volume 10, edition 3 | june – july 2020
WHAT WE’RE MADE OF official publication of the airline passenger experience association
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volume 10, edition 3 june – july 2020
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Daily experience
In-Flight Wi-Fi Availability Approaches
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CONTENTS DIGITAL
A Test of Strength
volume 10, edition 3 june – july 2020
Rather than highlight all the ways the passenger experience industry is thriving, this digital-only issue – our first ever – tells the story of how it is surviving. APEX members are evolving, adapting to the crisis, and showing the world what they’re made of.
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Aftershocks How has the airline industry recovered from mass disruptions in the past?
FEATURES What We’re Made Of
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APEX members on how they are coping with the change in circumstance.
A look at what will and won’t change about the passenger experience of the future.
Where to From Here?
PHOTOS: JC-GELLIDON, UNSPLASH
ILLUSTRATION: MARCELO CÁCERES
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CONTENTS DIGITAL
volume 10, edition 3 june – july 2020 STANDBYS 26 Next on the Menu
6 Advertisers’ Directory
AIM Altitude gives the galley a muchneeded revisit.
12 CEO’s Letter 13 Presidents’ Letters 14 Board News 16 APEX in Action 18 Featured Contributors 19 Editor’s Letter
Airlines realize communication is key to maintaining any relationship.
Looking to the situation in China for a sign of what’s to come.
28 Minimal Assembly Required Less is more when it comes to low-partcount seating.
54 APEX News 58 IFSA News 60 IFE Listings 73 #APEXPOTD
30 Lights Out The pandemic has left movie theaters vacant. What does it mean for IFE?
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Crisis Averted
How the industry overcame another crisis: Y2K.
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All Together Now Ten years at the helm of Encore, and all the lessons to show for it.
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ILLUSTRATIONS: FELIPE VARGAS; ANGÉLICA GEISSE
24 Road to Recovery
PHOTOS: AIM ALTITUDE; JORDAN SANCHEZ, UNSPLASH; FELIX MOONEEHAM, UNSPLASH; JIMMY WU
23 Clearing the Air
CEO’S LETTER
Dear Members, The combined APEX and IFSA actions backed by our members are having an incredibly positive impact. At the end of April, APEX recommended that all airline crew and passengers wear face coverings. Within days, nearly every airline worldwide implemented this guidance. A week later, IATA made a similar recommendation. For the past few months, APEX and IFSA have issued best practices to maximize the airline passenger experience in light of COVID-19. The “flight back” against COVID-19 will require both patience, care and help. APEX has called for $250 billion to help the global airline industry fight against the impacts of the coronavirus. IFSA successfully lobbied to have $3 billion added to the US CARES Act for suppliers. And we have carefully coordinated with IATA, A4A and others on similar initiatives, as we are genuinely all in this together. To help demonstrate how to travel safely in the current times, I have guest written an article for The Points Guy, titled “One Family’s Experience Traveling During the Age of Coronavirus,” about my family’s first vacation since the US lockdown. We continue to follow instructions from my amazing medical and surgeon wife. She has delivered babies for COVID-19-positive women while keeping herself, her team and the newborn babies COVID-19-free. In recent months, we conducted webinars and virtual conferences. In April, our FlightPlan online broadcast with Inmarsat attracted over 3,000 unique attendees from over 100 countries who watched an average of two-anda-half hours. In May and June, our FTE Post-COVID-19
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virtual events were joined by thousands including individuals from 141 airlines and 137 airports. These dynamic events have featured several airline and airport CEOs, top executives, thought leaders and innovators. We have all deeply missed connecting with one another this year. That is why I am proud that our teams at APEX, IFSA and FTE are working tirelessly to ensure we can meet again, as safely as possible. As I have expressed to airline executives, we must lead by example for air travel to begin its healthy return. That starts with APEX/IFSA EXPO, 20–22 October, at the San Diego Convention Center, where other COVID-19-safe events at the venue will have taken place before our own. On 10–11 November, we will be at FTE APEX Asia Expo with IFSA in Singapore at the iconic Marina Bay Sands. Finally, we will wrap up the year with APEX’s FTE Global and Ancillary Revenue event, 7–9 December, in Las Vegas, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Please keep your calendar and hopes robustly alive. Our return is on the horizon. On that note, I wish every one of you a safe and bright future as our world begins its gradual recovery. Our nonprofit association efforts help to see us through these challenging times by reinvesting every ounce that we have into our industry. My sincere best,
Dr. Joe Leader
Chief Executive Officer APEX/IFSA
PRESIDENTS’ LETTERS
Dear APEX Members,
Dear IFSA Members,
We have seen economic growth in many parts of the world in the last 11 years. Entering the new decade, there were risks for slower growth and economic downturn, but I don’t think anyone could have imagined that the global aviation infrastructure would be so deeply challenged by the current pandemic.
The evolving circumstances of COVID-19 are reshaping our lives and the way we do business around the world. IFSA is working to assure government discussions of support for the airline industry address not only airlines, but also take into account the concerns of caterers and other critical airline industry suppliers. We also remain committed to proactively providing IFSA members with essential resources, including webinars on funding opportunities and information related to government affairs.
At APEX, we have actively represented our industry in front of governments and various authorities. We have consistently served as the true voice of our members. APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader testified before the US Congress on steps airlines and their vendors are taking to improve the passenger experience. As an association, we also spoke at the United Nations, worked with mainstream and trade media and presented facts about our industry’s crucial role in the world. Being an industry thought leader is one of APEX’s key strategic pillars and we are proud of our achievements. As a responsible trade association, we are critically reviewing our cost base. Your executive committee and board of directors are actively reviewing revenue and expense projections. We have taken some prudent cost reduction steps as of late May and will continue to take necessary actions to secure the financial viability of APEX for years ahead. I want to take this opportunity to thank our airlines, our global membership base, our APEX team, our CEO, our partners and our board of directors for their continued support and amazing energy that will take us into the future!
We remain hopeful that the APEX/IFSA EXPO will proceed in San Diego on 20–22 October and will offer our industry the resources, guidance and opportunities it needs. I believe this year’s EXPO will be uplifting, helping our community work to rebound and focus on the next steps for our industry. On behalf of the IFSA Board of Directors, thank you for your dedication and determination during these unprecedented times. Supporting IFSA members will remain a top priority as we continue to move through this together. As your president, I remain vigilant and will seek opportunities to use our collective resources to sustain and improve our industry both during and after this crisis. Please feel free to contact me or any member of the board with questions or concerns. Best regards,
Best regards, Jim Ball Juha Järvinen
APEX President Executive Vice-President, Commercial Virgin Atlantic
IFSA President Vice-President Sales and Service Flying Food Group
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BOARD NEWS
From the APEX Board
Juha Järvinen President Virgin Atlantic
Anton Vidgen Vice-President Air Canada
The APEX Board of Directors is committed to keeping you, the APEX members, informed about board initiatives and decisions. In addition to this dedicated space in every issue of APEX Experience, the board sends direct e-mails to keep members updated. APEX is an association for the members, which is why it’s equally important to hear from you, year-round. FLIGHTPLAN SURVEY: WEIGH IN ON THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY’S POST-COVID-19 COMEBACK
Maura Chacko Secretary Spafax
Joan Filippini Treasurer
Paramount Pictures
APEX and Inmarsat hosted FlightPlan on April 29. The event surpassed expectations, with the highest number of total attendees for a 2020 aviation event. APEX and IFSA members can help shape our industry’s return by responding to this survey of just 12 short questions: https://flightplan.wavecast.io/live-survey
AIR TRANSPORT 2035: INDUSTRY REPORT ON POST-COVID-19 IMPACTS AND SCENARIOS
Brian Richardson President Emeritus
Perry Cantarutti Delta Air Lines
Viasat
Fast Future, Future Travel Experience and APEX have released two installments of a four-part report that envisions the air travel experience of the future. Part One of Air Transport 2035 looks at near-term impacts and scenarios post-COVID-19. And Part Two considers how a digital transformation will accelerate the airline industry’s recovery. To see the full report, visit futuretravelexperience.com
LOOKING TOWARD APEX/IFSA EXPO IN SAN DIEGO
Andrés Castañeda Aeroméxico
Michael Childers Lufthansa Systems
While there are still many months until APEX/IFSA EXPO, taking place 20–22 October, the idea of continuing to hold this event has received positive feedback from airlines, executives and members. Moving forward with EXPO demonstrates leadership and that our industry is optimistic that business travel will begin its return by Q4 2020. Join airline CEOs as they discuss changes in air travel, the new processes and technologies that are emerging and what the end-to-end passenger experience will look like in 2021 and beyond.
RESERVE YOUR ROOM FOR APEX/IFSA EXPO
Akira Mitsumasu
Zina Neophytou
Japan Airlines
BBC Studios
To contact APEX, e-mail info@apex.aero.
Jovita Toh Encore Inflight
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Hotel rooms are available now. Booking early ensures we can negotiate better room blocks and rates for you. Please visit either the APEX or IFSA websites for booking details.
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Mindfulness from Skyline IFE
Let your passengers unlock their inner-self with our new range of re-energising inflight content. Skyline IFE: For soothing Inflight Entertainment To find out more contact sales@skyline-ife.com +44 1449 711011 www.skyline-ife.com www.inflight.movie www.ingmarbergman.film
SOCIAL
APEX in Action Airlines, airports and suppliers have taken measures to enable safe travel and participate in the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, APEX members supported frontline workers, made and donated PPE and volunteered their time and skills to the cause.
See more social photos on Facebook FACEBOOK.COM/ APEX.AERO
1. Inflight Dublin stops at The Mater Hospital in Dublin with Easter treats for healthcare heroes. 2. Passengers boarding repatriation flights bound for Delhi and Bengaluru wear protective masks at SFO. #VandeBharatMission 3. APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader’s family turns vents on to circulate HEPAfiltered air, on their first flight since the lockdown. 1
4. A Collins Aerospace employee sews face coverings.
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5. CDG installs plexiglass at counters, while staff wear protective gear and gloves to avoid contact and minimize the spread of germs. 6. Lufthansa crewmembers with medical training volunteer at hospitals. Pictured here, flight attendant Sophie at Schwabing Hospital near Munich. 7. Staff at NYU Langone Hospital sport masks made by GDC Technics.
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8. Panasonic Avionics’ Scott Smith, alongside the protective masks he 3-D-printed for those who need it most.
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E-mail your photos to > EDITOR@APEX.AERO 7
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PHOTOS: @INFLIGHTDUBLIN; @CGISFO; @JOEPLEADER; @COLLINSAERO; @PARISAEROPORT; @LUFTHANSA_USA; @GDCTECHNICS; @PANASONICAERO
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FEATURES FOR 2020 INCLUDE:
MASTHEAD
Featured Contributors
See Marcelo's work on page 44
See Angélica's work on page 74
MARCELO CÁCERES is a Santiagobased illustrator, who’s investing the little spare time he has right now on a book about infographics he is creating with a colleague and friend. He believes a return to air travel will depend largely on adjusting individual behaviors. “Airlines need to deliver very clear information on behavioral protocols because we will depend on them to travel safely.”
ANGÉLICA GEISSE, APEX Media’s graphic designer, says she will never again take for granted the simple pleasures from her daily routine, such as walking around downtown with a coffee in hand or visiting her parents. When asked what’s the first place she’d like to visit once travel resumes, she says the coast of Chile: “To have some fresh seafood and enjoy the landscape.”
JUSTIN MULFATI, editorial assistant at
Read Justin's work on page 74
APEX Media, has an obsessive love for music and all things retro. He believes the single greatest thing an airline can do to put passengers at ease right now is educate them on the risks based on the core tenets of epidemiology: “As with any crisis, airlines should demonstrate to passengers that they have consulted with experts.”
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EDITORIAL
PRODUCTION
Director
Director of Project Delivery
Maryann Simson maryann.simson@apexmedia.aero
Managing Editor
Caroline Ku caroline.ku@apexmedia.aero
Deputy Editor
Valerie Silva valerie.silva@apexmedia.aero
Digital Editor
Kristina Velan kristina.velan@apexmedia.aero
Special Projects Manager
Stephanie Taylor stephanie.taylor@apexmedia.aero
Read Jovita's story on page 50
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Production Manager
Felipe Batista Nunes felipe.batistanunes@apexmedia.aero
ADVERTISING Portfolio Director
Steve O’Connor steve.oconnor@apexmedia.aero +44 207 906 2077
Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw mary.shaw@spafax.com
Editorial Assistant
Justin Malfati justin.mulfati@apexmedia.aero
Senior Vice-President, Product, Bookmark
Contributors
Arjun Basu
ART
Raymond Girard
Marisa Garcia, Will Horton, Gabriel Leigh, Tomás Romero, Katie Sehl, Paul Sillers
Art Director JOVITA TOH is the CEO of Encore Inflight. These days, she’s found time to read again, going through five books in the past two months. One thing she will never take for granted again is the people around her. “I don’t spend enough time thanking them or letting them know how much they mean to me.”
Alain Briard
Nicolás Venturelli nicolas.venturelli@apexmedia.aero
Graphic Designer Angélica Geisse
Contributors
Marcelo Cáceres, Felipe Vargas
Chief Client Officer
EDITOR’S LETTER
ILLUSTRATION:MARCELO CÁCERES
Uplift Underway When our last issue went to press shortly after the coronavirus outbreak reached North America in mid-March, airlines were already dropping their routes in large numbers. In producing the daily newsletter, we further witnessed a steady decline, as every headline sank the airline industry further into a crisis. We wondered, how we could plan for the next issue, which would come out three months later, with so many unknowns? It was then that APEX Media director Maryann Simson suggested we dive head-first into the topic of the pandemic and “show what this industry is made of.” And so, this issue – APEX Experience’s first-ever digital-only issue – is about resilience. “What We’re Made Of” is also the name of our Q&A series on how the APEX, IFSA and FTE communities are coping with the challenges of COVID-19. Many are continuing to work from home. Others are keeping the machines running with a few new safety measures in place. All are doing their best to keep the business going despite the mass disruption. To provide context to the current situation, we looked to history and the recent past. In “Aftershocks,” Katie Sehl chronicles how disease, recession, terrorism and more have struck the airline industry, and how we have survived. In “Road to Recovery,” Will Horton examines the damage the pandemic has done to Chinese aviation and how the country was able to revive its domestic routes recently. And in “Crisis Averted,” our editorial assistant Justin Mulfati recalls how no stone was left unturned when preparing for Y2K. Of course, COVID-19’s impact was not limited to aviation. “Lights Out” by Tomás Romero looks at how the pandemic affected Hollywood
and the collateral damage it did to in-flight entertainment suppliers who have been pressured by hardships of not one, but two reeling industries. It’s a scenario that Encore Inflight CEO and APEX board member Jovita Toh surely never imagined when she started her own film distribution company. Her travelogue, “All Together Now,” traces her professional development up to the current moment, when the Encore team decided to forego its 10th anniversary celebrations to help its airline and studio partners pull through. When we come out on the other end of this pandemic, air travel will have drastically changed. As many of you have told us, hygiene and sanitization measures will be to this crisis what stringent security protocols were to 9/11. In “Where to From Here?” deputy editor Valerie Silva asks data specialists, designers, academics, inventors and airlines for their thoughts on how the passenger experience will evolve. As it turns out, the answers we seek might be closer than we think. Just as many of us have made the most of what is at our disposal at home over the past few months – making family game nights out of Zoom video calls and workspaces out of living rooms and children’s play areas – many of the solutions that will accelerate the airline industry’s return are already around us and underway. Thank you for continuing to read.
Caroline Ku
Managing Editor APEX Media
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ancillary revenue – from access purchased pre-flight, premium content, advertising, or onboard retail. Streamed to passengers’ devices or offered on tablets you provide, Bluebox IFE enhances your in-flight service, generates revenue, and builds customer loyalty. Want more than an in-flight entertainment solution? Contact Bluebox.
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WELCOME
Akira Mitsumasu, Japan Airlines
Dr. Joe Leader, APEX/IFSA
Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines
Topi Manner, Finnair
Christina Cassotis, Pittsburgh International Airport
Javed Malik, AirAsia
Jan Richards, Dublin Airport
Koichi Yano, T&TIS
Rohit Talwar, Fast Future
Andrew Middleton, easyJet
Apple Ignacio, Cebu Pacific
Mariana Fonseca Medina, American Airlines
Home Audience
The suspension of large gatherings, caused by the coronavirus outbreak, has temporarily upended live concerts, festivals, sports games and tradeshows. As a result, many events have taken to congregating over video conference to continue engaging their audiences. This spring, FTE and APEX hosted webinars on the post-COVID-19 outlook of airports, airlines and aircraft, and moved the FTE APEX Ancillary conference online. Read our coverage at apex.aero/fte-apex-virtual-events
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QUALITY, INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILMS WWW.PENNYBLACKMEDIA.COM
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COMMUNICATIONS
Clearing the Air Getting communication right during this crisis may determine whether airlines have passengers waiting to fly with them in the future. BY GABRIEL LEIGH
As many around the world dropped plans to leave their homes this spring and summer, airlines have had to face a near-total drop in demand with no known end date. Amid that shock, airlines scrambled to figure out how best to communicate with customers – and have done so with wide-ranging results. “You see a dichotomy,” says Shashank Nigam, CEO and founder of aviation consultancy SimpliFlying. “Some airlines have gone eerily quiet. They’ve just pulled their planned marketing campaign and haven’t put anything in its place. On the other hand, you see other airlines that are taking the opportunity to share what they’re doing during the crisis.” Marketing campaigns and communications that hit the mark with customers have the potential of influencing a traveler’s decision to fly with
one airline over another in the future, especially as people’s inboxes become flooded with coronavirus updates from just about every company they’ve ever done business with. “It’s important to be in touch with your customers, not just giving generic information but actually giving useful info,” Nigam says.
The clear winners will be airlines that have kept in touch with customers while finding novel ways to maintain engagement, even as they are unable to fly. In some ways, the crisis has accentuated just how important marketing can be, and how situations like these can even present opportunities for building brand awareness.
Keeping the Conversation Going
PHOTO: JORDAN SANCHEZ, UNSPLASH
1. OFFER ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATION Etihad Airways recruited international cabin crew to offer language lessons in short videos, and Virgin Atlantic shared glimpses of aviation’s innerworkings through Instagram Stories aimed at children who are stuck at home.
2. BOOST MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS
3. ADAPT TO THE SITUATION
Southwest Airlines took a counterintuitive approach and boosted social media spending during the pandemic while promoting low fares with no change fees. Meanwhile, Air Canada launched an Aeroplan sale, offering miles at one cent a piece.
S7 Airlines awarded members of its frequent flyer program miles for every day they stayed home, while Vietjet Air is reassuring passengers by offering complimentary COVID-19 insurance – up to $8,465 – for anyone who contracts the disease while flying on one of its domestic flights.
4. PROMOTE COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY
5. REMIND TRAVELERS THAT THIS IS TEMPORARY
Qatar Airways rolled out one of the most flexible booking policies of all time, allowing customers to change their destination to any city in its network within 5,000 miles of the original, at no additional charge.
Emirates released an advertisement that imagines what it will be like to look back on the pandemic, reminding customers that it is eager to fly them to their destinations when the crisis is over.
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INDUSTRY
Road to Recovery
Read the article on APEX.AERO
China’s aviation industry was the first to navigate the pandemic. Its journey offers hope, even if only from within its own borders. BY WILL HORTON
Air travel in China, where COVID-19 was first detected, is seeing brighter days. Ahead of the country’s Labour Day holiday in early May, China Eastern Airlines announced plans to resume 70 to 80 percent of flights by the end of June, making it – albeit perhaps only for a fleeting time – the world’s largest carrier by seats. In the first week of May, air traffic across the country had rebounded to over 8,000 flights daily, representing a four-month high and about 65 percent of what it had been mid-January, according to data from Airsavvi.
Until the holiday, China’s lifting of restrictions had been gradual and uneven. Trunk routes by domestic carriers showed recovery in mid-April, with Shanghai–Shenzhen, for example, up to 60 daily flights, compared to 100 preCOVID-19, and Guangzhou–Hangzhou at 45, compared to 60 before. However, flights to and from Beijing remained an exception, with the key Beijing–Shanghai route only having 20 flights from a previous 110. There were even fewer to Beijing from other major cities like Chengdu and Shenzhen.
The reason? Beijing in April still required a 14-day quarantine for domestic arrivals. “It’s definitely more conservative,” according to China Aviation Valuation Advisors chairman David Yu, also an adjunct professor at New York University’s Shanghai campus. Restrictions, like having travelers selfisolate upon arrival, may help people feel
In the first week of May, domestic flights in Mainland China had rebounded to over 8,000 daily, representing a four-month high. Source: Airsavvi
Domestic Flights in Mainland China* January–May 2020
*Excludes code-sharing and stopover flights.
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
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INDUSTRY
“Quarantine makes people weary. But over time, restrictions will decrease as you see nothing bad happens.” DAVID YU, NYU SHANGHAI
only using disposable tableware, and removing pillows, blankets, magazines and seatback pocket inserts altogether. Airports were directed to regularly clean passenger contact areas, and ground crew were to increase the frequency of aircraft sanitization. The CAAC also included instructions for the flying public, such as asking passengers to wear masks, refrain from touching their face and avoid travel if feeling unwell. Many of these same measures would later surface in other markets, with airlines around the world releasing videos and posters showing cleaning practices and replacing trolley services with snack bags. As new domestic cases in China dwindled, a new problem emerged: imported cases. In response, the CAAC has devised a threat scoring system for flights, based on duration, load factor and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the flight’s departure country. It has also put a cap on the number of flights airlines around the world may operate to China for the foreseeable future, which is being met with some pushback from airlines in the US. There’s no telling what form international travel will take in the long run, nor when Chinese domestic air travel will return to full-fledged pre-pandemic health. After all, a lot can change in a couple of months.
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early measures taken by Chinese aviation authorities in response to COVID-19, which sought to minimize impact while preserving long-term passenger confidence in air travel safety, may have helped. In February, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) wrote on its website that it would adopt a three-pronged approach of being “serious, scientific and calm,” and shortly after published a piece containing insight and advice from experts from the Civil Aviation Medicine Center. Passengers were advised to choose a window seat when possible, to minimize contact with high-touch surfaces, such as armrests and tray tables, and to not use lavatories since cleaning and disinfection could not be carried out during flight. Meanwhile, airlines adapted catering menus and service protocols to minimize contact, in addition to
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safe but can also have the inverse effect, Yu says: “Quarantine makes people weary. But over time, restrictions will decrease as you see nothing bad happens.” Indeed, the May surge in domestic travel was propelled by a waning number of coronavirus cases and relaxed rules on travel and quarantining. Days before the holiday, authorities downgraded the emergency response level of Beijing, allowing locals to leave the city and travelers from around the country to visit the capital without having to undergo the two weeks of home isolation. Within a half hour of the announcement, flight bookings in Beijing spiked to 15 times of previous levels, reports the Chinese travel booking app Qunar. Of course, so much of the airline industry’s recovery depends on the vagaries of the virus and its human carriers, but
Source: Airsavvi APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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CATERING
Next on the Menu Galley design on airplanes has remained broadly unchanged for decades, but AIM Altitude has plans to defy convention. BY PAUL SILLERS
Aircraft galleys are finally getting the attention they deserve, with a variety of Internet of Things and sensor initiatives from Diehl Aviation, KID-Systeme, Safran Cabin and others coming to the fore. One concept, ARCA, the progeny of AIM Altitude, could shake things up even further – even without an added layer of complex technology.
Read this article on APEX.AERO
“Size, proportions and functions of today’s galleys are based on serving individual meal trays out of carts,” says Helena Teichrib, senior industrial designer at AIM Altitude. “With ARCA, we are questioning whether this is still the most efficient way to go about meal service.” ARCA replaces the need to move individual meal trays on to traditional, bulky galley carts with a new packing system: Stored in full-height fridges, the meals – boxed in sets of 16 – are moved in groups onto a cart to be delivered to passengers. By eliminating trays and introducing convertible, collapsible carts that can be used to both serve meals and collect garbage, galley space is dramatically optimized, making room for an extra row of seating or monument.
Galley elements are optimized to make space for an extra row of seats.
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“We are questioning whether serving individual meal trays out of carts is the most efficient way to go about meal service.”
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HELENA TEICHRIB, AIM ALTITUDE
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1 Full-height refrigerated compartments 2 Each carrier box contains 16 meal packs
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6 Empty carrier boxes reused for waste and recycling collection 7 Stowage for standard galley units
3 Stowage compartment for service cart
8 Drink service inserts with filtered water dispensers
4 Meal cart in collapsed position
9 Flush integrated sink
5 Meal cart in service mode, with meal boxes slotted at the bottom and hot meals stacked on top
10 Compartments for drinks service 11 Trash compactor compartment
The design was informed by crew and passenger interviews, as well as consultations with individuals from different areas of airline operations, and findings from past research flights. “This helped us understand what a new system would need to become a real game changer,” Teichrib says. Several stakeholders, particularly catering partners – whose identities are still under wraps – were also involved in the design
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As airlines grapple with the new challenges associated with in-flight service in the COVID-19 age, Teichrib says that ARCA’s meal pack concept is compatible with the changes ahead. “The enclosed format gives passengers the confidence that a minimum number of people handled the food. “And the sustainable, disposable meal packaging, including the cardboard boxes that all the meals would be delivered in, puts passengers at ease, too.”
process: “Their insights really helped us understand how important sustainability has become to airlines today.” As a result, ARCA was designed to bolster efforts to operate zero-waste flights. “More and more airlines want to recycle and compost the waste that is created during flight, and consumer awareness has strongly increased on that front,” Teichrib says. ARCA’s flexible design is meant to accommodate compostable meal boxes made, for example, from paper or sugarcane bagasse, and the carrier boxes, like the carts, can be repurposed for collecting waste. “This makes separating and stowing different kinds of recyclables easy,” she adds. A number of other trends also inspired the concept, including an increased appetite for snacks, bento boxes and self-service offerings, as well as the fact that flight distances are getting longer. “As flight times increase, more food needs to be served,” Teichrib says. Therefore, creating space for even more meals on the same or smaller footprint as a traditional galley was a priority. APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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COMFORT
Minimal Assembly Required Aircraft seating manufacturers adopt a “less is more” attitude with low-part-count solutions that promise savings in weight, cost and upkeep. BY MARISA GARCIA
“It is generally assumed that sophistication equals results, brilliance and performance, but does it really?” Rachel Barnett, head of Marketing at Acro Aircraft Seating, asks rhetorically. A look at the pared-down designs of the manufacturer’s Series 3 and Series 6 seats sums up her position. “Our design philosophy is to keep things simple and to eliminate unnecessary layers,” Barnett says. But in order to do so, designers and engineers must first understand the elements that are essential to the integrity of the seat: For Acro, these are comfort, robustness and maintainability. “These factors are 28
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interlinked, and when we combine them all, we ultimately end up with a seat that achieves a low cost of ownership.” One of the layers Acro eschews is the seatback shroud. “We allow the engineering features, such as the ribs, to be visible rather than covering them, and therefore we develop the design to meet objectives related to functionality, weight, cost and aesthetics,” Barnett says. The simplest iteration of the Acro Series 3 seat – whose customers include Hawaiian Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air, among others – is made up of 63 parts per triple. That is siginificantly lower than other seats on the market, Acro says, and is achieved by avoiding unnecessary components, such as the meal tray table latch. “The latchless design reduces a part and avoids a component that is prone to breaking in service,” Jerome Lawler, Acro’s key account manager, says. Ensuring fatigue resistance to the parts of the seat most exposed to passenger interaction is “one of the most challenging aspects,” Rodolfo Baldascino, marketing and sales manager at Italian seat supplier Geven, says: “Customers typically prefer the most simplified designs possible to preserve inventory and limit the number of expendable parts.” With the company’s economy-class Essenza seat, injection and composite moulding and forging are used to make assembly more efficient – the product features 30 to 40 percent less
PHOTOS: JPA; GEVEN; ACRO
Clockwise: Airtek Consortium’s composite-moulded seat, Geven’s lightweight Essenza and Acro’s Series 6.
parts compared to its earlier economy product, the Piuma Evo. Like Geven, the Airtek Consortium, comprising JPA Design, Williams Advanced Engineering and SWS Certification, is exploring composite moulding applications, with the aim of producing sophisticated, large-scale shapes that can replace complex multipart assembly. The technique would allow for small features, such as attachment points and brackets, to be integrated, instead of bolted on afterward, and for the two main parts of a traditional aircraft seat – the 9g and 16g structures – to be consolidated into one item. “We can also mould things like damage detection sensors into the composite parts,” Ben Orson, managing director, JPA Design, says. “This neatly addresses one of the concerns around using composites in general: They can be structurally compromised by damage, but this is not always visible.” Low-part-count designs seek to maximize the efficiency of a seating product by stripping away its complexity and having each of its parts deliver the most value in terms of its various functionalities, Orson says. “By using more advanced materials and techniques, we can make fewer parts deliver more, and this will benefit passengers, airlines and manufacturers in equal measure.”
A A N N N N I V E R R S A A R R Y Y
Did you know... the top of the basketball hoop is
10 feet from the ground Elslyn Lua | Edwin Cheung |
elslyn@encoreinflight.com edwin@encoreinflight.com
| |
(65) 9766 2429 (852) 2964 2066
ENTERTAINMENT
Lights Out What impact will new approaches to digital content distribution on the ground have on the in-flight entertainment marketplace?
At the height of coronavirus shelter-inplace directives this spring, streaming at home proved to be so hugely popular that Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube actually reduced their video playback quality in the European Union to help ease the burden on the region’s Internet infrastructure. The situation on the global theatrical front, however, was a much tougher fix. Opening on March 6 in the US, Disney-Pixar’s Onward had the unique distinction of hitting two lows in the animation studio’s recent history: It had both the worst opening weekend numbers and the worst 10-day opening ever. But the film’s protagonists, the Lightfoot brothers, were hardly alone in their misery. The crushing economic impact of the coronavirus on the industry was exacerbated when theaters in most major markets closed and US box-office tallies virtually zeroed out for the first time in Hollywood history. Upcoming major studio releases like A Quiet Place Part II, Black Widow, the latest James Bond entry No Time to Die and the live-action Mulan reboot were pushed to mid-summer, fall and, in some cases, even to next year. With film fans homebound, a new plan of action that turned the long-standing 90-day theatrical-to-home rental release window on its head was also needed. Studios began embracing everything from early releases on video on demand (VOD) – for films like The Invisible Man, Emma, The Hunt and Onward, which hit the VOD market two weeks after it opened in theaters and the studio’s subscription streaming platform, Disney+, two 30
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weeks after that – to ticket sales for film screenings at “virtual cinemas” hosted on indie theater websites. Some even began to forgo domestic theatrical releases entirely, as was the case for Universal-Dreamworks’ $90-plus-million Trolls sequel, Trolls World Tour, which had a limited theater release on April 6 and was available for digital rental the same day. And just like that, the future of digital distribution was suddenly wide open. But Universal-Dreamworks’ leap was not without consequence: AMC Theatres responded by saying it would stop screening the studio’s films altogether. Meanwhile, the movie raked in $100 million in rental fees after having
“Whichever distribution model the entertainment community embraces moving forward, it will need to recoup massive investments.” KATE GROTH, WEST ENTERTAINMENT
PHOTO: FELIX MOONEERAM, UNSPLASH
BY TOMÁS ROMERO
ENTERTAINMENT
Read this article on APEX.AERO
been available online for about 20 days. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said the digital release exceeded expectations and showed viability for VOD. “Whichever distribution model the entertainment community embraces moving forward, it will need to recoup massive investments,” says Kate Groth, president of West Entertainment. However, should a premium direct-toconsumer window emerge, this would not necessarily impact how studios offer films to airlines, she says: “We see it in our data analytics. Major box-office hits like Avengers: Endgame grossed over $2.8 billion worldwide and still performed extremely strongly across airlines when it became
available. Not everyone has the time to watch everything on the ground.” The biggest change to the post-pandemic in-flight entertainment space won’t be content distribution, Groth explains, but budgets. Branding.aero founder and president Stathis Kefallonitis seems to agree, saying that after COVID-19, content streaming may become more popular with airlines – but as a cost-cutting measure. “We may still find seatback entertainment in premium cabins, but in economy class, things will change.” The coronavirus outbreak offers an opportunity to rethink current approaches, especially for younger audiences whose views on accessing content at home, on the
go and even on an airplane, may be further shaped by the lockdown. “Even before the isolation period, social media played a key role in the success of movies and TV shows by engaging with fans and promoting new content to targeted audiences,” says Groth. “Connectivity on board will provide greater flexibility to leverage personal devices and offer more personalized content options.” Another question sure to be on the minds of many in the creative community right now is how to tackle the global pandemic on screen in the months and years ahead. Although there is no direct modern-day equivalence, after 9/11, Hollywood took a hard and fast break from making films with themes and imagery that might upset viewers. Shots of the World Trade Center’s twin towers, for instance, were digitally removed from dozens of television shows and films like Zoolander, Stuart Little 2 and Spider-Man. But the reaction to the pandemic from the present-day entertainment industry already feels markedly different, with talk show hosts, celebrities and even SNL taking to the Internet during the lockdown to produce content from home. “Everyone is looking for greater human connection and escapism right now,” says Groth, adding that humor has an important role to play. Meanwhile, virus-related thrillers, like Outbreak and Contagion, have seen significant upticks in popularity, and R.E.M.’s 1987 hit “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” rejoined the iTunes Top 100 chart. Such developments reinforce the fact that we are all in search of stories that make sense of these unprecedented times. APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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COMMUNIT Y
WHAT WE’RE MADE OF 32
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COMMUNIT Y
Back in March, as airlines started to announce one by one that they were withdrawing non-essential services, cutting routes and grounding fleets, there was looming uncertainty about the future of air travel. Airlines have led the headlines, but vendors – many of them APEX members – have also been deeply impacted. Despite possibly feeling worried, stressed or beat, the people who equip aircraft with in-flight entertainment and connectivity, maintain aircraft parts and interiors, and provide in-flight meals and services continue to keep the lights on to support their customers. Here’s what some of you who responded to our call to share a slice of your pandemic-adapted life had to say about carrying on in a global crisis. BY CAROLINE KU | ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARCELO CÁCERES
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COMMUNIT Y
HOW ARE YOU COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAM? I have never been a big supporter of working from home. I prefer real interaction with people. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how we’ve all managed to stay in touch and how well our internal processes are being followed. Some of our teams are even sharing online lunches together. Erdmann Rauer, LSG Group Düsseldorf
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS? In Singapore, it has been pretty good. However, as a content service provider, we may not be considered as part of the aviation sector since we are dealing mostly with media and content. The subsidies rolled out by the government are putting a lot of focus on aviation sector companies like airlines and ground handlers.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOUR BUSINESS HAS FACED AS A RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK? Our biggest issue has been to change our product for the new context. The fast COVID-19 spread has meant we are predicting a very different future compared to 90 days ago. There’s very little data of what the world will be like, yet we have had to find it and change our algorithms to predict the future more accurately. Steve King, Black Swan Data London
Airlines around the world have been hit hard by travel restrictions and are announcing cost-cutting measures including for in-flight entertainment. On the other hand, there has been active interest in COVID-19-specific audio. Comedy and well-being content have picked up as various service providers seek suitable programming to help balance grim news with lighter offerings for their customers. Larissa Abid, BBC World Service London
Ong Yong Beng, Images in Motion Singapore
Governmental responses have been remarkably inconsistent. Our hope is that actions would be taken to create a level playing field worldwide. Instead, we have some countries being incredibly proactive for aviation and its supply chain while others are lumping airlines and their suppliers into different buckets.
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Given the crisis that our airline customers are going through, it is key for us to show solidarity and flexibility through our actions. We agreed to put the announcements of some of our new airline partnerships on hold. Our strong assets, culture of transparent customer relationships and infrastructure for facilitating customer support all contribute to working through the current lockdown. Jimmy M. von Korff, Immfly Barcelona
COMMUNIT Y
WHAT INNOVATION OR POSITIVE CHANGES HAS THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT? We’ve been busy working to create new products that will improve passenger and crew comfort. Maintaining a continuous product supply and coming up with sustainable innovations are still at the core of our business. We strive to have new products and concepts ready to be introduced as soon as we see an uptake in flights again.
The crisis has been an opportunity to address and implement digital processes more quickly. In the long term, customer experience will benefit from these developments. Airlines, airports and tour operators have been required to develop new approaches to adapt to changed customer demands and new health concerns in order to bring back customer confidence and to be successfully prepared for the future.
Cindy Lam, Clip
Tanja Langer, Lufthansa Systems
Hong Kong
Frankfurt
CAN YOU DESCRIBE ANY NEW WORKING PROCEDURES THAT YOU WILL IMPLEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE?
We will come back to our offices slowly. Desks and workspaces will be rearranged to allow for social distancing. A lot of the Linstol employees have school-age children that will be utilizing e-learning. We will convert one of our boardrooms to allow parents to bring their children into the office and establish a “classroom” to enable those without childcare to still be able to work. Mark Russell, Linstol Naples, Florida
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR COMPANY SIX MONTHS OR ONE YEAR FROM NOW? We are questioning everything at the strategic level to ensure we can hit the market in the right way when it does come back. It is difficult to say in what shape or form air travel will return but the world needs international airlines.
The big unknown at this stage is how long the current restrictions will last. The longer this goes on, the more airlines will run out of liquidity leading to bankruptcies, nationalization or consolidation causing a huge change in the industry landscape. All that being said, we most certainly expect there to be major changes to the global fleet with many older aircraft retired early and orders altered or delayed. Airlines will also reorganize internally, which could see departmental silos broken down and connected aircraft strategies given renewed focus as a means to drive much-needed operational efficiencies Craig Foster, Valour Consultancy Colsterworth, England
Niall McBain, Spafax London APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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Where are you writing from? Dining room table Living room, possibly on a couch Garden patio or shed Treadmill desk Summer home overlooking the Mediterranean
My kid’s room Imaginary man cave I have a proper home office, with a desk and a chair I’m at the office!
HOW CAN WE AS AN INDUSTRY WORK TOGETHER AND REBOUND FROM THIS UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS? Our company first looked at how to support airlines and content service providers logistically and financially. If they needed to keep encoded files longer to save money, we gave them a free rollover. If they needed a content refresh, we gave them free content. No cookie-cutter solution would work for all clients. It is crucial to help our clients by providing logistically and financially sound options. Edwin Cheung, Encore Inflight Hong Kong
How are you passing time? Watching videos was the most popular way of passing time during the pandemic, but some of you also organized game nights over video chat with family and friends, kept up your exercise routine and found solace in pursuing hobbies you normally wouldn’t have time for. Cooking up a storm in the kitchen Reading books Taking a psych class on Coursera Playing with Lego Dancing to a live streamed party with DJs What free time? I have kids.
Playing Nintendo, Super Mario, preferably Animal Crossing Sewing Painting Growing a beard Repairing household items
Right now, many small- and medium-sized companies are pulling together, dreaming of new ways to work and innovate. It won’t be about profit; it will be about finding new ideas and insights into new consumer behaviors and solutions. Add to that the climate change revolution, which was in full momentum before the virus. Mankind couldn’t have devised a better way to experiment with the eco-warrior’s “what-if” scenario. World change and approach to life are going to have a massive impact on every industry. Melinda Darbyshire, tangerine London
As we all work to navigate our industry back into health, now is the time to strategize on ways to come back better and more profitable. Content remains king as seen with our data analytics engine West DnA. Therefore, working in a more transparent manner with Hollywood and all distributors, through tools like WE by West, gives more direct access and flexibility to content availability and budgets, which could have a very positive impact. Rick Warren, West Entertainment Orange County, California
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COMMUNIT Y
WHAT’S ONE THING THAT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN FOR COMMERCIAL AVIATION? Prior to the coronavirus, cleaning and sanitization of aircraft was not highly regarded by airlines. Now it is a leading item on everyone’s agenda. Kelvin Boyette, Latitude Aero Greensboro, North Carolina
I don’t think airlines will continue distributing print copies of in-flight magazines because post-coronavirus, passengers will be reluctant to touch them, fearing infection. This crisis will accelerate the switch to digital press, offered through a BYOD in-flight entertainment solution. Laurent Safar, Adaptive Channel Marseille
From an IFE perspective, we should be looking at more affordable solutions that deliver content to personal electronic devices, which are single-userbased and therefore more sanitary. Juraj Siska, IdeaNova Technologies Naperville, Illinois
I’d say that we’re not likely to see a return of printed newspapers and magazines. Most definitely not in the same quantities as before. The focus will be on passengers using personal electronic devices. Nikolay Malyarov, PressReader Vancouver, British Columbia
Crises of this scale do tend to leave their calling card. If the last 10 years have been about security, the next 10 will be about hygiene. The avoidance of human contact (with anything!) will be paramount throughout the travel experience. Anthony Harcup, Teague Seattle
I think business travel will struggle to get back to where it was in the Western world as this lockdown has shown that many meetings can be conducted virtually without having to fly halfway around the world. Face-to-face engagement is incredibly important and should never be jettisoned, but I think people will have to do far more to justify the time out of the office now, which will inevitably lead to less trips. On the plus side for FTE and APEX, I think industry events, where you can meet and build relationships with hundreds of people in one trip, will become even more essential and valued. Dan Coleman, Future Travel Experience Surrey, England
Read the What We’re Made Of Q&A series on APEX.AERO
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CRISIS
December 31, 2019
Cases of pneumonia detected in Wuhan, China, are first reported to WHO.
January 9
January 11
January 13
January 23
Chinese officials announce a coronavirus outbreak, with 44 cases confirmed.
Chinese officials announce first death caused by the virus.
First recorded coronavirus case outside China is in Thailand.
Wuhan is locked down. Major travel restrictions are put in place.
Aftersh How has the airline industry recovered from mass disruptions in the past?
T
he coronavirus crisis came without notice. On January 9, Chinese officials announced the outbreak, with 44 confirmed cases and counting. The first major travel restriction came into effect in China two weeks later. On January 23, 15,072 flights carried passengers to the country in time for Lunar New Year, the world’s busiest travel rush, as cases climbed past 570 and a total shutdown of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, was imposed. By February 13, daily flights had dropped to around 2,000 as more lockdowns were enforced and international airlines canceled trips
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to mainland China. On flights that did operate, magazines, pillows, hot meals and trolley service gradually disappeared. By the time Wuhan’s 76-day lockdown was lifted on April 7, China experienced an air traffic disruption at least 15 times greater than the two-day closure of US airspace during 9/11. Worldwide, there were just 32,221 passenger jets left in the sky. Global coronavirus cases soared above two million the following week, and the airline industry as a whole was on pace to shoulder the adjusted economic impact of more than 30 SARS outbreaks by the end of the year. Economists projected the overall financial
shock of COVID-19 would be three times greater than the steepest downturn of the 2008 global financial crisis. “We have never shuttered the industry on this scale before,” said Alexandre de Juniac, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), during an April briefing. “Consequently, we have no experience in starting it up.” There’s no single past event that provides a roadmap for recovery from this pandemic. But a combined understanding of lessons learned after 9/11, SARS and other shock events will help chart a way forward.
PHOTOS: UNSPLASH
BY KATIE SEHL
CRISIS
January 29
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British Airways is the first major airline to cancel flights to mainland China.
UK airline Flybe declares bankruptcy.
Italy imposes national quarantine.
WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic.
Travel from Europe to US is suspended.
hocks THE WAY BACK
Every few years or so the airline industry gets rattled by a “black swan” event or economic downswing. After the Gulf War and the recession in the 1990s came the dot-com bust. That was followed by 9/11 and then mid-upturn, the SARS outbreak jolted East Asia and Canada between November 2002 and July 2003. A couple years later, the H5N1 avian influenza swept through Southeast Asia. The years following the 2008 global financial crisis were particularly turbulent, with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in North America, and the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull
volcano bringing European airspace to a standstill. The avian flu returned in 2013, then came Ebola, MERS and Zika. Despite these downturns, world airline traffic has shown stable long-term growth since the 1970s. According to a 2015 report published by IATA called Global Air Passenger Markets: Riding Out Periods of Turbulence, it generally takes at least five years for the industry to recover after a short-term upheaval. “Approximately 72 percent of the impact of the initial shock persists one year after the event,” write co-authors David Oxley and Chaitan Jain. “Two years on, the effect of the shock
Read this article on APEX.AERO
on global air traffic is down to just over half of the initial effect, while after five years the effect is just under one-fifth of the initial impact.” When travel demand drops, the typical airline playbook reads as follows: decrease capacity, increase load factor, lower fares. It took about six years for airlines to recover capacity after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which before the COVID-19 crisis, caused the steepest historic decline in air traffic. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, travel demand in the US fell by more than 30 percent. The slump was met with significant capacity reduction and the loss of more than 62,000 airline jobs – 11 percent of the US industry’s employment at the time. Legacy carriers shifted some capacity to international markets and slashed airfares to compete with low-cost carriers that closed in on short-haul networks and benefited from deeply reduced aircraft prices. (In January 2002, Ryanair scooped up 100 Boeing 737-800s at a 53 percent discount.) >
“We have never shuttered the industry on this scale before. Consequently, we have no experience in starting it up.” ALEXANDRE DE JUNIAC, IATA
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CRISIS
March 13
March 17
April 3
April 7
April 12
WHO declares Europe new epicenter of the outbreak.
APEX calls for $250B in government support for US aviation industry.
Confirmed global cases surpass one million.
Wuhan lockdown is lifted. Lufthansa announces it will shutter Germanwings.
Daily global flights hit year-to-date low of 23,926.
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS IN BILLIONS
THE WAY FORWARD
Global Air Passenger Traffic, 1998–2018
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MERS Outbreak
Avian Flu Outbreak
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Eyjafjallajökull Eruption
Global Financial Crisis 2
six Airbus A380s, seven long-haul A340600s and five Boeing 747-400s ahead of schedule. Germanwings, which operated under the low-cost Eurowings brand with 33 aircraft, will cease operations. And Austrian Airlines plans to downsize its fleet from 80 to 60 aircraft by 2022: “The entire airline industry is pessimistic,” executive board member Andreas Otto commented. “We have to assume that we will reach the ‘pre-corona level’ again in 2023 at the earliest.” Load factors, meanwhile, could stay low if airlines adopt distancing measures such as keeping middle seats empty, as Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and easyJet have offered. But carried out in the long term, a complex balancing act ensues. Lower-occupancy flights eventually require higher ticket prices – up to 54 percent above average in North America – while low demand and financial insecurity caused by a recession necessitate lower fares.
Swine Flu
Avian Flu Outbreak 9/11
SARS Outbreak Dot-com Bust
SOURCES: WORLD BANK AND INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION
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Regaining revenue hinges on convincing travelers it’s safe to fly again. “And we don’t want to repeat the mistakes made after 9/11 when many new processes were imposed in an uncoordinated way,” said de Juniac. “We ended up with a mess of measures piled on top of measures. And nearly 20 years later we are still trying to sort it out.” In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, businesses froze non-essential travel and interstate traffic went up as Americans chose to drive instead of fly. To restore safety and confidence, the Transportation Security Administration went on a spending and hiring spree, adding some 40,000 border patrol agents, and electronic bag screening machines to airports. Travelers were asked to arrive on average two hours before takeoff, remove shoes while agents rummaged through
PHOTOS: UNSPLASH
The COVID-19 crisis cuts much deeper. By April, more than 140 airlines slashed capacity down to 10 percent or less. Both Etihad Airways CEO Tony Douglas and IAG Group’s outgoing chief Willie Walsh have said they don’t expect to see meaningful demand return before July. Long-haul travel will be hit hardest, since domestic travel restrictions will relax before international bans are lifted. “For airlines, revenues are more dependent on passenger kilometers flown,” explained IATA’s chief economist Brian Pearce during the association’s April briefing. “Domestic [flying] represents onethird of passenger revenue kilometers, so obviously the slower opening of international borders is more problematic for the airline industry.” The shutdown has also accelerated aircraft retirements, hastening the end of the jumbo jet era. Lufthansa plans to leave 32 aircraft permanently grounded, retiring
CRISIS
April 16
April 21
April 22
April 24
April 26
APEX and IFSA advocate financial aid for EU airline suppliers.
Virgin Australia enters voluntary administration.
Air Mauritius enters voluntary administration.
WHO rejects “immunity card” concept, citing lack of evidence immunity is attainable.
Global death toll surpasses 200,000.
their carry-ons and trust that checked bags would make it through labyrinthine screening belts. Heightened security assured travelers, but the added hassle became its own deterrent, contributing to further decline in demand. Studies estimate this cost the industry an additional $1.1 billion in lost revenue, hitting the short-haul market hardest. While the economy bounced back, the inconvenience posed by security prolonged recovery for the travel industry. It took some five years for average airfares to return to pre-9/11 levels. While the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (2001) provided $5 billion in compensation and $10 billion in loan guarantees, it took five years for US airlines to get out of the red, according to data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Most economists agree that the industry’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be U-shaped. Risk perception, and how it is addressed, will play a decisive role in determining just how wide and inclined that U will be. “Demand will be there when it’s safe to travel,” said Delta’s chief executive officer, Ed Bastian, on the airline’s first quarter earnings call this year. “When people feel confident… that’s when the recovery will take shape.” Several preliminary studies, including social media analysis by Fethr, have shown that safety and sanitation will be key priorities. “At the end of the SARS crisis, temperature screening was a key factor in returning the sector to normal,” said de Juniac. “We need to find the equivalent process to take us to when a COVID-19 vaccine is available.” Measures will need to be authoritative and persuasive, while not too prohibitive or invasive as to pinch rebounding shorthaul markets, where transportation alternatives are readily available. International travelers have other risks to contend with, such as sudden travel bans and restrictions. “I fully understand the hesitation many people feel at the moment when deciding whether to book a flight or not,” said KLM’s chief executive Pieter Elbers in a letter to customers. According to IATA, 86 percent
Flight Plans More than 3,000 viewers tuned in to the FlightPlan broadcast hosted by APEX and Inmarsat on April 29. In an interactive poll, viewers predicted the following: • Four in 10 predicted that industry recovery will take from 18 months to three years.
• Four in 10 said the industry was poorly prepared for COVID-19. • Nine in 10 expect more deep cleaning of aircraft and slower turnarounds. • Nearly two-fifths stated that governments have helped the industry navigate the pandemic, but could have done more. • 86% believe that personal protective equipment (PPE) will become standard for cabin crews in the coming months. • Eight in 10 expect thermal scanners to become part of the passenger journey. • Only 9% see blood tests for airline passengers becoming the norm. SOURCE: INMARSAT
of travelers are concerned about being quarantined and 69 percent will avoid traveling altogether if a 14-day quarantine is required. To mitigate these risks, flexible rebooking policies could become a long-term expectation. Based on 2018 US airline reservation change fee revenues, that amounts to a $2.7-billion bid for leniency to stem reservation hesitancy. > APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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CRISIS
April 29
May 10
May 21
May 26
June 3
APEX advises airline passengers to wear face coverings throughout their journey.
Avianca files for bankruptcy.
Global reported cases of coronavirus top five million.
LATAM files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Italy lifts border restrictions on visitors from European countries.
“When people feel confident… that’s when the recovery will take shape.” ED BASTIAN, DELTA AIR LINES
As revealed by the impact of the SARS epidemic, which resulted in some 8,000 cases worldwide, predominantly in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Canada, advisories and false starts can cause fear to linger. Rapid spread of the virus via international travel prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue its first SARS-related travel advisory on March 15, 2003. When Toronto was added to its list on April 23, the knock-on effect was immediate: At least 11 countries followed suit, recommending their citizens stay away. The advisory was lifted six days later, but non-US travel to all of Canada still dropped by 33 percent the next month. News of a second wave in late May wrought the most long-term damage. It took a full year, including $128 million dollars from the Ontario provincial government spent 43
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on marketing campaigns and a “SARS-apalooza” concert before tourists returned to the city in pre-outbreak numbers. Consumer confidence may be the biggest hurdle for the industry. According to a recent survey by IATA, 69 percent of travelers say they will need to feel more financially secure before they’re ready to fly again. Meanwhile, 60 percent say they would travel within one to two months of the pandemic being contained, and some 40 percent plan to wait six months or longer. For airlines, the more immediate challenge is to stay solvent. Airlines were in good fiscal shape when the crisis began, but IATA expects them to burn through $61 billion in cash reserves by the end of June and add $120 billion to the industry’s global debt, totaling to
$550 billion by year-end. Solutions airlines used after the 2008 global financial crisis, such as consolidation, higher densities and eventually ancillary fees, aren’t as readily accessible now as they were then. But other revenue ideas have emerged in their place, such as carrying cargo in the cabin. While many airlines, including Delta, Southwest and Singapore Airlines, have raised considerable capital, Flybe has shuttered, and Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius have entered voluntary administration. Government aid, voluntary pay cuts and leave options have helped to abate some job losses, but rising furlough figures underscore the need for further financial support, say APEX and IATA. Some pages of the airline crisis management playbook are yet to be written. Fortunately, it’s a challenge many are rising to meet. The COVID-19 pandemic may have “no parallel to draw upon in recent memory,” said Nick Careen, senior vice-president of Airport Passenger Cargo and Security at IATA, during FlightPlan, a global broadcast hosted by APEX and Inmarsat. But “the airline industry has illustrated time and time again that if there’s any industry in the world that knows how to deal with a crisis, it’s this one.”
THE WEEKLY WRAP Veteran industry journalists Maryann Simson and Seth Miller have joined forces to bring you The Weekly Wrap. Tune in each Friday to hear a dynamic discussion about the latest passenger experience news in a relaxed format, with input from different thought leaders each week.
Click on the image to play the latest episode
To see more APEX YouTube content, visit and subscribe to our channel:
youtube.com/theapexassoc
CHANGE
WHERE TO FROM The passenger experience was always changing, but an era-defining pandemic has its way of speeding things along. BY VALERIE SILVA | ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARCELO CĂ CERES
HERE? 44
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CHANGE
Read this article on APEX.AERO
E
lliot Kreitenberg and his father, an orthopedic surgeon and inventor, started out by disinfecting volleyballs. It was 2012, and they had heard that the US Women’s National Volleyball team had been instructed not to shake hands with their opponents after Olympic matches to prevent the flu from spreading. But what about the ball they had all been touching? Wasn’t it, too, a carrier of contagion? After a series of tests confirming their suspicions, they got to work on a germicidal ultraviolet-C solution. With the younger Kreitenberg attending business school on the East Coast and his parents out in Southern California, air travel had become a fixture of their lives, leading the father-son dyad to also wonder if the UVC radiation technology they had devised for sporting goods might also be applied to aircraft cabins. After combing through research on the correlation between air travel and the spread of infectious disease, the pair dreamt up GermFalcon, a trolley with arms extending outward to limn the cabin with germ-zapping light at a rate of 30 rows per minute. After the Ebola epidemic erupted in West Africa in 2014, Virgin America gave the Kreitenbergs access to its airplanes to use as testbeds for their work. However, when news of the carrier’s acquisition by Alaska Airlines broke, that relationship was severed, and so was GermFalcon’s direct link to the industry. “It was kind of a gut punch to us. We were at it for some time, trying to pitch the product to airlines for risk mitigation, as well as an emergency preparedness tool, but there wasn’t any other interest,” says Kreitenberg, who is co-founder and president of the company. In 2018, they decided to pivot from aviation to healthcare and built the UVHammer, a modification of the original unit, for use in hospital operating rooms. Ironically, the UVHammer has, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, circuitously made its way into airports,
“UNFORTUNATELY, IT TOOK AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAK FOR THE DEMAND TO MATERIALIZE.” ELLIOT KREITENBERG, GERMFALCON
such as Seattle’s Paine Field, where it is now being operated regularly. “We’ve gone from basically zero aviation customers eager to work with us to over 50 that are dying to get their hands on units yesterday,” Kreitenberg says. The company is ramping up production to satisfy the deluge in demand from dozens of ground-based subcontractors, and airlines in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. “We don’t think our invention is any more genius now than it was six years ago. Unfortunately, it just took an infectious disease outbreak for the demand to materialize.”
A few months back, no one could have predicted we’d be where we are today: aircraft idle, airports desolate and a
timeline abruptly splintered in two, pre-and post-pandemic. Flight traffic numbers pummeled by the pandemic reveal the unprecedented nature of the crisis at hand, as does the industry’s speedy adoption of evermore stringent sanitization and hygiene measures. But when it comes to the airline passenger experience of the future, we may come to see more evolution, than revolution: a farrago of old ideas finding new audiences, of pre-existing trends and technologies getting fast-tracked to implementation and a reckoning of practices and processes that was perhaps already overdue. There were others, like Kreitenberg, who before the current calamity had observed reticence among airlines when it came to sanitization. Over the years, numerous germ-busting concepts have surfaced in the media, including self-sanitizing lavatories from Boeing and antimicrobial coatings from Recaro, Lantal, Sekisui Kydex and others. Yet, it’s been rare to see an airline take on the mantle of employing them – or at least making noise about it. Speaking at a recent RedCabin webinar, Ronn Cort, president and COO at Sekisui Kydex, shared: “We’ve had materials that are antimicrobial for aircraft going back to 2007, but it wasn’t the priority. If we would bring it up, it was like ‘Don’t talk about that.’ It was not the subject that people wanted to lean into.” > APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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As global air travel soared without the immediate threat of infectious disease, maintaining efficiency and low cost had been the priority for airlines, so much so that even the time dedicated to routine cleanings was being squeezed. (Southwest Airlines, for example, once extolled a 10-minute turnaround, during which it unloaded, tidied and boarded its aircraft. Doing so, allowed the airline to maintain low fares for passengers.) Speaking of the status quo, Devin Liddell, principal futurist at design consultancy Teague, says, “In the conflict between turn time and cleanliness, airlines have erred on the side of turn time, but meaningfully cleaning the cabin isn’t a ‘nice to have’ anymore.” APEX board member and Japan Airlines VP Global Marketing Akira Mitsumasu agrees, saying: “There are a couple very hard trade-off decisions that affect aircraft utilization and fleet planning, but the pandemic has brought about an increased awareness of cleanliness and with that various perceptions as to which airlines or airports are clean. Cleanliness will emerge as an important criterion when choosing an airline.” According to the social listening experts at Fethr, a subsidiary of Black Swan Data, there has been a rapid upswing in concerns on social media about the presence of pathogens on board – a 996 percent growth between March and May, as observed across the company’s dataset of 900 million naturally occuring conversations.
“THE MAIN CHALLENGE FACING AIRLINES TODAY IS THE SAME ONE WE FACED AFTER SEPTEMBER 11: OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SCARED.” MAX HIRSH, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG 46
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And just like that the race to the cleanest has begun, with heightened measures announced, literally, every single day by airlines and airports. Delta Air Lines was the first to turn its enhanced cleaning procedures, which now include disinfecting every flight in its network using electrostatic sprayers, into a brand differentiator, with the introduction of Delta Clean. Southwest, Air Canada, United Airlines and others have since debuted their own branded versions. Meanwhile, AirAsia and Philippine Airlines have each garnered attention with photos of crewmembers donning head-to-toe protective gear, and videos of self-cleaning robots at Pittsburgh International, Incheon and Singapore Changi airports are also making the rounds.
The biggest impediment to restoring passenger traffic, however, isn’t the virus – experts say the chance of in-flight transmission is between one in ten thousand and one in a million, with use of face masks reducing that by tenfold – but the perceptions of those yet to be inured to the current state of things. “The main challenge facing airlines today is the same one we faced after September 11: Our customers are scared,” says Max Hirsh, research professor at the University of Hong Kong and managing director and co-founder of the Airport City Academy. “Back in 2001, they worried about terrorists hijacking their plane. Today, they’re afraid that flying could expose them to disease.” To battle these perceptions, the conspicuousness of sanitization measures is as crucial as their implementation, especially given the microscopic nature of the threat in question. “Passengers have appreciated being able to watch videos about the initiatives over just hearing about them. This is particularly the case for the less visible steps taken, for example, around air filtration, which has seen a 390 percent growth in volume and 51 percent growth in positive sentiment between March and May,” Will Cooper, head of Insights, Black Swan Data, says. “However, airlines and airports will also
“CLEANLINESS WILL EMERGE AS AN IMPORTANT CRITERION WHEN CHOOSING AN AIRLINE.” AKIRA MITSUMASU, JAPAN AIRLINES
need to earn positive engagement through positive experiences that passengers will share online as and when they travel.” In addition to the swell in newly formed coronavirus-related fears, airlines are in the unfortunate situation of having to address a laundry list of pre-existing grievances. Cooper highlights cabin hygiene, the presence of pathogens on board and disinfection as trouble areas that preceded the pandemic. “These concerns were pre-existing and were growing over the course of 2019 – albeit at a slower rate,” he says. During the FTE APEX Post-COVID-19 Airports webinar last month, Jan Richards, head of Insights and Planning at Dublin Airport, agreed that many of the trends that will be important moving forward already mattered to passengers. “Cleanliness was already the number one thing that drove satisfaction in airports,” she added.
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In certain cases, concern is more warranted than in others. Take air quality, as an example. Experts agree that the use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in most aircraft renders the air in cabins better than that in many other spaces, including in office buildings and hotels, and even on par with that in hospital isolation units. Yet, the notion that the air quality in planes is infinitely worse persists. “In the current climate of active disinformation, the ability to lead through communications will separate one sector from another in this recovery,” Liddell advises. “Airlines will need to meet misinformation and even disinformation head-on through communications anchored by metrics and best practices.” (In this case, 99.97 is the key metric, representing the percentage of airborne particles captured by HEPA filters.)
No matter how scrupulous airlines may be in keeping contagions at bay and communicating their efforts, they cannot control the fact that proximity to other people, especially after months of sheltering in place, spells danger to travelers. “Surveys on the ground are already showing that the majority of the population is concerned about leaving the house, let alone boarding a plane. You can very easily imagine a passenger wanting to remain in a cocoon-like state for the entirety of the journey, fearful of who or what they might come into contact with,” says Craig Foster, senior consultant and co-founder of Valour Consultancy. Airlines and their partners have gotten resourceful in their efforts to impart a feeling of safety. Dividers, hoods and shields once floated for increased privacy in the cabin are now emerging as the possible salve to these fears, as have promises of social distancing on board, with Frontier Airlines, Japan Airlines, Delta, easyJet and others leaving middle seats temporarily empty. The measure gives passengers 18 inches or so of clearance between them and the next person – a far cry from the six feet considered responsible on the ground, and the up to 27 feet scientists say virus-bearing droplets can actually travel with the push of a sneeze. According to
“YOU CAN VERY EASILY IMAGINE A PASSENGER WANTING TO REMAIN IN A COCOON-LIKE STATE FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE JOURNEY, FEARFUL OF WHO OR WHAT THEY MIGHT COME INTO CONTACT WITH.” CRAIG FOSTER, VALOUR CONSULTANCY
Cooper, “Airline talk of vacating middle seats was met with some positivity, but many passengers did not see this happening in practice in the long term. Others have questioned the impact this policy will have on the affordability of tickets.”
Indeed, the economics of air travel don’t exactly allow for long-term social distancing in flight (especially for low-cost carriers, as Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary was quick to remark when the idea was first proposed). IATA has gone on record saying it does not support leaving middle seats empty because of the associated cost increases, adding, “Mask-wearing by passengers and crew will reduce the already low risk.” After all, high-occupant density is intrinsic to the sustainability of airline operations, as it is for many other industries, including public transportation, restaurants and movie theaters. The addition of privacy-enhancing accoutrements to seats has its own drawbacks, namely adding to the number of surfaces that will be touched and, therefore, must be cleaned. Foster agrees that minimizing opportunities for physical contact may be the way to go, with passengers likely already hesitant to touch existing surfaces like touchscreens and point-of-sales terminals. “More likely, then, is the use of PEDs [personal electronic devices] as a remote control for the seatback screen. Interaction with one’s own device is fraught with less ‘danger’ and many of us already use our smartphones to control other smart devices at home.” Bluetooth and near-field communications could further limit the risk of interaction, as might eye-tracking and motion-sensing in the more distant future. > APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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Of course, these efforts are futile if travelers remain tightly packed as they weave through sinuous queues at checkin, security and even as they grab a latte at Starbucks. Signage reminding travelers to wear gloves and don masks, floor markers encouraging distance, increased placement of sanitizer dispensers and plexiglass barriers are obvious first steps. Disinfection tunnels like that introduced at Hong Kong International Airport and AI-enabled computer vision that reduces crowding may follow. As for those automation and biometric technologies that airlines and airports have started to integrate with their systems over the past few years in the name of a more seamless experience? They may be just what is needed to reduce wait time, congestion and person-to-person interaction. In the absence of widespread availability of a vaccine that can inoculate large swaths of the population and of universally accepted immunity passports, health screening may add an extra layer of logistics to the airport experience. Temperature checks via touchless thermometers and thermal scanners are being adopted widely (even though they fail to detect individuals who are asymptomatic), with more advanced systems like Elenium Automation’s kiosk
being introduced by Etihad Airways to detect irregularities in vital signs at checkin, bag drop, security and immigration. At airports in Dubai and Hong Kong, rapid coronavirus blood testing has already been deployed. The jump from enabler to inhibitor of disease would be a major coup for airlines and airports, Liddell says, but it requires a close examination of the fissures in existing structures as much as the heralding of new panaceas. “The pandemic is an emergency prompt to get going on things that we needed to get going on anyway. One of the things about social distancing that dovetails with the to-do lists that should already be in place is tackling the fact that we are already way over capacity. If we continue growing the way we were projected to – which we will – a lot of our infrastructure won’t actually support it.” Liddell is right. There simply wasn’t enough floor space before and there certainly won’t be enough now to support a return to 2019 levels of capacity growth layered with 2020 social distancing measures. Decentralizing processes so that travelers can check in at a remote location, as dnata subsidiary Dubz has proposed, might be one element in the patchwork of solutions needed to ease the burden on travelers and the airport
environment. Extending health screening procedures off-site may also help to avoid the undesirable scenario of turning away travelers who do not qualify for medical clearance after they’ve already made the trek out to the airport. Top of the to-do list though, according to Liddell, should be an update to the boarding process, which has been broken for ages. “If you look at the core piece of technology at the gate, it’s about 100 years old: the loudspeaker, which
“THESE CONCERNS WERE PREEXISTING AND WERE GROWING OVER THE COURSE OF 2019 – ALBEIT AT A SLOWER RATE.” WILL COOPER, BLACK SWAN DATA 48
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remains the way in which we actually communicate to travelers upon boarding. It’s astonishing because not even my local deli operates via loudspeaker anymore.” Unable to get their information otherwise, passengers crowd at the gate to ensure they do not miss their flight and are able to secure some coveted overhead bin space. It’s an issue Delta began to address pre-pandemic, with an update to its FlyDelta companion app, which sends passengers notifications for when their seat – not just their flight – is boarding. A fast-spreading coronavirus dictates that solutions like these, which allow travelers to percolate throughout the airport, perhaps engaged in discretionary spending, will continue to matter.
“THE PANDEMIC IS AN EMERGENCY PROMPT TO GET GOING ON THINGS THAT WE NEEDED TO GET GOING ON ANYWAY.” DEVIN LIDDELL, TEAGUE
There is enormous pressure to “return to normalcy,” but pandemics have a way of leaving their mark. In the nineteenth century, cholera outbreaks gave way to modern sanitation systems and new zoning laws that curbed overcrowding. In the 1900s, the spread of tuberculosis reoriented the design of urban spaces to prioritize fresh air and sunlight. And though still too soon to tell where traces of coronavirus will endure, they most certainly will. Passengers, airlines and the communities they serve will not be spared. One welcome change would be a reappraisal of the rules by which passengers
relate to each other. “Right now, passengers don’t look at the person next to them at the gate or on board as a member of their community; they either don’t think about their well-being at all or look at them as a competitor for resources they want, like bin space,” Liddell says. “This is a prime example of airlines failing at leadership. They haven’t been communicating to passengers what they expect of them: a sense of collective responsibility.” Suddenly, under the high stakes of the
current dire circumstances, passengers are in a position where they must depend on each other for their own health and safety, and airlines need to remind them of that. There’s indication that this change is already underway. When JetBlue announced on April 27 that all passengers would be required to wear a face covering, the airline’s president and COO, Joanna Geraghty said, “Wearing a face covering isn’t about protecting yourself; it’s about protecting those around you. This is the new flying etiquette.” Meanwhile, Fethr’s social listening shows that KLM’s frequent flyers organically came together in the early days of the pandemic to fill the gap left by an overwhelmed customer service department. “Their passengers started relying on each other and a community emerged, with frequent flyers advocating for the brand and making recommendations based on their own experiences,” Cooper says. “KLM appears to have successfully built on that positive community spirit, with passengers now viewing the airline’s response to travel disruption more favorably in comparison to other airlines.” On the industry-wide level, calls for collaboration are numerous. Associations like APEX and IATA have rallied support for coordination on applications for government aid and the implementation of health and safety measures, such as mandatory face coverings. Establishing globally binding health reporting standards and a mechanism for medical clearance will also require deep collaboration among governments, healthcare services, airports, airlines and related parties, Mitsumasu says. “Daunting as this may sound, it is possible today technology-wise,” he adds. Will the industry suddenly operate in perfect unison? Of course not. There’s no idyllic new beginning in store because there’s also no hard break from the past. But that’s not all bad, especially for an industry whose prior investments in automation, privacy and wellness amply prefigure the strategies being applied today to stymie the spread of the virus. There’s also no going back to a time before we could understand the duty we have to each other. What will remain – and what have yet to be fully realized – are all the subtle, meandering steps forward. APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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TRAVELOGUE
TRAVELOGUE
Read this article on APEX.AERO
All Together Now As Encore Inflight celebrates its tenth banner year in business, its CEO talks IFE, teamwork and the importance of listening. AS TOLD BY JOVITA TOH TO TOMÁS ROMERO | ILLUSTRATION BY FELIPE VARGAS
E
ven as a kid growing up in Singapore in the 1970s, I was obsessed with content. Of course, we didn’t call it “content” back then, but ever since I can remember I have been a huge fan of movies and TV shows. My taste in movies ran the gamut from soppy dramas like The Champ, Ice Castles, Love Story and Kramer vs. Kramer to Hollywood musicals like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. I was also hooked on American TV sitcoms and dramas like Mork & Mindy, M*A*S*H, Laverne & Shirley, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dallas and many more. But the one film that really piqued my interest in the world of moviemaking was Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, about one man’s fascination with a stage actress from the early 1900s. That movie sealed the deal for me; I knew then and there that I wanted to become an actress. But when it came time to choose a major in college, my father quickly put an end to my ambitions when he told me that the only role an Asian woman would ever get in Hollywood was that of a maid. As true as it was then, I am glad to see that things have definitely changed. Either way, I majored in English and never looked back. Though I remained a movie buff, the road to in-flight entertainment (IFE) was anything but direct. I had many jobs over the years, including as a newspaper carrier,
graphic designer, journalist and even as a bartender. Everything that I am today is a culmination of the lessons learned from each and every one of these jobs. My time as a bartender, in particular, taught me about the importance of listening – something that I use daily in my current role at Encore.
“I went from wanting to leave IFE behind to wanting to come back and really change things up.” My role model growing up was my grandmother, who lived with us. She only ever saw the good in people, and she was also an excellent listener. When she passed away 20 years ago, many of my high school classmates – some of whom I had not seen or been in touch with for decades – came to her funeral after having seen the obituary in the papers. They all remembered how good she was to them and what a great listener she had been. That left a huge impact on me. Everyone likes to talk, but not many people are willing to listen.
By the mid-90s, I was working at Dow Jones as country manager in Singapore for a publication called Far Eastern Economic Review. After two years, I was transferred to the regional office in Hong Kong. When my immediate supervisor left Dow Jones to join Emphasis Media, he took me with him. Having majored in English, my first job there was as client service director for all in-flight publications. This was where I met Jennifer Cormie, who was a purchasing manager at Cathay Pacific. Of all the people I’ve crossed paths with in the world of IFE, she was by far the most influential for my career. Jennifer taught me the value of service, professionalism and fairness – qualities that I continue to impart to the Encore team to this day. After two years of working in custom publishing, I was feeling disillusioned and ready to leave, so Emphasis offered me the chance to head its film distribution division instead. With no experience in the business other than watching and loving movies, I managed to turn Emphasis Video Entertainment – what had been a lossmaking division – into the most profitable business in the group within three years. However, my role was eventually made redundant, and I found myself with a oneyear non-compete clause. Even though I was sure I was done with IFE forever, I decided to take the year off and travel the world. > APEX.AERO | V10 E3 |
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TRAVELOGUE
“The uniform represents that we are one unit, each of us as important as the other.”
Encore Inflight at APEX EXPO in Los Angeles last year.
I spent six weeks in New Zealand, six more in Ireland, two in London, 14 in the US – where I covered pretty much the entire East Coast by car and then visited Hawaii – and two more each in Sydney and Shanghai. Flying around the globe, I quickly realized that the IFE experience on every airline was exactly the same. Literally every movie I watched on one airline was playing on the next and turning up in hotels or on cable TV wherever I went. That’s when I went from wanting to leave the world of IFE behind to wanting to come back and really change things up. When I was done my gap year, I started Encore Inflight with the idea of bringing airlines fresh, high-quality content that was not making it to theaters or cable. I was sure airlines would appreciate the more diverse content mix we brought to the table, but, boy, was I wrong. For the first two years, we couldn’t get a single airline or content service provider to even watch our screeners because there were no big-name actors, directors or producers tied to our titles. It was so bad that at the end of year two, I seriously considered shutting down the business and cutting our losses. I decided to give it another year because I still believed that there were films out there that had to be seen, and that if we spotlighted titles made with passion and vision, surely the industry would someday come to appreciate them. 52
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Thankfully, things turned around. With newer IFE systems suddenly able to carry more content and budgets tightening, airlines began looking for more creative ways of increasing the volume of content on board. Luckily for us, many started looking for independent festival titles to add to the mix and Encore was suddenly top of mind. When I first started Encore, I knew that I needed a strong team behind me; I was under no delusion that I could do it all on my own. But as the team and expenses grew, I became really impatient for the business to succeed and, honestly, I wasn’t a very good boss. I micromanaged everyone with expectations based on my own pace and demented 24-hour workday, not on each of their strengths and skills. One day, I looked around and realized everyone on my team was unhappy. They were dreading coming into work and I dreaded being angry all the time. I tried to change my management style, and went from reprimanding to teaching. Instead of celebrating company milestones, I started acknowledging personal ones. Most importantly, I followed my grandma’s lead: I became a better listener, and I started treating my team like family. Ten years on, I firmly believe that the secret to Encore’s success is our incredible team. Teamwork isn’t just a word at our company; it’s our culture. We work hard, we play hard and we even dress alike!
Sporting matching uniforms is a mainstay of our brand today, but the idea was met with some resistance early on. It wasn’t until the team realized people were genuinely interested in what we would wear each day to an event or tradeshow, that they started to understand the value of it. It has grown to the point that people want to be a part of Encore because of what the uniform represents: We are one unit, each of us as important as the other. That sense of teamwork and camaraderie extends to our clients and suppliers. Everyone needs to sustain their business – we respect that. But if we can achieve our goals together, as partners, the whole experience becomes much healthier and more positive. If I had to make a dollar less so that my clients could meet their budgets, I would gladly do so. If we have to work a few extra hours so our clients could get their files on time or maybe pick up a few of the less popular titles to help out our suppliers, we would do it without question. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. When we first heard that US carriers were canceling flights to and from China due to the coronavirus outbreak, we immediately thought it would be hard for them to justify booking new Chinese titles. The first thing we did was offer them a free extension on all the Chinese content they already had on board. When the situation worsened, more carriers were affected, but we still had an obligation to our producing partners and sales agents to generate revenue. In a discussion with the team, we looked at how Encore could cut costs to subsidize some of that content for airlines. That’s when we decided that if we canceled all of our tenth anniversary celebrations, we could help our clients for a couple of cycles. The COVID-19 situation has hit us hard. But by understanding that we are all just one big team – each with a role to play, a business to run, a family to support and obligations to meet – we will not only survive, but also succeed for a long time to come.
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* Due to the current situation and pandemic, event dates and details are subject to change. APEX will comply with guidelines from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure our events are as safe as possible.
Tweeting from one of our upcoming events? Be sure to use the designated hashtag so other members can join the conversation.
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Follow us on Twitter @THEAPEXASSOC
APEX Airline Best Practices Regarding COVID-19 Since February 2020, APEX has taken a leading role in advancing best practices in our “flight back� against COVID-19. Airlines around the world have expended incredible time and energy to address concerns surrounding the pandemic. We are aware of many of these initiatives and have consistently shared with members the steps we have taken: APEX was the first international airline association to encourage older individuals and those with underlying medical conditions to stay home and also the first to encourage all passengers and airline crew to wear face coverings throughout their journey.
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APEX’s Airline Best Practices Regarding COVID-19, updated as of June 8, 2020.
2 Encourage Older Flight Crew and Passengers Are Advised to People and Those With Wear Face Coverings for the Underlying Medical Safety of Others Conditions Not to Travel 1
In all geographies where face coverings are recommended by government officials, airlines and their passengers should set the highest example of safety. Airline team members and passengers are advised to wear face coverings throughout their journey with the exception of when eating and drinking. As demonstrated by World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, coverings combined with key hygiene steps significantly reduce the risk of contagion to others. This includes non-traditional face coverings as needed to make certain that medical professionals have the highest-priority access to medical-grade face masks.
On March 5, the CDC updated public guidance encouraging those who are older and/or have an underlying medical condition to stay at home to minimize interaction with the public. While airlines continue to be a very safe form of travel, we should take initiative to encourage greater safety for those that require heightened protection from COVID-19.
Clearly Communicate Passenger and Staff Safety Measures 3
Openly explain to customers the steps your airline is taking to make certain they are able to travel safely and easily.
Consider Broader Waivers for Changes and Cancellations 4
Work to minimize concern and provide greater passenger certainty about future travel by considering broader waivers for booking changes and cancellations.
Enhance Traceability of Customer Contact Details 5
Review procedures for managing passenger contact details. Governments and agencies may at some point require airlines to contact passengers after a flight in the unlikely event a passenger is later found to be infected with COVID-19.
Passengers That Appear Sick Should Not Be Allowed to Board or Take Off Without a Doctor’s Approval 6
Stay up to date on APEX’s COVID-19 best practices and related news: APEX.AERO/CORONAVIRUS
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PHOTOS: UNSPLASH
Consider alerting passengers that if they are traveling with symptoms, they may be denied boarding. If customers have a visible cough, are sneezing or using a tissue, then airlines may wish to require that they have a doctor’s note to board the flight. For example, seasonal allergies may be mistaken for something worse without such documentation. The greatest risk remains passenger perception and denied ability to deplane at an international destination. In geographies that are minimally affected now, consider giving advance notice to passengers that those who are visibly ill and traveling after a set date in the future will require a doctor’s note certifying non-contagiousness and their ability to safely travel.
Have In-Flight Aircraft Decontamination Procedures in Place 9
Consider providing crew with disinfectants to use on lavatory handles and demonstrate during safety procedures how to use hand towels to open and close lavatory doors after washing hands as an additional safety precaution. The WHO has pointed to viral loads in fecal matter as equal to those in sneezes. The lavatory is a high-risk point for COVID-19 infected individuals who are not exhibiting any symptoms.
Work With Airport and Government Authorities 10
In affected regions, work with airport and government authorities to establish airports as safe zones by not allowing visibly ill individuals into the airport and past security. Furthermore, work with airport and governmental authorities for security line decontamination procedures. Consider offering passengers handsanitizing and washing ability after they have passed through security.
Enhance the Ability for Airline Staff and Supplier Staff to Call in Sick 11
Encourage Flight Crew Awareness 7
Advise passengers that flight crews are encouraged to watch for individuals with clear symptoms that may concern other passengers. Consider a protocol for denying boarding. In geographies worldwide, the captain of the aircraft has the ability to deny boarding for the safety and security of the aircraft.
Have Clear Aircraft Decontamination Procedures in Place 8
Review and update aircraft decontamination plans as needed and consider sharing them to further assure the public. Demonstrate full readiness for customers and crew. In Asia, airlines have had to quite rapidly launch programs of this nature. In other areas of the world, airlines should consider how to conduct aircraft decontamination at base and outlying stations.
Take any steps needed to enable truthful self-reporting by airline and supplier employees. Consider steps to mitigate the economic impact on employees that miss work while ill. By taking proactive steps to encourage honest reporting by employees, airlines and suppliers reduce risks for their team members and customers.
APEX encourages your feedback to further modify this list. If you have suggestions to add to our next update, please contact APEX CEO Joe Leader directly at leader@apex.aero. Our ability to work together during this difficult time advances our industry’s preparedness. Thank you for all you are doing to fully support air travel during this crisis.
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IFSA Resources for Guidance Around COVID-19 IFSA’s Board of Directors, committee members and partners remain committed to sharing reliable and relevant information as we deal with the pandemic crisis and adjust to a new normal.
IFSA ISSUES COVID-19 PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS GUIDANCE IFSA’s Government Affairs & Education Committee developed a guidance document based on fact sheets and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), World Health Organization (WHO), and Food & Drug Administration (FDA). It includes directions for essential business and critical infrastructure workers as well as information to support infectious disease prevention. IFSA invites its members and APEX members to share international resources for inclusion in the next version of IFSA’s World Food Safety Guidelines. EU STATE AID DETAILS FOR IFSA MEMBERS IFSA hosted a webinar alongside government affairs legal counsel Covington & Burling. Presenters discussed government funding opportunities available in the European Union (EU) during this global crisis. EU state aid can be used in exceptional circumstances, like COVID-19, to support company activities. Aid includes direct grants, selective tax advantages, state guarantees for bank loans and capital injection. Aid can also take the form of schemes for all eligible undertakings or can be tailored to companies deemed of systemic importance. The schemes must be approved by the State Aid Directorate within the European Commission’s DG COMP, Directorate General of Competition. IFSA’s government affairs legal counsel at Covington & Burling were involved in major EU state aid cases and remain available to assist IFSA members. OUTREACH TO CONGRESS SUPPORTS RELIEF TO AIRLINE SUPPLIERS IFSA representatives continue to advocate for consideration of financial relief for the airline industry on behalf of the 100,000+ employees representing caterers, food suppliers, connectivity companies, content distributors and more. The US CARES Act allocated $3 billion to airline contractors and caterers.
IFSA continues to monitor ongoing impacts to assure our members’ interests are represented in government discussions about support for the airline industry. Members may access the resources mentioned, along with others, online here. For additional support, please e-mail info@ifsa.com.
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For more information contact: Lynda@skyfilms.com
IFE
What to look for in the months ahead
Coming Attractions W
Arkansas
Director: Clark Duke Cast: Vince Vaughn, John Malkovich, Liam Hemsworth, Vivica A. Fox Kyle and Swin live by the orders of an Arkansas-based drug kingpin named Frog, whom they’ve never met. But when a deal goes horribly wrong, the consequences are deadly. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS
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Artemis Fowl
Director: Kenneth Branagh Cast: Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh Gad, and Judi Dench Descended from a long line of criminal masterminds, 12-year-old genius Artemis Fowl finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE
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Babyteeth
Director: Tom Dolby Cast: Bruce Dern, Lena Olin, Juliet Rylance
Director: Shannon Murphy Cast: Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis, Toby Wallace
Claire, whose husband Richard is a famed artist, notices changes in his behavior as his final exhibition approaches. When he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, their relationship is thoroughly tested. Richard’s struggle to stay connected to who he once was is frightening, heartbreaking and inspiring.
A seriously ill teenager’s first brush with love – a boyfriend her parents hardly approve of – reinvigorates her. What might have ended up a disaster for the family leads to an exploration of life, love and grace.
DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: ELSLYN LUA, EDWIN CHEUNG
* EXCLUDING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
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The Artist’s Wife
N: NORTH AMERICA
DISTRIBUTOR: PENNY BLACK MEDIA CONTACT: CATHIE TROTTA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION; © 2020 DISNEY ENTERPRISES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © MMXVIII BY RETRO-PERSPECTIVE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © LISA TOMASETTI
* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
PHOTOS: © 2020 HOME BOX OFFICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO ® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE; © 2020 MARVEL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2020 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; COURTESY OF SKEYE; COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS
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Betty
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Director: Crystal Moselle Cast: Rachelle Vinberg, Nina Moran, Dede Lovelace, Ajani Russell Set against the backdrop of New York City, the series follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding. Inspired by the critically acclaimed film Skate Kitchen. DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS
Black Widow
Director: Cate Shortland Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, William Hurt Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
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Blithe Spirit
Director: Edward Hall Cast: Judi Dench, Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, James Fleet, Isla Fisher A spiritualist holds a séance for an author suffering from writer’s block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, leading to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE
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La bonne épouse
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Brampton’s Own
Director: Martin Provost Cast: Juliette Binoche, Edouard Baer, Yolande Moreau, Noémie Lvovsky
Director: Michael Doneger Cast: Alex Russell, Rose McIver, Jean Smart
A local school’s mission is to train its students to become ideal housewives. But in May 1968, the headmaster Paulette Van der Beck sees all her certainties about upholding traditional marital duties waver. Can a good wife also be a free woman?
After 12 years of pursuing minor league baseball in hopes of making it big, Dustin decides to call it quits. He returns home to find his friends have started families, exgirlfriend is engaged, and mom is moving in with her boyfriend. Unprepared for life after baseball, Dustin’s trip forces him to confront the next stage of his life.
DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, BENELUX, USA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND
DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova W
Director: Zack Bernbaum Cast: Katherine Fogler, Douglas Nyback, Doroftei Anis, Silva Helena Schmidt Estranged siblings Sarah and Aaron arrive at an empty train station in Dombrova, Poland, on a quest to fulfil their dying grandmother’s wish: to bring home the bones of their childhood dog, Peter. While navigating many obstacles and colorful characters on their journey, Sarah and Aaron come to terms with their own demons and issues with each other. DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES
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Downhill
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Dream Horse
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Elsewhere
Directors: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Will Ferrell, Zach Woods, Zoe Chao, Miranda Otto
Director: Euros Lyn Cast: Toni Collette, Joanna Page, Damian Lewis
Director: Hernan Jimenez Cast: Aden Young, Parker Posey, Ken Jeong, Beau Bridges, Jacki Weaver
Barely escaping an avalanche during a ski vacation in the Alps throws a seemingly picture-perfect family into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate life, and how they truly feel about each other.
The true story of one woman’s extraordinary ambition to breed and raise a champion racehorse in her home village. A classic story of triumph against adversity, and a tale of how a woman strives to make her dream a reality in a place where hope is thin.
Still mourning the death of his wife, Bruno is hopelessly attached to the seaside cottage they built together. When he’s evicted by his soulless in-laws, Bruno vows to get it back at any price by posing as a handyman for the cottage’s intriguing new tenant. But this risky plan turns his life – and his intentions – upside-down.
DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL AND 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE
DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI * EXCLUDING US
DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI
L’esprit de famille (The Father Figure)
The Garden of Evening Mists
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Director: Éric Besnard Cast: Guillaume de Tonquédec, François Berléand, Josiane Balasko
Director: Tom Lin Shu-yu Cast: Lee Sin-je, Hiroshi Abe, Sylvia Chang, John Hannah
Director: Jason Reitman Cast: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Paul Rudd
Alexandre, a famous writer, can’t get over the death of his father, Jacques, who reappears as a ghost. Now Alexandre has to learn to cope with the imposing presence of his father’s spirit.
Embittered by war, Teoh Yun Ling seeks solace in Malyasia’s highlands where she discovers a Japanese garden and meets its owner, Nakamura Aritomo. Determined to build a garden as a tribute to her sister who perished in a labor camp, she seeks Aritomo’s help. Tender feelings develop between the two.
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
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DISTRIBUTOR: O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: JACQUELINE BRIENS
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DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES
* EXCLUDING FRANCE, BELGIUM AND SWITZERLAND DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE
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PHOTOS: © 2020 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © KERRY BROWN; COURTESY OF FILM MODE ENTERTAINMENT; COURTESY OF O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; © 2020 COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; © 2020 HOME BOX OFFICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO ® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE; © 2020 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; COURTESY OF SKEYE; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT
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I Am Woman
Director: Unjoo Moon Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Evan Peters, Danielle Macdonald, Matty Cardarople This uplifting biopic tells the story of Helen Reddy, the fiercely ambitious Australian singer behind the 1971 megahit anthem that became the rallying cry of the women’s liberation movement. DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON * EXCLUDING AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, NORFOLK ISLAND, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, VANUATU, SOLOMON ISLANDS, ASHMORE & CARTIER ISLANDS, CHRISTMAS ISLANDS, FIJI, TONGA, COOK ISLANDS, SAMOA, KIRIBATI, TUVALU, NAURU, NEW CALEDONIA, TOKELAU ISLANDS AND EAST TIMOR
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Into the Ashes
Director: Aaron Harvey Cast: Luke Grimes, Robert Taylor, James Badge Dale, Frank Grillo Nick believes he has safely escaped his violent, criminal history, but his old crew hasn’t forgotten about the money he stole, and they take Nick’s wife. Confronted by the town sheriff, his father-in-law, Nick must decide if he will stay on his new path or get revenge and force his enemies to pay for what they have done. DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI
I Know This Much Is True W
Directors: Various Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Rosie O’Donnell, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Juliette Lewis, Kathryn Hahn, John Proccacino A family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in a story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th-Century America. Based on Wally Lamb’s New York Times bestseller and award-winning book, I Know This Much Is True.
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In the Heights
Director: Jon M. Chu Cast: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega A feature version of the Broadway musical, in which a bodega owner has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune. DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD
DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS
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Joyeuse retraite!
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Kaiji: Final Game
Director: Fabrice Bracq Cast: Thierry Lhermitte, Michèle Laroque, Arielle Sémenoff, Nicole Ferroni, Omar Mebrouk
Director: Tôya Satô Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Sôta Fukushi, Nagisa Sekimizu, Mackenyu Arata, Kôtarô Yoshida
Philippe and Marilou are realizing their dream to retire in sunny Portugal. They kiss their work, family and problems goodbye and think they’re about to finally find peace and freedom, but their family has other plans for them.
Consummate gambler Kaiji is induced by his former boss to take part in the “Tower of Babel,” a game of luck invented for cash-flush tycoons to give the weak and destitute a chance to get rich overnight. It appears the wheels of fortune have started to turn again for born gambler Kaiji.
DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, US AND TAIWAN
DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE * EXCLUDING JAPAN
* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
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The Last Vermeer
Director: Dan Friedkin Cast: Guy Pearce, Claes Bang, Vicky Krieps Joseph Piller, a Dutch Jew, becomes an investigator assigned to identifying and redistributing stolen art. The flamboyant art dealer Han van Meegeren is accused – a crime punishable by death. But, despite mounting evidence against him, Piller is convinced of Han’s innocence. DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES * AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BENELUX, CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, CYPRUS, EASTERN EUROPE, FAR EAST, FRANCE, GERMANY, GIBRALTAR, GREECE, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, LATIN AMERICA, LIECHTENSTEIN, MALTA, MIDDLE EAST, MONACO, NEW ZEALAND, PORTUGAL, SCANDINAVIA, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, TURKEY, UNITED KINGDOM, US, EXCLUDING AFGHANISTAN, EGYPT, NORTH KOREA
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The Lovebirds
Director: Michael Showalter Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Paul Sparks, Anna Camp On the brink of breaking up, a couple gets unintentionally embroiled in a bizarre murder mystery. As they get closer to clearing their names and solving the case, they need to figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI
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Le lion
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Love Sarah
Director: Ludovic Colbeau-Justin Cast: Dany Boon, Philippe Katerine, Anne Serra, Samuel Jouy, Sophie Verbeek, Carole Brana
Director: Eliza Schroeder Cast: Celia Imrie, Shannon Tarbet, Shelley Conn, Rupert Penry-Jones, Bill Paterson
Romain is fascinated by a new psych patient, Leo Milan, who claims to be an international spy. When Romain’s fiancée is kidnapped, he realizes that Leo, who had predicted the act, has the skills to rescue her. Desperate, Romain breaks Leo out to rescue Louise and protect France’s central bank from the heist of the century.
Determined to fulfill her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in London’s charming Notting Hill, 19-year-old Clarissa enlists the help of her mother’s best friend and her eccentric grandmother. The women overcome grief, doubts and differences to honor the memory of their beloved Sarah, while establishing a shop filled with love, hope and delicious pastries.
DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, DOM TOM AND US
DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON * EXCLUDING ISRAEL
The Memory Eraser W
Director: Yûichirô Hirakawa Cast: Ryôsuke Yamada, Kyôko Yoshine, Misako Renbutsu, Kuranosuke Sasaki Ryoichi’s happy life is shattered when his girlfriend Kyoko stops taking his calls after he proposes marriage to her. When he sees her several days later, she has no recollection of who he is. Ryoichi is incredulous, but after hearing about the urban legend of a “memory eraser,” decides to seek help from Takahara, a famous attorney.
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Misbehaviour
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe Cast: Keira Knightley, Gugu MbathaRaw, Greg Kinnear, Jessie Buckley A group of women hatch a plan to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS
DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: ELSLYN LUA, EDWIN CHEUNG * EXCLUDING JAPAN
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PHOTOS: JACK ENGLISH. COURTESY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS; JEAN-MARIE LEROY; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; © 2020 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; © 2020 THE MEMORY ERASER FILM PARTNERS; COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SKEYE; © CONSTANTIN FILM PRODUKTION SERVICES; © 2019 CTMG. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © LITTLEBIG PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES; © 2020 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © 2020 MARVEL
IFE
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Les misérables
Director: Ladj Ly Cast: Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djebril Zonga Stéphane has just arrived from Cherbourg and joins the anti-crime brigade of Montfermeil in District 93. He meets his experienced teammates, Chris and Gwada, and quickly discovers the tensions between the different groups in the neighborhood. DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, DOM TOM, MONACO, ANDORRA, USA, TAIWAN, BAHAMAS, CARIBBEAN
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Monster Hunter
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Cast: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta, Josh Helman, Jin Au-Yeung, and Ron Perlman When Lt. Artemis and her elite unit are transported through a portal to a new world, they are faced with powerful and dangerous monsters. In a desperate attempt to get home, she teams up with a mysterious monster hunter, whose skills have allowed him to survive in this hostile land.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Director: Kim Tae-yun Cast: Lee Sung-min, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Jeong-nam, Kim Seo-Hyung
Director: Eliza Hittman Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten
National Security agent Tae-ju dislikes animals. He sustains a head injury while trying to save a Chinese panda from being kidnapped by an international terrorist organization. When he finally regains consciousness, he discovers that he possesses the ability to talk to animals. DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: ELSLYN LUA, EDWIN CHEUNG
Morbius
Director: Daniel Espinosa Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal with Tyrese Gibson Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease. DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES
DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES
Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP W
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An intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn and her cousin Skylar embark across state lines to New York City on a journey filled with friendship, bravery and compassion. DISTRIBUTOR: NBCUNIVERSAL CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES
N: NORTH AMERICA
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The New Mutants
Director: Josh Boone Cast: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt, Henry Zaga Five young adults who demonstrate special powers are forced to undergo treatment at a secret institution – allegedly to cure them of their dangerous powers. But it’s soon clear that their containment is part of a much bigger battle between the forces of good and evil. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL AND 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
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Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway W
Director: Will Gluck Cast: Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki, with Margot Robbie, James Corden W
Perry Mason
Creators: Various Cast: Matthew Rhys, John Lithgow, Tatiana Maslany, Chris Chalk, Juliet Rylance, Shea Whigham
Los Angeles, 1932. The origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason. Living as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France. LA is booming but a kidnapping gone wrong leads to Mason exposing a fractured city as he uncovers the truth of the crime. DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS
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Le prince oublié
Director: Michel Hazanavicius Cast: Omar Sy, François Damiens, Bérénice Bejo Djibi’s life revolves around his seven-yearold daughter, Sofia. They take part in nightly fairytale adventures, starring Djibi as the hero. Five years later, Sofia starts to grow out of these stories and begins making up her own, where her father no longer plays the lead. Djibi struggles to remain the hero of his daughter’s life and stories. DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE AND US
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A Quiet Place Part II W
Director: John Krasinski Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou Following deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI
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Bea, Thomas and the rabbits have created a makeshift family, but despite his best efforts, Peter can’t seem to shake his mischievous reputation. Venturing out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where his mischief is appreciated, but when his family risks everything to come looking for him, Peter must figure out what kind of bunny he wants to be.
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Resistance
Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Ed Harris, Edgar Ramírez, Clémence Poésy, Bella Ramsey Based on a true story. The revolutionary tale of Marcel Mangel, an aspiring Jewish actor, before he became the world-famous mime Marcel Marceau. In a selfless act, he joined the French Resistance to save the lives of thousands of children orphaned at the hands of the Nazis. DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON * EXCLUDING US, CANADA, ENGLISH-SPEAKING CARIBBEAN, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
PHOTOS: © 2020 HOME BOX OFFICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO ® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE; © 2019 CTMG. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; ©PRÉLUDE/ PATHÉ; © 2020 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES
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PHOTOS: © 2019 CHICAGO BOXING FILM; © 2020 HOME BOX OFFICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO ® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE; © 2020 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION
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Ringside
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Director: Andre Hörmann Cast: Kenneth Sims Jr., Destyne Butler Jr. Kenneth Sims Sr. The dangerous, volatile world of Chicago’s South Side from the perspective of two remarkably gifted young boxers and the fathers who train them. As one begins a rising career in the ring, the other serves an eight-year prison sentence for criminal trespass and burglary. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI
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Run
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Scoob!
Directors: Various Cast: Merritt Wever, Domhnall Gleeson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Rich Sommer, Tamara Podemski, Archie Panjabi
Director: Tony Cervone Cast: Will Forte, Frank Welker, Gina Rodriguez, Tracy Morgan, Mark Wahlberg, Zac Efron
A new romantic comedy series that follows a woman whose humdrum life is thrown upside-down when she receives a text from her college sweetheart inviting her to drop everything and meet him in New York to fulfill the pact they made 17 years previously.
With hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop the pending “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers Scooby has a secret legacy and destiny greater than anyone imagined.
DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS
DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD
A Score to Settle
Director: Shawn Ku Cast: Nicolas Cage, Benjamin Bratt, Noah Le Gros, Karolina Wydra, Mohamed Karim Diagnosed with a fatal condition, Frankie is released from prison after serving 19 years for a crime he did not commit. Frankie tries to make up for lost years with his son while plotting a bloody revenge on the people whom he considered friends – tracking down his old gang to make them pay, one by one.
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Sea Fever
Director: Neasa Hardiman Cast: Connie Nielsen, Dougray Scott
The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES
N: NORTH AMERICA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
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IFE
Secret Zoo
Director: Son Jae-gon Cast: Ahn Jae-hong, Kang So-ra, Park Young-kyu, Kim Sung-oh, Jeon Yeo-been
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The Secret Garden
Director: Marc Munden Cast: Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Dixie Egerickx, Edan Hayhurst, Amir Wilson
When 10-year-old orphan Mary is sent to live with her reclusive uncle and his strict housekeeper in a country manor, her curiosity leads her to discover an enchanted garden, which ultimately unlocks secrets from the past and reveals a new life of hope and friendship. DISTRIBUTOR: PENNY BLACK MEDIA CONTACT: CATHIE TROTTA
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Semper Fi
Director: Henry Alex Rubin Cast: Jai Courtney, Nat Wolff, Finn Wittrock, Beau Knapp, Arturo Castro, Leighton Meester When Oyster accidentally kills a man in a fight and tries to flee, Cal, Oyster’s half-brother and a Marine Corps and police officer, forces him to face the music. Oyster faces an unfair sentence, when Cal is deployed to fight in Iraq. Overseas, Cal’s world is shaken. When he returns home, he resolves to break Oyster out of prison at any cost. DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI
A young lawyer gets the chance of a lifetime to revitalize a failing zoo, except it’s devoid of animals. When his idea of dressing up humans as various species to put on shows becomes hugely popular, he learns that his employer has other plans for the success he’s created. DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE * EXCLUDING KOREA
Sheep Without a Shepherd
Six Minutes to Midnight
Director: Sam Quah Cast: Xiao Yang, Tan Zhuo, Joan Chen
Director: Andy Goddard Cast: Judi Dench, James D’Arcy, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Izzard
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Lee and his wife Jade are small-business owners living a happy life with their two daughters in Thailand. In an act of selfdefence, Lee’s eldest daughter kills the head of the regional police. To protect his family, Lee buries the body. But now the mother of the officer is desperatly looking for her missing son.
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Summer, 1939. Influential families in Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to an etiquette school in an English seaside town to become ambassadors for the future. A teacher sees the calamity that is coming and tries to raise the alarm. But no one is listening.
DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE
DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON
* EXCLUDING CHINA
* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
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N: NORTH AMERICA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
PHOTOS: © 2020 STUDIO CANAL S.A.S. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES
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IFE
PHOTOS:© 2019 DEMOCRACY PROJECT FILM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2020 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION; © 2020 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2020 PARAMOUNT PICTURES
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Slay the Dragon
Directors: Chris Durrance, Barak Goodman Cast: Ari Berman, David Daley, Margaret Dickson A secretive, high-tech gerrymandering initiative launched 10 years ago threatens to undermine our democracy. Slay the Dragon follows everyday people as they fight to make their votes matter. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI * EXCLUDING US, CANADA
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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run W
Director: Tim Hill Cast: Tom Kenny, Awkwafina, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass After Spongebob’s beloved pet snail Gary is snail-napped, he and Patrick embark on an epic adventure to The Lost City of Atlantic City to bring Gary home.
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Summerland
Director: Jessica Swale Cast: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton A woman during World War II opens her heart to an evacuee after initially resolving to be rid of him. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS
DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Clémence Poésy An action epic evolving from the world of international espionage. DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD
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Top Gun: Maverick
Director: Joseph Kosinski Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm
After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs – pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES
N: NORTH AMERICA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
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Trolls World Tour
Director: Walt Dohrn Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige
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The Trip to Greece
Director: Michael Winterbottom Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon When Odysseus left Troy, it took him 10 years to return to Ithaca – Steve and Rob only have six days to follow the same journey. During their odyssey –
True History of the Kelly Gang W
Director: Justin Kurzel Cast: George MacKay, Charlie Hunnam, Nicholas Hoult, Russell Crowe Based on the eponymous Peter Carey novel. The story of Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS * EXCLUDING AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, UK AND IRELAND
while dining on fabulous Greek food – they argue about tragedy and comedy, astronomy and biology, democracy and the meaning of life – with a few new Michael Caine impressions along the way. DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON
DISTRIBUTOR: NBCUNIVERSAL CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR
* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA
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The Undoing
Director: Susanne Bier Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramírez, Lily Rabe Grace Sachs is living the life she always wanted when, overnight, a chasm occurs: a violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, a chain of terrible revelations. Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself. DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS
Trolls Poppy and Branch discover that they’re one of six Troll tribes, each devoted to a different kind of music. But hard-rock Troll Queen Barb wants to destroy all other music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy, Branch and their friends set out to unify the Trolls in harmony.
Les vétos (The Vets) W
Director: Julie Manoukian Cast: Clovis Cornillac, Noémie Schmidt, Carole Franck Nico, the last veterinarian in a countryside village, fights to save his patients, clinic and family. When his associate announces his retirement, succession comes in the form of Alexandra, a young graduate and misanthrope who is unhappy about being stuck in her childhood village. Will Nico convince her to stay? DISTRIBUTOR: O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: JACQUELINE BRIENS * EXCLUDING FRANCE
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N: NORTH AMERICA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; DREAMWORKS ANIMATION; COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION; © 2020 HOME BOX OFFICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO ® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE; COURTESY OF O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL
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PHOTOS: © FANTASTIC FILMS / FRAKAS PRODUCTIONS / PINGPONG FILM 2019; © 2019 ATRESMEDIA CINE S.L., ÁLAMO; © 2020 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2019 HE LI CHEN GUANG INTERNATIONAL. GREEN RAY FILMS. MEMENTO FILMS PRODUCTION. ARTÉ FRANCE CINÉMA; © 2020 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Vivarium
The Wedding Unplanner W
Director: Lorcan Finnegan Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots A young woman and her boyfriend are in desperate search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a constantly changing and yet frustratingly identical suburban neighborhood. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI * EXCLUDING US
Director: Dani de la Orden Cast: Belén Cuesta, Álex García, Silvia Alonso, Adrián Lastra Marina is a wedding planner in her thirties. She’s not the typical romantic: Unlike her customers, she enjoys a life without ties or commitments – until she falls in love with Carlos. Not only is he about to get married, his fiancée is Marina’s childhood friend and they have hired her as their wedding planner.
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Wendy
Director: Benh Zeitlin Cast: Devin France, Yashua Mack, Gage Naquin, Gavin Naquin, Ahmad Cage On a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, two children from different worlds fight to maintain their grip on freedom and joy as the catastrophe of growing up descends upon them. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL AND 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE
DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: ELSLYN LUA, EDWIN CHEUNG * EXCLUDING AMERICAS AND SPAIN
The Wild Goose Lake W
Director: Diao Yinan Cast: Hu Ge, Gwei Lun-Mei, Liao Fan, Wan Qian Small-time mob leader Zhou Zenong is on the run with a bounty on his head. While hiding out along the shores of The Wild Goose Lake, Zhou becomes entangled with a beautiful, enigmatic woman. Both are in for a deadly gamble of what could be their freedom or their last day alive. DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: ELSLYN LUA, EDWIN CHEUNG
Wonder Woman 1984 W
Director: Patty Jenkins Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen
Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman faces all-new foes. DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD
* EXCLUDING US, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, MAINLAND CHINA, TAIWAN, HONG KONG AND MACAU
DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES
N: NORTH AMERICA
I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
W: WORLDWIDE
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PL ANESPOTTING DIGITAL
#APEXPOTD
Want to land your photos in print or in the APEX Daily Experience newsletter? Share your aviation snapshots on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #APEXPOTD for a chance to be featured.
JIMMY WU @jimwuyvryyzlaxspotter LOCATION:
CAMERA:
YVR
Nikon D3400
FAVORITE PLANESPOTTING LOCATION:
Aircraft maintenance
LAX
OCCUPATION:
How did you get into aviation photography? I’ve had a passion for aviation since I was a kid. Seeing a lot of pictures on IG made me buy a camera so I could start taking pictures. How are you keeping up with your hobby when so many flights have been grounded? I still go out to planespot sometimes, but only for like 2–3 hours at a time.
Alaska Airlines’ More to Love livery pushing for departure.
All the actions in one pic.
Speedbird sunset arrival at YVR.
What’s your favorite story about something that has happened while planespotting? While at LAX last year, I got the chance to ride around in a helicopter. I got to see the airport in action from a different perspective. What’s the one thing you miss the most about air travel these days? The amount of air traffic at airports.
Big Triple, seconds away from finishing the turn.
Instagram @theapexassoc
An Asiana A350 passing a row of colourful tails at LAX, as seen from Jim Clutter Park.
Twitter @theapexassoc
Get your daily dose of planespotter pictures and top PaxEx headlines: APEX.AERO/NEWSLETTER
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THROWBACK
While the ongoing coronavirus crisis has prognosticators worried about the future of air travel, one does not need to venture too far back into aviation history to find a period full of similar angst. BY JUSTIN MULFATI
The Y2K problem, unlike many issues in society in need of mitigation, had a firm deadline: January 1, 2000. It was at this point, when the date rolled over into the new year, that old computer programs could presumably fail, causing untold chaos the world over unless action was taken. The problem was simple: Computers that used two digits to represent the year would incorrectly register the new millennium as 1900. This date protocol was a holdover from the era of punch cards and was used in early computer systems to conserve memory, which came at a premium. Preparedness initiatives began in earnest by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1997. The agency spent over $160 million to 74
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comb through 222 computer programs and some 21 million lines of code, and began patching the mission critical systems first. Meanwhile, some airlines decided to reduce flight schedules for as long as 24 hours during the New Year’s rollover. Sharon Pomerantz, former director of Industry and Public Affairs at Virgin Atlantic, says that a cost analysis at the time revealed that it would be beneficial for the small carrier to ground part of its fleet. She recalls fielding concerns about air traffic control going dark and e-tickets no longer being valid. Her colleague, James Pinto, the airline’s general manager of Airport Customer Services Global, heard rumors that plane systems like autopilot would crash. United Airlines spent $85 million on Y2K preparedness and “left no stone unturned” when it came to testing, says Kurt Ebenhoch, a former United spokesperson. Everything from flight dispatch systems to reservation systems and beyond needed to be certified Y2K-approved. Ebenhoch spent the night of December 31, 1999, at United’s operations center in Elk Grove Township, Illinois, nine miles from Chicago O’Hare, along with others
who were monitoring the situation. He describes the environment as similar to the Houston control room from Apollo 13, but with a lot less smoking. When the first flight to cross the midnight threshold came and went without a hitch, the mood in the control center lightened. Peter de Jager, one of the foremost experts on Y2K and host of the Y2K: An Autobiography podcast, was also in Chicago that fateful night, but flew to Heathrow to demonstrate that there was nothing to fear. When midnight struck and the captain confirmed that all systems were operational, de Jager and the few others on board feted the occasion. De Jager is quick to point out that Y2K turned out to be a non-event thanks to the years of hard work of countless people who rigorously inspected and patched computer systems. Ebenhoch agrees and is confident that the airline industry will find its way through the coronavirus crisis much like it did in the days leading up to Y2K. “None of us can ever imagine a future where we don’t go anywhere,” he says. “We will travel again and we’re going to travel better.”
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Crisis Averted
LUCY WILLIAMSON PARIS, FRANCE
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