
London, UK | September 26, 2017– Black Swan Data, one of Europe’s leading data science technology companies, last night won the Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation award at The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) annual awards in Long Beach, California. The accolade was received for Black Swan and IAG’s ground-breaking and innovative in-flight portal for the 2017 launch of LEVEL, IAG’s new long-haul, low cost airline brand.
Passengers can customise and manage their in-flight experience by connecting to LEVEL’s entertainment platform through a combination of a fully integrated seatback portal and an app on their personal device. The technology allows customers to seamlessly browse and purchase items whilst on-board, including the latest film, TV and music releases, as well as buying food & drink, duty-free goods and Wi-Fi packages. Through the use of advanced cryptology, secure payments can even be made whilst the aircraft is offline, enabling normal operation to continue if internet connectivity is not available. This innovative Pair and Pay functionality is unique to LEVEL, and the first in the airline industry.
In addition to offering passengers greater flexibility in how they spend their time in the air, it provides the carrier with an end-to-end view of passenger usage and behaviour through automated reports providing insights and metrics not possible before now. Over time this will be integrated with other data sources to further enhance the customers’ travel experience.
“We are absolutely delighted to have won this award with IAG,” said Steve King, CEO, Black Swan Data. “Data-driven technologies are impacting almost every single industry and avionics is now on the cusp of transforming its interaction with passengers through connectivity. By offering a truly integrated experience from door to door, airlines can expand not only their relationships with customers, but also with commercial partners.”
APEX is the only non-profit membership trade association dedicated to improving the entire airline passenger experience. This year’s APEX Awards, held on 25th September, recognised airlines and vendor partners in passenger experience who have successfully implemented new programmes and services in the last 12 months.
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.
'Future–proofing' the IFE installation means providing an onboard network with sufficient bandwidth that the airline will never have to tear apart their airplane to re-wire to install upgrades. Fiber-to-the-Seat™ provides a fiber optics network running at a gigabit per second – High-definition video is only the beginning – who knows what the hot, killer apps will be 10-20 years from now?!”
