APEX Experience 6.4 October/November by Spafax

airline passenger

volume 6, edition 4 | october - november 2016

Big in SingaporeÂ APEX EXPO draws one of its largest crowds as it lands in Asia this year

official publication of the airline passenger experience association

SPINE COLOUR - NO IMAGE OR TEXT PAST THIS POINT

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Ad Directory

apex experience

Advertisers’ Directory A Look At Media www.alookat.com > See page 102 Airborne Interactive Ltd. www.airborne.aero > See page 55 Airbus www.airbus.com > See page 4 Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems www.astronics.com > See pages 68 and 176 Astronics Armstrong Aerospace www.astronics.com > See page 120 Avid Airline Products www.avidprducts.com > See page 78 Axinom www.axinom.aero > See page 90 BBC Global News Ltd. www.bbc.com > See page 136 Betria Interactive LLC www.flightpath3d.com > See page 108 Bluebox Avionics www.blueboxavionics.com > See page 45 Carlisle Interconnect Technologies www.carlisleit.com > See page 87 CMI Media Management www.cminyla.com > See page 84 Dawson Media Direct www.dawsonmd.com > See bellyband Deutsche Welle www.dw.de > See page 55 Deutsche Telekom www.telekom.com > See page 23 digEcor www.digecor.com > See page 75 Donica www.donica.cn > See page 131

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Emphasis Video Entertainment Ltd. www.emphasis-video.net > See page 146

Jaguar Distribution Corporation www.jaguardc.com > See insert after page 34

Encore Inflight Ltd. www.encoreinflight.com > See page 16

KID-Systeme GmbH www.kid-systeme.com > See page 41

Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation www.sonypicturesinflight.com > See page 162

Entertainment In Motion www.skyfilms.com > See page 170

Linstol www.linstol.com > See page 81

Soundchip www.soundchip.ch > See page 8

Eros Inflight Media Ltd. www.erosnow.com > See page 133

Long Prosper Enterprise www.longprosper.com > See page 36

Spafax www.spafax.com > See page 70

FTS Technologies www.fts-aero.com > See page 95

LSG Sky Chefs www.lsgskychefs.com > See page 61

General Dynamics www.gd-ots.com > See page 66

Lufthansa Systems www.lhsystems.com > See page 51

Stellar Entertainment www.stellargroup.com > See select pages from 157 to 174 and 179

Geven www.geven.com > See page 39

NBCUniversal Media LLC www.nbcuni.com > See page 160

Global Eagle Entertainment www.globaleagleent.com > See pages 6 and 84

Panasonic Avionics Corporation www.panasonic.aero > See outside back cover

Global One Media www.globalonemedia.co.uk > See page 2 Gogo LLC www.gogoair.com > See page 15 HBO www.hboinflight.com > See page 175 IMG Worldwide www.img.com > See pages 12 and 57 Images In Motion www.iim.com.sg > See page 72 Inflight Peripherals Ltd. www.ifpl.com > See page 58 and insert after page 114

Paramount Pictures www.paramount.com > See insert after page 82 Pascall Electronics www.pascall.co.uk > See page 110 Penny Black Media www.pennyblackmedia.com > See page 166 Phitek Systems Ltd. www.phitek.com > See page 100 PPI Power www.ppipower.com > See page 145 Rockwell Collins www.rockwellcollins.com > See page 33

InflightDirect www.inflightdirect.com > See page 97

SITAONAIR www.sitaonair.com > See page 53

Inflight Dublin www.inflightdublin.com > See page 19

Skycast Solutions www.skycastsolutions.com > See page 126

Inmarsat www.inmarsat.com > See page 21

Skyline IFE Ltd. www.skyline-ife.com > See page 47

SmartSky Networks LLC www.smartskynetworks.com > See front cover reverse gatefold

Telefonix Inc. www.telefonixinc.com > See page 107 Thales www.thalesgroup.com > See page 48 Turner Inflight Services www.turnerinflightservices.com > See page 153 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation www.foxinflight.com > See page 159 Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Non-Theatrical www.ebvnt.disney.com > See page 156 Warner Bros. www.warnerbros.com > See page 164 West Entertainment LLC www.westent.com > See page 11 W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH www.gore.com > See page 76 Zodiac Aerospace www.imsco-us.com > See page 42

Airline Passenger Experience Association

WITH

We now have two live channels. Offering more events, more choice.

Contents

apex experience

Big in Singapore

volume 6, edition 4 october – november 2016

The Asia-Pacific region is quickly becoming the new center of gravity for the air travel industry. In a race to capture the region’s customers, airlines worldwide are investing in personalizing, enhancing and unifying the end-to-end passenger experience. Stay atop these trends at APEX EXPO in Singapore and read about them here.

> FEATURES

> IN PROFILE

101

118

Singapore’s Crown Jewel

Find Your Interior

What Passengers Want

Jewel, an upcoming airport garden, shopping center, global travel hub and architectural landmark is set to make Singapore Changi Airport a must-stop layover.

Take a tour of Airbus’ A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre where airlines can shape the interior design of their aircraft to their brand, and see it come together under one roof.

Finding out what air travelers want is more complicated than just asking. We learn how Boeing experts delve deep into passenger psychology with archetype discovery.

Jasmin Legatos

Caroline Ku

Katie Sehl

64 Goh Choon Phong Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines

88 Michael Small

73 Points of Purchase From sandwiches to bicycles, the passenger journey is filled with opportunities to include travel-enhancing retail touchpoints.

Chief Executive Officer, Gogo

127 How Design Works

ILLUSTRATIONS: FABRIZIO MORRA; MATHIAS SIELFELD PHOTOS: BMW DESIGNWORKS; GETTY IMAGES

Designworks shows how product design and cabin interiors intersect at their headquarters in California. Howard Slutsken

98 Ryanne Van Der Eijk Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

116 Dante Dionne Senior Innovation Technology Manager, Korean Air

124 Maria Walter

137 The Chinese Millennial Traveler How will airlines cater to the digitally savvy, luxury-inclined travel preferences of one of the world’s fastest growing passenger segments?

Managing Director, Product and Brand Strategy, United Airlines

134 Juha Järvinen Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair

Maryann Simson Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Contents

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Visit us at apex.aero

Comfort & Ambience Entertainment & Connectivity Catering & Services

volume 6, edition 4 october – november 2016

> INDUSTRY

37 To Disturb,

or Not to Disturb

50 Flying Over the Great Firewall

New ideas in seat features, apps and amenities might answer an age-old question.

The dam may have just burst in China for in-flight connectivity suppliers.

Paul Sillers

Katie Sehl

45%

Passengers benefit from Wi-Fi sponsorship deals up high.

Jenn Wint

Howard Slutsken

51% 47% the Taking Scenic Route

EASY LISTENING

34%

COMEDY

ACTION

PUZZLES

STRATEGY

42% 42% Passengers get a high seeing Mt. Fuji from 35,000 feet.

Valerie 40% Silva 40%

CLASSICAL

32%

Brought to You By…

Stretch out! Airlines promote in-seat exercise to combat muscle fatigue and DVT.

What’s popular among passengers?

POP

52 In-flight Wi-Fi

DRAMA

CARDS

43 Data-driven Programming

In-flight entertainment analytics are helping airlines understand what passengers like to watch.

54 In-flight

Entertainment to Go

Wireless entertainment allows movies and music to board and deplane with passengers. Ari Magnusson

56 Japan’s Secret to Service

Care and consideration are key to Japan’s approach to service.

Marisa Garcia

Fergus Baird

44 Streaming

59 Digital Transactions

for Variety

Though rampant on the ground in Asia, streaming platforms haven’t taken off in the skies.

Mobile-savvy Chinese travelers are looking for ways to pay digitally, even in flight. Caroline Ku

Caroline Ku

46 You May Also Like… What should you watch next? Smart tech can help you decide.

Local Flavors

Airline attempts to appeal to local tastes lead to funky food fusions.

Marisa Garcia

Jason Kessler

49 Read the Fine Print

Print equals premium among first- and business-class flyers, and millennials, too.

Fresh ceviche, sashimi and tartare have Japan Airlines, in part, to thank for their ride.

Katie Sehl 14

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When Fish Fly

> APEX

> STANDBYS

17 CEO’s Letter

20 Editor’s Letter

18 Board News

22 Featured Contributors

24 EXPO

114 Tear-Out Poster:

32 APEX in Action

148–152 APEX News

154 IFSA News

Down by the Bay

109 Roundtable: A Brand Apart With so many carriers in the Asia-Pacific, how can an airline set its brand apart from the rest? Caroline Ku

> LISTINGS

143

Travelogue: Notes From the Cockpit

Advertisers’ Directory

157 Movie Listings 177 Room and Board

A pilot navigates the skies by putting pen to paper. Mark Vanhoenacker

178 Throwback: Time Travel Making the journey from London to Singapore isn’t what it used to be. Kristina Velan

Katie Sehl Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: ETIHAD AIRWAYS; GOGO; VANCE WALSTRA; LATINSTOCK; ©ROME2RIO ILLUSTRATIONS: FELIPE LIRA; FERNANDO SIERRALTA; MARCELO CÁCERES; JORGE DE LA PAZ; JORGE ROA; NELSON AEDO; GABRIEL EBENSPERGERS

38 Body Break

Connecting aviation Working with you to bring the world closer to the sky, and tomorrow closer to today.

With the Gogo® 2Ku global connectivity solution leading the way, we’re working with our partners to usher in a new era of connected flight. See what’s possible – from enhanced operational efficiency to a premium passenger experience.

CEO’s Letter

apex experience

Dear Fellow APEX Members, APEX EXPO at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore this year provides an incredible conclusion to 2016, with three EXPO shows in one. The colocation has provided us a platform to reach over 3,000 attendees, more than 200 exhibitors and over 100 airlines across more than 40 countries. Since last year’s EXPO, the association has hosted four industry-leading events, spanning Singapore to Newport Beach to Amsterdam to Hollywood. APEX TECH’s incredible attendance this summer inspired the association to double the number of TECH gatherings in 2017. As APEX EXPO returns to its home base in Southern California next year, we will recommit to our global presence with six APEX events spanning the globe. APEX also made a remarkable shift this year to better serve our members, with thousands of dollars of partner-event discounts made available for global conferences. APEX was

featured at over 17 conferences worldwide, including, most recently, CAPA Australia Pacific, FTE Global in Las Vegas, IFSA EXPO in Chicago and, shortly, Skift Forum in New York City. And at the end of October, I will moderate a panel on connectivity at the IATA World Passenger Symposium in Dubai. While we frequently gather at events around the globe, APEX stands for so much more. For example, APEX is the central industry organization providing technical expertise and insight as part the US Department of Transportation’s six-month negotiated rulemaking process related to accessibility of in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) for deaf and blind passengers. Led by APEX Board member Michael Childers and supported by the Technical Committee, APEX is coordinating the industry’s position with representatives from airlines, airframers, hardware and software

providers, A4A, IATA and the MPAA. We are actively engaged with the US Department of Transportation and the disability community, working toward a fair and reasonable solution to making IFEC more accessible. In another advancement, the Board of Directors pulled forward budgeting and strategic planning to align with best corporate practices, allowing APEX to cement plans for the year ahead. We look forward to greeting you personally at our Annual General Meeting at APEX EXPO in Singapore where we will seek your input, discuss plans and serve each of you as we advance passenger experience worldwide. Best regards,

> Joe Leader chief executive officer

To contact the APEX team, please visit > CONNECT.APEX.AERO/ CONTACTUS

Airline Passenger Experience Association

volume 6, edition 4

Board News

apex experience

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Meet the Board

> Brian Richardson president American Airlines

> Éric Lauzon 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 and hosts Ask the Board panels at events to receive feedback. APEX is an association for the members, which is why it’s equally important to hear from you, year-round.

annual general meeting > Dominic Green secretary Inflight Dublin

> Joan Filippini treasurer Paramount Pictures

Join your board members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) during APEX EXPO, October 24–27, in Singapore. The AGM for the membership will be held Monday, October 24 at 4:10 p.m. This is your opportunity to hear updates from board members and the committees they chair, as well as ask questions and give feedback on the association.

board of directors > Linda Celestino immediate past president

> Joanna Boundy Qantas Airways

Etihad Airways

Thank you to everyone who made a nomination for the APEX Board of Directors. Voting took place from August 17 to September 17, and the new board members will assume their roles at the AGM in Singapore.

thanks to the committees

> Kevin Bremer Boeing

> Maura Chacko Spafax

The board would like to thank each committee member for their hard work during the last year. As always, we welcome your participation and invite you to apply for one of our various committees at connect.apex.aero/committees.

marketing opportunities

Lufthansa Systems

> Juha Järvinen Finnair

PHOTOS: MEHRAN TORGOLEY

> Michael Childers

APEX events draw company decision-makers from every sector of the passenger experience industry and they are an excellent way to get the right eyes on your brand. Contact Desiray Young, dyoung@apex.aero, for information on available marketing opportunities throughout the year.

> Ingo Wuggetzer Airbus

volume 6, edition 4

Airline Passenger Experience Association

IFE and beyond

Enhancing passenger experience and delivering new revenue streams through captivating media, advanced technology and creative design.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT | WIRELESS IFE | PORTABLE IFE | CREATIVE DESIGN

To discover more, visit www.inflightdublin.com or email mail@inflightdublin.com

Editor’s Letter

apex experience

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Place Lag As EXPO hops across the Pacific pond to Singapore this year, the push and pull between local and global has never been more pertinent.

the quirky mash-ups on in-flight menus that result from this. Of course, locality matters, too, and it’s given rise to personalization in all aspects of the industry, including fitting out aircraft. In “Find Your Interior,” Caroline Ku tours Airbus’ state-of-the-art A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre. And with the rise of the Chinese traveler, as Maryann Simson explores in “Capturing the Chinese Millennial Traveler,” we’ll see more brands catering to the needs of this demographic. On my recent trip to Everett, Boeing reminded me that despite passengers’ vast array of differences, some things may always be universal. In “What Passengers Want,” I learn about the airframer’s use of archetype discovery, and do my best to glean the unarticulated needs of air travelers. As we all make the trip to Singapore for this year’s EXPO, I hope there’s a story in this issue that you carry with you, and I look forward to seeing you all there. Until then, happy reading!

> Katie Sehl editor

ILLUSTRATION: ÓSCAR CHÁVEZ

DEAR READERS, thanks in part to aviation, we live in an incredibly shrinking world. The ability to race time, to fly through the stratosphere faster than the Earth rotates below, folds time into curious wrinkles that our circadian rhythms, Fitbits and desk calendars can barely keep up with. As boundaries between time zones, countries, breakfast and dinner blur, jet lag gives way to “place lag,” an ultramodern affliction coined by pilot and author of this issue’s Travelogue, Mark Vanhoenacker, to describe the warp that results from being transported all too quickly to a different place and time. In “Time Travel,” Kristina Velan’s look at isochronic maps, color-coded by region to show the time it takes to travel from a given origin, reveals that we are getting to places faster than ever before (save for a brush with supersonic flight). Planes move more than just people. In “When Fish Fly,” I look at the role Japan Airlines played in the globalization of sushi – a fish tale I never thought would have a Canadian connection. But as food and cultures permeate traditional borders, the distinction between global and local gets trickier, especially for airlines. In “Local Flavors,” Jason Kessler looks at

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Featured

See Fabrizio’s work on page > 73

Read Valerie’s work on page > 40

Fabrizio Morra is an Italian graphic designer and illustrator who doesn’t fly anywhere without his sketchbook. If he could choose his seatmate on his next flight, he’d friend Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. For those headed to Asia, Fabrizio recommends sitting down with a bowl of ramen predeparture.

Valerie Silva is the digital copy editor of APEX Media, based in Montreal. An avid reader and cat lady in the making, she never travels without her wornout Birkenstocks. Her seat neighbor of choice? Steve Carell. “According to Mindy Kaling, he never complains; I think he’d be OK with me dozing off on his shoulder.”

volume 6, edition 4 october – november 2016

APEX Experience Magazine 575 Anton Blvd, Ste 1020 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 +1 714 363 4900 > Publisher Al St. Germain al.stgermain@spafax.com COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ÓSCAR CHAVEZ

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

> Editor Katie Sehl katie.sehl@spafax.com

> Production Director Joelle Irvine > Production Manager Felipe Batista Nunes

> Digital Editor Kristina velan kristina.velan@spafax.com

> Assistant Copy Editor Deanna Dority

> Copy Writer Caroline Ku

> Fact Checkers Tara Dupuis Leah Esau

> Digital Specialist Ari Magnusson

> Proofreaders Diane Carlson Katie Moore Robert Ronald

> Digital Copy Editor Valerie Silva

See Gabriel’s work on page > 143

Read Mark’s work on page > 143

volume 6, edition 4

Gabriel Ebensperger is a Chilean illustrator, graphic designer, photographer and author of the graphic novel Gay Gigante. If he could sit next to anyone on a plane, he’d talk shop with author Elizabeth Gilbert. His tip for Asiabound travelers? “Don’t forget to forget where you came from.”

> Research Assistant Ella Ponomarov

ADVERTISING

> Contributors Fergus Baird, Marisa Garcia, Jason Kessler, Jasmin Legatos, Paul Sillers, Maryann Simson, Howard Slutsken, Mark Vanhoenacker, Jenn Wint,

> Sales Director Steve O’connor steve.oconnor@spafax.com +44 207 906 2077 > Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw mary.shaw@spafax.com

ART

Mark Vanhoenacker is a senior first officer on the Boeing 747 fleet at British Airways and is the author of Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot. While in Asia, he recommends travelers take a cooking class: “It’s a great way to bring something of a far-off culture home with you, and to share it for years to come.”

> Art Director Nicolás Venturelli nicolas.venturelli@spafax.com

> Ad Production Coordinator Joanna Forbes joanna.forbes@spafax.com

> Graphic Designers Eva Dorsch, Angelica Geisse

SPAFAX CONTENT MARKETING

> Contributors Nelson Aedo, Juan Aravena, Marcelo Cáceres, Óscar Chavez, Manuel Córdova, Gabriel Ebensperger, Wonho Frank Lee, Felipe Lira, Fabrizio Morra, Patricio Otniel, Jorge de la Paz, Clara Prieto, Ricardo Polo, Jorge Roa, Mathias Sielfeld, Fernando Sierralta

> CEO, Spafax Content Marketing, Americas Raymond Girard > Senior Vice-President, Content Strategy Arjun Basu

content on the go

Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTO: MISAEL ROJAS

Contributors

with us, the sky has no limits

t meet us a

aPeXTH21404816 BOO

in-Flight ConneCtivity As one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading integrated telecommunications companies, Deutsche Telekom has over ten years of experience in delivering Wi-Fi services to millions of users. Our goal is to make the Internet above the clouds as simple as the Internet on the ground. We have developed a Wi-Fi platform optimized for in-flight use with all portable devices that supports specific airline needs, such as passenger vouchers or APIs to interconnect with airline systems in a flexible way. At present, it provides a superior user experience on more than 300 aircraft. Share our vision of innovation with your customers and increase your business revenues at the same time. Go Beyond Limits!

Visit us at apex.aero

APEX packs education, exhibits and networking opportunities across four eventful days in Singapore.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Monday, October 24, 2016

15:00 – 18:30 APEX Registration Marina Bay Sands Online registration and mobile app sponsored by Airbus

07:30 – 18:00 APEX Registration

17:30 – 19:00 APEX Welcome Reception

Schedule is subject to change.

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07:45 – 08:45 Networking Breakfast Sponsored by Airbus 08:45 – 12:05 General Educational Sessions Sponsored by ViaSat 10:15 – 10:35 Networking Break Sponsored by Encore Inflight Limited

12:20 – 13:10 Networking Lunch Sponsored by Global Eagle Entertainment 13:20 – 15:55 Breakout Educational Sessions Breaks sponsored by Encore Inflight Limited 16:10 – 17:10 APEX Annual General Meeting 17:45 – 19:15 APEX Awards Ceremony Ceremony sponsored by Phitek with presentation sponsored by Global Eagle Entertainment Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: MARINA BAY SANDS; VANCE WALSTRA

EXPO Highlights

See the full schedule > APEX.AERO/EXPO

Tuesday, October 25, 2016 07:30 – 18:00 APEX Registration Marina Bay Sands 07:30 – 08:45 Airline Breakfast APEX airline members only 09:00 – 18:00 EXPO

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 08:00 – 18:00 APEX Registration Marina Bay Sands 09:00 – 18:00 EXPO 19:30 – 22:30 APEX Networking Event

Thursday, October 27, 2016 08:00 – 15:00 APEX Registration Marina Bay Sands 09:00 – 17:00 EXPO

Airline Passenger Experience Association

volume 6, edition 4

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Education Day: Monday, October 24 07:45 – 08:45 Networking Breakfast Sponsored by Airbus

• Brian Richardson – President, APEX; Director of In-flight Entertainment and Connectivity, American Airlines

08:45 – 12:05 General Educational Sessions Sponsored by ViaSat

09:00 – 09:30 PASSENGER FOCUS & THE KEYS TO SUCCESS This leading session offers behind-thescenes insights, including strategies Finnair employed to differentiate on-the-ground and onboard products and services to leave lasting impressions; ways to make the most of natural industry trends like consolidation, passenger growth and social responsibility; and keys for leveraging global positioning, as Finnair has done to better serve northeast Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for this industry. • Pekka Vauramo – CEO, Finnair

08:45 – 09:00 WELCOME & INTRODUCTION Welcome to Singapore! Get a brief update from APEX leadership on association activity and what’s in store for the largest, most comprehensive EXPO yet. 2016 Welcome Video Sponsored by Global Eagle Entertainment • Aaron Heslehurst – News Anchor and Presenter, BBC World News • Joe Leader – CEO, APEX

09:30 – 10:00 TACTICS FOR A GLOBAL, PERSONAL REACH Airlines in the Middle East are gaining reputations for their extraordinary focus on “the product.” An airline CEO shares expertise and offers insights on how the Middle Eastern tenets of hospitality, generosity and service to guests are at the core of their product offering to passengers around the world. 10:00 – 10:15 APEX CHARITY SPOTLIGHT: ORBIS INTERNATIONAL & THE FLYING EYE HOSPITAL Be humbled by the philanthropic work of ORBIS International in the fight to eliminate blindness throughout the world. This

Schedule is subject to change

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

See the full schedule > APEX.AERO/EXPO

in Asia is also booming. This growth, in conjunction with increased wages, is driving the number of passengers and aircraft purchases in the region. The low-cost carrier model is becoming increasingly evident and offers this market a practical option. Join the U-FLY Alliance, the world’s first low-fare airline alliance, as they share their insights on regional industry projections, their strategies on tapping into this massive market and their secrets to bettering the passenger experience.

PHOTOS: VANCE WALSTRA; MARINA BAY SANDS

11:05 – 11:35 AIRPORT DEVELOPMENTS & RISE OF THE AEROTROPOLIS Studies show that airline passenger traffic is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.8 percent. The increase has a direct and interchangeable relationship with strong economies. Infrastructure must be compliant in order to facilitate travel. For these reasons, we are seeing expansion and improvements made to existing airports. Also on the rise is the aerotropolis, an airport that operates like a city with its own economy and infrastructure. How has Changi met the rise in air travel through technology and communication?

session will take you on board their newest aircraft and offer an overview of how the medical and aviation systems, including in-flight entertainment and connectivity, were integrated and certified. Learn how you can get involved while celebrating the contributions of many aerospace firms, including APEX members, that have made the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital a reality. • John Courtright – Director of Programs, SIE

Airline Passenger Experience Association

10:15 – 10:35 Networking Break Sponsored by Encore Inflight Limited 10:35 – 11:05 FOCUS ON ASIA: MEETING DEMAND IN PASSENGER TRAVEL & EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Take an in-depth look at the state of air travel with Asia as a key region driving economic growth and having a direct impact on travel demand. In addition to increasing global airline passenger traffic, the middle class volume 6, edition 4

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Education Day: Monday, October 24 11:35 – 12:05 THE DIGITAL EVOLUTION MAKES ITS WAY TO THE SKY The way content is consumed is evolving and streaming is on the rise. We have seen trends on the ground make their way in flight as passengers demand mirrored experiences. Also, streaming providers are producing their own award-winning content. A leading provider shares data on digital consumption, the current status of in-flight streaming – including limitations and successes – their vision for the aviation market and feedback from passengers and partners. You won’t want to miss this talk. 12:10 – 13:10 Networking Lunch Sponsored by: Global Eagle Entertainment TRACK A. STRATEGIES & INSIGHTS 13:20 – 13:50 Session A1 — CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE STRATEGY & INSIGHTS • Ryanne Van Der Eijk – Senior VicePresident, Customer Experience, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 14:05 – 14:35 Session A2 — THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSENGER HEALTH & WELL-BEING • Thomas Steiner – VP, Lantal Textiles

TRACK B. CONTENT IS KING

15:25 – 15:55 Session A4 — THE DAWN OF AGENTIVE TECHNOLOGY: YOUR CUSTOMERS AND NARROW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE • Chris Noessel – Global Design Practice Manager, Travel and Transportation, IBM

13:20 – 13:50 Session B1 — THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM: ANCILLARY REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES & OBSTACLES Moderated by Al St. Germain – Publisher, APEX Media Panelists: • David Dyrnaes – COO, Betria Interactive, LLC • Cyril Jean – CEO, PXCom • Other panelists to be announced shortly.

Schedule is subject to change

14:05 – 14:35 Session B2 — THE 10-MINUTE WINDOW: PROVIDING REAL-TIME CUSTOMER CARE AT 35,000 FEET • Scott Carmichael – Senior Manager, Social Media and Content, Gogo

14:50 – 15:20 Session A3 — PASSENGER EXPERIENCE FOCUS

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14:50 – 15:20 Session B3 — CLOSED CAPTIONING REGULATIONS & HOW IT IMPACTS YOU • Michael Childers – Technology Committee Chair, CCWG Cochair, Board member, APEX; Lufthansa Systems 15:25 – 15:55 Session B4 — CONVERTING THE CONNECTIVITY OPPORTUNITY • Henry Gummer – VP Entertainment, Spafax TRACK C. TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES 13:20 – 13:50 Session C1 — NEW GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES ON BOARD • Stephan Schulte – Strategy Manager, Lufthansa Group Airline Passenger Experience Association

For the most up-to-date event calendar, visit > APEX.AERO

Speakers in the Spotlight

Pekka Vauramo Chief Executive Officer Finnair

Ryanne Van Der Eijk Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

14:05 – 14:35 Session C2 — FUTURE OF CONNECTIVITY 14:50 – 15:20 Session C3 — THE FUTURE IS NOW: LEVERAGING QUICKLY EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES TO DIRECT PAXEX SOLUTIONS • Mark Schwartz – President, Design Consultancy Practice, Telefonix PDT

PHOTOS: VANCE WALSTRA

15:25 – 15:55 Session C4 — EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

TRACK D. INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS 13:20 – 14:35 Sessions D1 & D2 — NEW DISTRIBUTION CAPABILITY Presented by IATA 14:50 – 15:55 Sessions D3 & D4 — FTE “UP IN THE AIR” THINK TANK – ONBOARD CONNECTIVITY 2025: HARNESSING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE CONNECTIVITY PIPELINE BETWEEN NOW AND 2025 Presented by Future Travel Experience

Aaron Heslehurst News Anchor and Presenter BBC World News

Chris Noessel Global Design Practie Manager IBM

Airline Passenger Experience Association

volume 6, edition 4

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APEX Exhibitors ABS-CBN Adaptive Channel Airbus Arconics Astronics Corporation AV-Jet International Media Co. Ltd. axinom B/E Aerospace BAE Systems BBC Worldwide Betria Systems/ Flightpath 3D Bloomberg Media Distribution Bonneville Distribution Bose Corporation Captive Entertainment Inc. CarlisleIT CBS Studios International Century Carnival Movie Cultural Communication Co. Ltd. Cinesky Pictures Clarus LLC CMI Media Management

Entertainment in Motion

Inmarsat Ltd.

Phitek Systems Ltd.

CNBC

Envee Inflight Entertainment Co. Ltd. (Formally Enveesoft)

Interactive Mobility

Pictureworks

Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Pilot Film and Television Productions Ltd.

Contentino Creative Century Entertainment Co. Ltd. Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Welle digEcor Inc.

Eros International Media Ltd. Fairdeal Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Flame Distribution Fox Networks Content Distribution France 24 FTS Technologies

KID-Systeme GmbH Kontron Latecoere

QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH

Linstol

RAI COM

Long Prosper Enterprise Company Ltd.

Rockwell Collins

Global Eagle Entertainment

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG

Global One Media

Media Carrier GmbH

Gogo LLC

MediaCorp TV Singapore Pte. Ltd.

HBO

Mills Textiles

Eagle International Communication Co. Ltd.

HMG Aerospace Ltd.

NHK Global Media Services Inc.

IFPL (Inflight Peripherals, Ltd)

Panasonic Avionics Corp.

Emphasis Video Entertainment Ltd.

Images in Motion

Paramount Pictures

IMG Media Ltd.

Pascall Electronics Ltd.

Inflight Dublin, Ltd.

PaxLife GmbH & Co. KG

InflightDirect

Penny Black Media

Discovery Communications LLC Disney Studios Motion Pictures DMD/Bluebox Avionics Donica Aviation Engineering Co. Ltd.

Encore Inflight Ltd. Ensemble Media

volume 6, edition 4

PXCom

RT Channel Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics SCIS Air Security SIE SITAONAIR Skeye Skylights Skyline IFE Ltd. SmartSky Networks Sony Pictures Releasing

Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTO: VANCE WALSTRA

CoKinetic

For up-to-date exhibitor listings, visit > APEX.AERO

Future Travel Experience Asia Access IS

dorma+kaba

Mirabeau

AOE/Magento

eezeetags

NCR Corp.

Aviavox

Embross

PrehKeyTec

BAGTAG

FTE Events

Rimowa Electronic Tag

Boon Edam

Gunnebo

Rockwell Collins

Custom

ICM Airport Technics Australia Pty. Ltd.

Simpleway Europe

Damarel Deolan Desko

IER Materna

SITA Vision-Bo

Mexia Interactive

Aircraft Interiors Asia Acro Aircraft Seating Aeroworks (EUR) bv Aircraft Interiors International Soundchip

Aire Inflight FZE

Spafax

Airgo Design Pte. Ltd.

Star Aviation

ANKER Gebr. Schoeller GmbH + Co. KG

Stellar Entertainment TEAC America Inc. Tecom Industries Inc. Telefonix Inc. Terry Steiner International Inc.

Aviointeriors S.p.A. Beadlight Ltd. Boltaron Inc. Botany Weaving Mill

FTI Engineering Network GmbH Fuchi Aviation Technology Co. Ltd. Gerflor Geven S.p.A.

Sabeti Wain Aerospace Ltd. Schott AG SEKISUI SPI Shanghai Easun Group Imp & Exp

Inseat Solutions LLC

Shanghai Jinxuan Container Seal Co. Ltd.

Jiangsu Canasin Tablelinen Co. Ltd.

Shanghai Xinfan Industrial Corp.

Kets Tekstil

Simair

Logo Sky

SkyPaxxx

Mankiewicz Coatings

Soisa Aerospace

Mirus Aircraft Seating

Thales

Callington Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Muirhead Leather

The Boeing Company

SPS (Specialised Products & Services) Aircraft Services LLC

ComFly S.R.L.

Neotex

Touch Inflight Solutions Inc.

Tapis Corp.

Cooper Standard Technical Rubber GmbH

Pankl Aerospace Systems Europe

Vision Systems

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Fox Non-Theatrical

Denka Co. Ltd.

Paustian Airtex GmbH

Desso bv

PAX International Magazine

ViaSat Inc.

RAK Porcelain

Video Technology Services

Diab South East Asia Co. Ltd.

VT Miltope

Egret Aviation

Warner Bros. Distributing Inc.

E-Leather

Turner Inflight Services

Ray Service ADA

Xiamen Inflight Zibo Rainbow ZIM FLUGSITZ Zotefoams

Regent Aerospace Rohi

WL Gore & Associates Zodiac Inflight Innovations

Airline Passenger Experience Association

volume 6, edition 4

Social

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Visit us at apex.aero

APEX in Action This summer, APEX members were spotted at APEX TECH in Hollywood, Solar Impulse’s Monaco Control Center, CAPA Australia Pacific – and even attending the Rio Olympics.

Like us on Facebook to see more social photos > FACEBOOK.COM/ APEX.AERO

1. Robert Kisor, RK Entertainment Technology Consulting, and Mary Rogozinski, SmartSky Networks, enjoy drinks at APEX TECH in Hollywood, California. 2. Look up! Spectators at Farnborough International Airshow take in sky-high flying displays. 1

3. Kimberly Creaven, Global Eagle Entertainment, and Doug Backelin, American Airlines, at APEX TECH. 4. Victor Hernandez, Ackila Inc.; Andrew Beer, Spafax; Clare Josey, Spafax; Tina Young; and Dennis Tierney, oneworld Alliance, at APEX TECH. 5. Yves Heller and Michael Anger, Solar Impulse, giving a tour of the command center in Monaco. 6. Joe Leader moderating a panel at CAPA Australia with David Reimer, American Express Global Business Travel; John Hopkins, Gogo; Jay Youlten, SITA; Adam Young, Embraer; and Damian Hickey, Travelport.

7. Representatives from Virgin America, Global Eagle Entertainment, West Entertainment and Stellar at LA Screenings. 8. APEX Board member Juha Järvinen and his colleagues from Finnair arrive in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Do you have social photos that are fit to print? E-mail submissions to 7

volume 6, edition 4

> EDITOR@APEX.AERO

Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: GREG VERVILLE; AIRBUS; CAROLINE KU; JOE LEADER; ALFY VERETTO; JOHANNA JÄKÄLÄ

One of 40 million secure connections we make every day. To her, it’s everything.

Over 14,000 commercial aircraft rely on Rockwell Collins to stay connected, ensuring safe and efficient operations. Imagine what we can do for your passengers – engaging, entertaining and empowering them – even beyond the cabin. Because when you connect them to their world, they connect with yours. Visit us at APEX EXPO, stand 525.

IFE systems for today and tomorrow Global broadband connectivity Applications and value-added services

Singapore, Gateway to Asia With air travel booming in the Asia-Pacific region, it’s no wonder the world’s largest industry-driven event, APEX EXPO, has chosen to land in Singapore! Join more than 3,000 industry leaders eager to improve the passenger experience on the ground, in the air and into the future.

+40%

Home to

32%

of international air traffic touches the region

of the world’s airport megahubs

13,000

new aircraft to be delivered in the next 20 years

Global air passenger flow projections in 2034 Europe

Asia Pacific 27

14 results 20

23 8

North America South America

one in every 2.5 passengers

will be traveling to or from the Asia-Pacific region

35 40 20

By 2034,

4 Africa Middle East Source: IATA 2015 Air Passenger Forecast

CO-LOCATED WITH

apex experience

Welcome

This Issue

PHOTO: CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP

Greener Departures Singapore Changi Airport’s vision of lush gardens stems from the 1980s, and is now in full bloom with palms, ferns, bromeliads and orchids transforming its terminals into green spaces. Delegates arriving at the airport for APEX EXPO may spot the Old Man’s Beard, the Elephant Climber and the Dancing Ladies – plants native to Singapore’s equatorial rain forest. Read more about the world-class hub and its highly anticipated Project Jewel on page 91. Airline Passenger Experience Association

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INSERT-1031

Serenity S1

LPE-P16NC INSERT-1027

INSERT-1025

LPE-P6NC

LPE-K01 INSERT-1023

Please link to our oï¬&#x192;cial website:

http://www.longprosper.com

Comfort

apex experience

To Disturb, or Not to Disturb

It’s a question flight attendants often face. But airlines are finding clever solutions to help crew tiptoe around one of the job’s more awkward predicaments.

PHOTOS: UNITED AIRLINES; ETIHAD AIRWAYS

by Paul Sillers

Before the video-on-demand era, the viewing of films, often synchronized with mealtimes, governed the tempo of when passengers would watch their screens, eat and sleep. But today’s flexible in-flight entertainment, augmented by passengers bringing personal devices on board, allows flyers to snooze at their will – presenting a new challenge for flight attendants. When United Airlines was designing its Polaris business-class seat, the airline’s crew brought the topic into the design process. “Our flight attendants shared that they wished there was a better way to stay in touch with customers’ wishes on being awakened, versus left alone, for our Airline Passenger Experience Association

pre-arrival service,” says Jonathan Guerin, the airline’s communications manager. The airline experimented with signage that read “Refills welcome” or “Wake me for breakfast,” inviting customers and flight attendants to participate in simulated Boeing 767 flights, and even a chartered B747, to give the concept a go. But it was the illuminated “do not disturb” feature, embedded in the side of the seat, that prevailed. “We concluded that customers prefer that we offer attentive service while they are awake and that the ‘do not disturb’ language was already well understood in the travel industry for those who wanted to extend their sleep time,” Guerin says. B/E Aerospace, Teague, Panasonic Avionics and Formation Design Group teamed up to tackle the problem via high-tech seat design, too. The Waterfront business-seat concept includes an app that not only controls entertainment, seat recline and food orders, it also has a “sleep and privacy preferences” menu that lets passengers select from “wake up time” or “do not disturb” options.

For the latest news on amenities, visit > APEX.AERO/COMFORT

Offered in economy, Etihad Airways’ Sleep Tight amenity kit includes an instructive eye mask.

There may be an app for that, but airlines have also gotten creative with low-tech solutions. Etihad Airways, among others, offers a double-sided eye mask, with one side that reads “Wake me up to eat.” According to one airline spokesperson, “The eye masks have been very popular with guests traveling in economy class.” volume 6, edition 4

Comfort

apex experience

Body Break With longer flights than ever before, a new wave of in-flight exercises may take fitness-onthe-fly to higher levels. by Jenn Wint illustration Felipe Lira

Sitting is the new smoking, or that’s at least according to a number of health experts. Backed by recent research, the march against our sedentary proclivities has helped popularize Fitbits and standing desks and highlights the lack of activity passengers get when traveling, particularly on a lengthy flight. “Prolonged sitting can have adverse effects on your muscles and overall health,” says certified personal trainer Megan Hamm, who is based in Vancouver. “A five-hour flight may not seem long, however, when 38

volume 6, edition 4

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Looking to workout landside? Visit > APEX.AERO/ AIRPORT-FITNESS

combined with the rest of our day … Over half of an average person’s day is spent being sedentary. Small bouts of exercise are imperative to maintaining overall physical and mental health, especially when combined with other effects of flying.” Currently, the world’s longest nonstop flight is Emirates’ Dubai–Auckland route, lasting roughly 17 hours and 15 minutes. The airline offers resources to help passengers stay healthy on board, including energizing in-seat exercise instructions delivered through radio channels and pages in the in-flight magazine. The suggested exercises are geared toward reducing muscle fatigue and encouraging blood flow, minimizing the risk of deep vein thrombosis. Chinese carriers such as China Southern, Spring and Shenzhen have brought the importance of in-flight fitness to the forefront by having flight attendants lead passengers through a series of in-seat stretches. The captive workout session encourages the cabin full of passengers to mimic the flight

attendants through a series of arm, head and leg movements that increase blood flow and activate the body. While many airlines offer tips for staying active, they are often found hidden in the seatback pocket or in-flight entertainment back channels. Actively demonstrating movement in front of passengers creates mindfulness around activity. “One way we can prevent stagnation is to have flight attendants monitor sitting times. Once passengers gain awareness, they’re more likely to change behavior,” Hamm offers. Passengers from China and Japan, where it’s not uncommon to begin a workday with morning exercises, may feel more comfortable with collective in-flight exercises than flyers from elsewhere, but as Chinese and Japanese flyers begin to travel long distances in larger numbers, in-flight workout sessions could become the norm. For those who’d rather downward dog terra firma, airports worldwide are getting on board with fitness, too. Airline Passenger Experience Association

ELEMENTO An element of seduction Elemento: Geven's new Long Haul Economy Class Seat. Where all the elements of comfort, luxurious living space, fresh and trendy Italian appeal and high optionality play together as one natural element.

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Ambience

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Taking the Scenic Route Why should passengers wait until landing to don their tourist hats? by Valerie Silva | illustration Fernando Sierralta

Nature deserves an audience, especially when every factor – weather, time and location – falls into place. This was the case in February when a Delta Air Lines pilot gave a spontaneous tour of the Grand Canyon, and again in March when Alaska Airlines delayed a flight from Anchorage to Honolulu to offer passengers a backstage pass to the “path of totality,” the lunar shadow traced onto the sun during a total solar eclipse. And a recent initiative of Japan Airlines (JAL) turns window-seat sightseeing into more than a one-off opportunity. Launched in May, the airline’s microsite “Which Side Is Mt. Fuji?” answers that

volume 6, edition 4

very question, informing passengers which side of the aircraft – on any given domestic flight – affords the most picturesque view of Japan’s crown jewel. “Before the launch of the service,” says Jian Yang, a JAL spokesperson, “we received as many as 100 customer inquiries per month from customers in Japan and overseas regarding the question ‘Which cabin seat has a view of Mt. Fuji?’ We decided to introduce the information service to meet our customers’ needs and interests.” As JAL works to ensure the vantage point at 35,000 feet isn’t squandered, tech companies, such as Vision Systems

Visit us at apex.aero

What flights offer the best views? Visit > APEX.AERO/ SIGHTSEEING

Aeronautics, are developing new ways to augment the onboard tourist experience. The company’s Acti-Vision Window, a transparent OLED video display and touch screen that can be overlaid onto an aircraft window, presents the possibility of displaying visual sightseeing markers and textual or visual accompaniment directly onto the porthole glass. Meanwhile, virtual reality platform startup Trillenium has conceived of technology that would nix windows altogether, replacing them with a 360-degree immersive experience that captures video feed from the external cameras of the aircraft to someday give passengers the impression of flying without the constraint of fuselage walls. And if Airbus’ Concept Cabin ever comes to fruition, stargazers and umbraphiles can revel in a multi-windowed observation deck that gives way to a panorama of the sky.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

SKYfi club – Your mobile theatre Staying in touch and streaming content via smartphones, tablets and laptops are now top wishes for air travellers. And SKYfi is one of the most advanced and cost-effective ways to meet these demands – for satisfied passengers who keep coming back. Plus, SKYfi club lets you create personalised entertainment and information programmes streamed directly to passengers’ devices – for the ultimate in in-flight customisation.

KID-Systeme GmbH Lüneburger Schanze 30, D-21614 Buxtehude Phone +49 40 743 716 33 Fax +49 40 743 838 29 E-Mail info@kid-systeme.com

www.kid-systeme.com

ZODIAC INFLIGHT INNOVATIONS ZODIAC CABIN Connected Cabin Division

Entertainment

apex experience

Data-driven Programming Stats collected through in-flight entertainment systems may play a pivotal role in helping airlines and content service providers curate content.

What’s popular among passengers?

by Marisa Garcia | illustration Marcelo Cáceres POP

Today’s in-flight entertainment system platforms help airlines make smarter content buys, tailored to their customers’ preferences. Megan Worley, program manager, Inflight and Admirals Club Entertainment and Connectivity at American Airlines, explains that it’s all about data. “The utilization and integration of data with programming strategy is becoming more prominent year after year,” Worley says. “We are able to see how individual content files – movies, TV shows, music, games – are performing each month and then use that information to curate the next cycle’s content set.” For performance analysis, Worley focuses on “uniques,” the minimum number of times a content file was accessed by individual users, and “duration,” how long a file was accessed. “We can drill down to specific seat number data, including the time and duration a content file was accessed. This allows us to slice the usage data in numerous ways according to our analysis needs, which in turn shapes our programming strategy,” she says. That, in turn, could also affect content acquisition and purchasing strategies. How do passengers Audience measurement has played a role want to use in-flight Wi-Fi? in TV programming since as early as the

How do passengers E-MAIL want to use in-flight Wi-Fi? Top

ACTIVITIES

Top

ACTIVITIES

BROWSING E-MAIL

SOCIAL BROWSING

SOCIAL

Airline Passenger Experience Association

45% POP

45% EASY LISTENING

34%

EASY LISTENING

34%

CLASSICAL

32%

CLASSICAL

32%

COMEDY

51%

COMEDY

51%

ACTION

42% ACTION

42% DRAMA

40% DRAMA

40%

1950s, but data-driven programming for in-flight entertainment is continually being tested. “I imagine in the next five years we’ll be able to dynamically update our content based on real-time usage statistics,” Worley forecasts. With more emphasis on analytics, she envisions that “The focus of the content service providers and media integrators will shift from the manual transfer and upload of files to real-time analytics of file performance.” Of course, as with at-home TV markets, the proliferation of personal devices throws a kink into streamlined analytics strategies. Up in the air, wireless in-flight entertainment (wIFE) platforms can consolidate analytics with seatback systems, but “It depends on

PUZZLES

47%

PUZZLES

47%

STRATEGY

42%

STRATEGY

42%

CARDS

40% CARDS

40%

a few factors, including various vendors and what their systems offer analyticswise,” says Michael Reilly, customer success manager at Arconics, which offers CloudStore, a wIFE platform. Reilly notes that wIFE analytics is capable of offering richer data about device and media consumption preferences. “In our view, truer viewing preferences become more visible with bring-your-own device analytics, because we’re not just tracking ‘how many times a movie was watched,’ which is easy to do,” he says. “The richer the data, the better the picture of what customer preferences are, what they clearly like and dislike, what they are willing and not willing to pay for and more.” volume 6, edition 4

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Streaming for Variety

Passengers traveling on airlines in the Asia-Pacific region aren’t binge watching from streaming platforms just yet, but the appetite is there. by Caroline Ku

In the past year, Netflix launched in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Its popularity in the region has been slow, but the problem isn’t the demand. “Streaming is a way of life here,” says Jovita Toh, CEO of Hong Kong-based Encore Inflight Limited, a supplier of in-flight entertainment (IFE). According to Nielsen’s 2016 survey on video on demand (VOD), more than a third of Asia-Pacific respondents stream from an online service, citing that they prefer to watch multiple episodes in one sitting and have the flexibility of being entertained whenever, wherever. “The ‘any time, any screen’ phenomenon has changed people’s daily lives,” says Grace Lau, Acquisition and Distribution director of Emphasis Video Entertainment, also based 44

volume 6, edition 4

Read about the latest content trends at > APEX.AERO/ ENTERTAINMENT

in Hong Kong. “Now we see more and more people watching dramas [on the subway] or news reports in washrooms,” she says. So why hasn’t Netflix caught on in Asia as well as it has in the United States? Critics say its subscription fees are too high and the catalogs lack local-language content, areas where platforms like China’s LeEco, Hong Kong’s Viu, Taiwan’s CatchPlay and Singapore’s Hooq excel. “Airlines should be thinking about giving passengers access to the local content that they love wherever they are,” says Shane Mitchell, chief digital officer of Singaporebased MediaCorp. The Nielsen survey also points out that more than a third of respondents wished there were more VOD choices to satiate their diverse entertainment cravings. With in-flight connectivity, airlines are poised to offer variety. “Entertainment systems with larger capacities are allowing airlines to program diverse content, catering well to a large mix of cultures,” Toh says. One airline that is looking to add more local content to its IFE is Korean Air. It has its eye on video streaming platforms like Watcha Play and Tving. “These websites contain a variety of content that [our

airline] is currently or intending to provide passengers in flight,” says Dante Dionne, senior IT manager, Innovation Technology Development Center, Korean Air. And with more expansive IFE catalogs and local content, there’s added value to the passenger experience. “There is always a strong desire for locally produced content that reflects its society, its values and its culture,” says Mitchell. “With local content [comes a] very strong sense of ownership and belonging.”

Netflixes of Asia

LeEco, iQiyi

Eros Now, Voot

Watcha Play, Tving, pooq Gyao

Hooq iflix

CatchPlay

Viu

Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: HOOQ; FREEVECTORMAPS.COM

Entertainment

10 Years Thinking Inside the Box 2006

The year it all began for Bluebox. Join us at APEX Singapore to celebrate 10 years of service and success, delivering the best experience of any portable IFE product in the sky.

Bluebox Ai

2010

The secure IFE app optimized for pre-loaded Early Window Content on iPad. Over 18,000 deployed by 2016.

Bluebox Hybrid

Our connected portable IFE combi deli vers Hollywood EWC in a wireless cabin.

2013

Bluebox wiFE Our fitted wireless IFE solution delivers 1000s of hours of content to personal digital devices.

Portable Hybrid

For ultimate lightweight flexibility: Ai + Wow EWC + cabin-wide streaming, minus STC!

2016

Bluebox Wow Walk-on wiFE streams video, audio, games & mags with no STC or passenger app. Battery powered, cabin stowed solution.

Visit us at APEX Singapore, Stand 1627 info@blueboxavionics.com blueboxavionics.com All your portable IFE options covered.

Entertainment

apex experience

You May Also Like… Four words may hang in the balance between keeping a passenger engaged with airline entertainment, or not. by Marisa Garcia illustration Jorge de la Paz

If you like House of Cards, then you may also like Mad Men. It’s a simple if-then formula that powers recommendations consumers expect to see now on YouTube, Netflix and other channels. And with in-flight entertainment (IFE) catalogs growing to unprecedented sizes, passengers may expect to find them on board, too. “From my point of view, the next steps for IFE are about personalization and interaction,” says Fabienne Regitz, IFE product manager for Lufthansa. “With new IFE systems offering ways to pair

personal devices with the seatback monitor, new use cases will be added that will also allow new types of content. The extension of connectivity will support this development even more.” In September last year, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to launch a companion mobile app for its IFE system, powered by Panasonic Avionics. Cedric Rhoads, executive director, Corporate Sales and Product Management at Panasonic Avionics, says that companion apps let customers personalize IFE in a way that feels natural. The companion app carries passenger-viewing data from one flight to the next to inform recommendations. “We can just index between things like a media file or an application, or specific Internet pages or activities they do on board the aircraft, and manipulate that data to change the experience,” Rhoads explains. “For example, a simplistic version would be to recommend movies based on past selections. Again, the

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How can metadata enhance discovery? Visit > APEX.AERO/METADATA

personal electronic device has a role to play. It becomes the transport player for that passenger experience data.” As these systems evolve, recommendations could become more sophisticated. “For example, [the system could say,] ‘The last time you were on board, you watched this movie, but you didn’t finish it. Would you like to finish it now?’” Rhoads suggests. “We can say: ‘The last 15 movies that you watched on flights for the past two months have been around these characters or themes. Here are recommendations from this month’s movie selections.’ These are things that are relatively easy to implement and we’re already seeing some in our companion app.” Rhoads expects in-flight connectivity to revolutionize recommendations in the future. “Where it’s going to get interesting is the airline’s ability to use connectivity to the aircraft to load content dynamically, based on passenger experience or passenger requests,” he says.

recommendations for house of cards Philosophies diverge on what principles to employ behind recommendation algorithms. Should they be based on popularity, release date or affinity? The results of an A/B test on House of Cards recommendations published by Netflix researchers in December 2015 found that in general, viewers selected more popular suggestions – such as Breaking Bad – in favor of more directly related titles, such as the UK version of House of Cards.

volume 6, edition 4

Airline Passenger Experience Association

t! h ig fl s ke ta on ti a in g a Im WORLD CINEMA OPERA LICENSED AUDIO PROGRAMMING AUDIO AND VIDEO SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENTS BOUTIQUE CSP 35 years of experience in content programming and management for the airline industry. Award winning productions. MPAA inspected and approved. Now offering English Language and World Cinema for encrypted and unencrypted streaming.

Apex World of Content Booth #1027 www.skyline-ife.com richard.barsby@skyline-ife.com +441449711011

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Thales InFlyt Experience is revolutionizing passenger engagement throughout the travel experience. Creating smart opportunities for the connected aircraft, our ecosystem of solutions provides the broadest, fastest, highest capacity data links. No other provider has the people, airline insight and capability gained from such extensive experience in aerospace, aviation, satellite systems and cyber-security. We work with our customers to create in-flight connectivity and service solutions that achieve substantial financial returns and operational efficiencies. A commitment to open architecture solutions also ensures greater choice, easier integration and customization for your airline. Every day, everywhere, together with our customers, Thales delivers. Search: Thalesgroup Androidâ&#x201E;˘ is a trademark of GoogleÂŽ, Inc.

Entertainment

apex experience

Read the Fine Print

where do we read print the most? at home:

68%

A recent survey finds that print usurps digital in the reading preferences cited by premium travelers – especially among millennials.

while traveling:

54%

at work:

at a hotel:

at a restaurant:

while commuting:

42%

50%

PHOTO: DAWSON MEDIA DIRECT

ILLUSTRATION: MARCELO CÁCERES

by Katie Sehl

Those who came of age in the aughts will recall turtleneck-clad baby boomers – one in particular – pushing successively shrinking computers at them as the “next big (little) thing.” Indeed, the label “millennial” comes part and parcel with another one: “digital natives.” But it would be wrong to assume that the first generation raised with digital fluency prefers reading in 1s and 0s. In fact, a recent study from Atmosphere Research Group, commissioned by media distributor Dawson Media Direct (DMD), suggests otherwise. With more than 120 airline customers, DMD a UK-based company that provides print and digital newspaper and magazine titles, was interested to learn more about the reading habits of premium long-haul travelers. A total of 400 frequent premium flyers were polled on their reading habits in April 2016. Airline Passenger Experience Association

Overall, the survey found that 77 percent of premium travelers view flying as a key time to catch up on news, preferring print, especially for long-form journalism and on long-haul trips. But broken down, the trend is more prominent among younger age brackets: 82 percent of those age 21–39 view travel as reading time, versus 69 percent of those age 40 and over. “There can often be an automatic assumption that [the younger] generation wants nothing to do with print,” says Paul Rayson, managing director at DMD. “Our survey has proven the opposite to be true.” Not surprisingly, those who grew up in the heyday of the high-speed Information Age value staying informed more than those more familiar with snail mail; but less predictably, print carries more currency the younger the age bracket. Notably, young and old premium travelers view print as a more

39%

at the gym:

14%

30%

none of the above:

SOURCE: Dawson Media Direct/Atmosphere Research Group, 2016.

credible source for news information, the younger crowd ranking The New York Times as top pick, and those in the 40-plus crowd opting for The Wall Street Journal first. While the study looks primarily at reading habits on the fly, a recent study from Pew Research Center reinforces the demographic slant on the ground. In a survey of more than 6,000 Americans, 88 percent of those 30 and younger said they had read a book in the past year, versus 79 percent of respondents 30 and older. volume 6, edition 4

Connectivity

apex experience

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Flying Over the Great Firewall Navigating China’s notorious Internet firewall requires equal parts diplomatic and technological moxie. by Katie Sehl | illustration Jorge de la Paz

The first e-mail sent from China back in the late 1980s likely reads as prophecy to in-flight connectivity providers today: “Across the Great Wall we can reach every corner of the world.” For airlines outside of China, the great invisible firewall, extending upward of 35,000 feet, has left the fourth-largest country in the world grayed out on global Internet coverage maps – one of the last corners of the world unreached. But the floodgates have opened. While some Chinese carriers have dabbled with in-flight connectivity trials domestically since as early as 2011, it wasn’t until November last year that China Eastern became the first to launch an international service, using Panasonic Avionics’ eXConnect Ku-band solution, supported by the communications company’s partnership with China Telecom Satellite. The first trial license, deployed on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet, marked a significant milestone for Chinese carriers with international aims, and also cleared the skies for a second trial license and foreign carriers flying into China’s airspace. For Panasonic, that means more than 20 airline customers and upward of 1,000 aircraft will be able to deliver broadband beyond the Great Wall. “We had to employ unique global diplomacy that would make everybody happy,” says David Bruner, vice-president, Global Communications Services, Panasonic Avionics. Untangling the regulatory web goes all the way back to the 1944 Chicago Convention, which established that aircraft would essentially be recognized as flying embassies.

In practice, it means that a Chineseregistered aircraft must comply with Chinese Internet regulations wherever it flies. So, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter and other blocked sites remain off-limits for all passengers on Chinese carriers. For foreign carriers flying into China, it’s a little different. “If it’s a Turkish Airlines aircraft, we have to comply with Turkish regulations and also comply, if you’re flying over China, with Chinese regulations,” Bruner says. “They don’t censor or block Internet access for a foreign entity, but there are rules of what you can do.” To enforce the different regulatory parameters, Panasonic uses a special teleport in Beijing with some unique capabilities, including different versions of the same network to differentiate between and handle Internet traffic for foreign and domestic aircraft. “It’s a tough situation, but we’ve right now navigated our way through … We do not have any situations today of a foreign carrier that we cannot operate over China,” Bruner says. On the heels of the second trial license, China Eastern committed to equipping 84 total aircraft with Panasonic’s connectivity solution. “The floodgates have opened and we are trying to move forward as fast as we can.” Among competitors making gains in the market, US-based Internet service provider Gogo announced in August that it has received regulatory approval to offer in-flight connectivity services in China starting in October.

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BoardConnect Portable A full-scale IFE. Light. A fraction of the space, a fragment of the weight at a portion of the cost. BoardConnect Portable gives you an even simpler, more flexible, all-in-one solution for low-cost operations. Based on rugged Mobile Streaming Units (MSU), the server and access points are combined in one single device with a weight of no more than 1 kg. Plus, it is classified as loose equipment. Slip it into a frame on the wall and provide streamed content for up to 50 clients. Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG | Corporate Marketing | Am Prime Parc 1 | 65479 Raunheim info@LHsystems.com | www.LHsystems.com

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In-flight Wi-Fi Brought to You By… Big names are hopping on the broadband wagon, sponsoring in-flight Wi-Fi in hopes of gaining new customers in the air. by Howard Slutsken

Up in the air, sponsored promotions have been finding their way into the aircraft cabin. And although it’s still early days, increased onboard connectivity bandwidth is becoming a reality, opening up opportunities to develop creative partnerships that enhance the passenger experience. “The foundation of all this is the deployment of more bandwidth,” says Ash ElDifrawi, chief commercial officer for in-flight connectivity provider Gogo. “What you’re going to continue to see is more and more sponsorships as we move from a constrained to a more abundant environment of megabytes.” Earlier this year, Gogo teamed with T-Mobile for a special promotion, where the mobile carrier’s users are offered one hour of free full connectivity to use their smartphone however they like. “People have been really loving that – it’s really been a very popular sponsorship from T-Mobile,” says ElDifrawi. And during a

weekend in June, all smartphone users, no matter the mobile service, were offered the same promotion. “That’s the kind of ‘surprise and delight’ things [brands like T-Mobile can] do for everybody,” he says. On the other side of the world, China Airlines partnered with Chunghwa Telecom to offer six hours of free Wi-Fi powered by Panasonic Avionics’ in-flight connectivity service. Content providers have also partnered with airlines in free streaming cross-promotions. JetBlue first announced a partnership with Amazon Prime in May last year, followed by Virgin America’s announcement at APEX EXPO of a partnership with Netflix, each service supported by ViaSat. This past June, Aeroméxico selected Gogo’s 2Ku service to support a free Netflix streaming trial. According to ElDifrawi, sponsorships like these give airlines “an opportunity to delight passengers and improve the passenger experience with well-known brands.”

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Subscribe and Wi-Fi Spurred by promotional partnerships, fleeting moments of Wi-Fi may have passengers wanting more.

Subscribers of the global Wi-Fi aggregator iPass, powered domestically by Gogo and Deutsche Telekom, and overseas by Panasonic Avionics, are able to stay connected on the ground and in flight.

Google’s Internet browser, Chrome, sponsored free in-flight Wi-Fi during the holidays in 2010 on Gogo-connected aircraft from AirTran, Delta and Virgin America, enabling passengers to check e-mail, watch videos and surf the web.

Passengers aboard Virgin America’s A320s were able to sample Lynda.com video learning content for free through the seatback system, while subscribers had access to the full catalog using ViaSat powered in-flight Wi-Fi.

Beyond potentially offsetting the costs for the airline or Internet service provider, effective brand alignment in these sponsorships improves the potential gains for all stakeholders involved in the collaboration, including the passenger. “All the content streaming companies, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO, want everybody to have access to their content anytime, anywhere,” ElDifrawi says, and in-flight sponsorships connect them directly with captive prospective subscribers. For the airline and Internet service provider, affiliation with a business that relies on top-notch Internet speed is another means of humble bragging about in-flight connectivity services – and breadth of entertainment to boot. “At the end of the day, the way I see this going, the ground is going to extend to the air,” ElDifrawi adds. “And what unlocks that is more bandwidth.” 52

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In-flight Entertainment to Go Unbridled by stationary seatback screens, wireless in-flight entertainment has the potential to connect travelers with movies before, during and after their journeys. by Ari Magnusson | illustration Patricio Otniel

A new breed of preloaded and wireless in-flight entertainment (wIFE) platforms are pushing boundaries by pioneering pre-takeoff and post landing content. “Wireless in-flight entertainment is obviously transforming the way airlines distribute content to passengers,” says Tanguy Morel, CEO of Interactive Mobility. The Paris-based company says its wIFE platform and companion app offer “a genuine door-to-door travel experience.” Air France experimented with IFE to go in May to highlight its Cannes Film Festival sponsorship through its “Cinema to Go” promotion, which allowed passengers to continue watching its selection of movies from the festival up to 15 days after flying. “It’s a trend that will extend further in the ensuing years as it allows fresher content

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to be on board,” Morel says, “and it offers great opportunities for personalization and data leverage.” Airports are showing interest in this model, too. Heathrow partnered with SITA and Adaptive Channel to introduce EntertainMe: self-serve kiosks that let departing Terminal 5 travelers download movies, newspapers and magazines to their personal electronic devices (PEDs). “Passengers get the content in seconds and can then access it [in flight] without needing, or paying for, any data connection,” explains Dan Ebbinghaus, senior vice-president of Communication and Infrastructure Solutions at SITA. Airlines like preloaded and cloud-based solutions for their fast, flexible and low-cost attributes, but have been limited by the strict

protocols of studios that are reluctant to offer their latest movies on passengers’ PEDs, anchoring movies and other content to the flight portion of the journey only. However, with improving security and encryption technology, Morel is optimistic: “The time when early-window content will be offered on such platforms will surely come.” As for competition posed by streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime? Interactive Mobility and Immfly, a wireless entertainment provider based in Barcelona, are unfazed. Immfly’s marketing manager Sara Ollé explains that the company’s platform maintains optimal user data, allowing its streaming partners, such as BBC and Atresmedia, to “connect more with their targeted audience.” And Morel believes movie streaming site partnerships make little sense in the long run. “Airlines have a huge knowledge of their passengers. They are aware of the power of this data and want to keep it. Netflix’s ultimate goal is to increase its subscription rate, not to reinvent the in-flight experience. In this sense, streaming sites are not direct threats.”

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Application development specialists for in-flight entertainment and communications systems. Our software is installed on hundreds of aircraft and used by thousands of passengers every day in every corner of the world all in their own languages. Applications we have developed allow passengers to view their location on the map, watch on-demand video & audio, play games, go shopping, reserve a hotel, car or just browse for information all from 30,000ft. Established in 1998 with development facilities in Chichester, UK and Lake Forest, CA and a team of over 40 experienced developers we provide unrivalled expertise in the IFEC industry.

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Revered worldwide, Japanese hospitality is underpinned by a little-known cultural practice: omotenashi. by Fergus Baird illustration Jorge Roa

Not every airline challenges its flight attendants to compete in an Omotenashi Professional Masters contest. In fact, there’s only one: All Nippon Airways (ANA). Launched in 2013, the annual competition recognizes flight attendants for exemplary services, embodying Japan’s selfless mode of hospitality – omotenashi. Charming, meticulous and caring, omotenashi practitioners graciously anticipate customers’ needs before they’re expressed. Winners of ANA’s most recent competition were rewarded for engaging in a fun conversation with a passenger who said he loved airplanes; providing a magnifying glass to an elderly couple reading small text on a customs form; and other generous gestures. The contest is a smart way for ANA to motivate and inspire its frontline staff, and it also serves as good branding for the airline, publicly showcasing a high standard of customer service informed by centuries of tradition. “Enhancing the quality of our services and responding to our customer expectations with the spirit of Japanese-style omotenashi is essential for ANA to continue growth as a full-service carrier,” says Hiroko Kawamoto, member of the airline’s board of directors. Omotenashi plays a central role in the service standards of Japan Airlines (JAL) as well. “All of us are encouraged to use our initiative and imagination when dealing with passengers,” the airline states on its website. “We put ourselves in their shoes, anticipate their needs and act accordingly.” And expectations are not confined to the cabin’s service team. Flight captains, for example, guide passengers through the

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ins and outs of in-flight safety, as JAL has found travelers feel more secure hearing this information from those in control of the airplane. Ground crews, too, make sure to wave at embarking passengers, providing guests with a warm send-off. Both airlines carry the concept forward by adapting it to an evolving customer base. ANA acknowledges a need for a wider range

of foreign-language services, and says it can always do better to tackle unpredictable circumstances that test the limits of omotenashi’s apparent effortlessness. With the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on the horizon, Japan’s airlines are working harder than ever to bolster their services, hoping to welcome the world with an omotenashi experience it will never forget.

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Digital Transactions Alipay is by far China’s preferred cashless, contactless payment platform, but that hasn’t stopped other players from entering the high stakes market. by Caroline Ku illustration Ricardo Polo

Decades ago, cash, not credit, was the preferred payment of the Chinese. But Alipay, an online payment platform similar to PayPal, found a way to turn cold, hard yuan into digital money by linking to users’ bank accounts. Amadeus, a tech leader in the travel industry, advised travel companies to accept Alipay if they want to capitalize on the Chinese tourism boom. Many Asia-Pacific carriers have done so for years, and recently, Delta and United have adopted the payment method, too. But what Alipay doesn’t have is the strong social media following that local competitor Tenpay has through WeChat – China’s wildly popular messaging app with integrated payment ability. Apart from Asian carriers, Air France, British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa use the platform as a promotional tool with their Chinese customers. And although the People’s Bank of China-affiliated UnionPay has been slow to enter the mobile payment game, it’s hoping its all-encompassing QuickPass that processes Apple, Samsung and homegrown Huawei and Xiaomi payment, will win over users in the domestic market. As these companies eke it out in China, Alipay has its sights set on the global market, with a growing number of Chinese travelers wanting to pay with Alipay no matter where they are.

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Alipay China Market Share: 36.4% on mobile Android and Apple how it works Transactions made by scanning a QR code within app.

airline adoption in apac AirAsia, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, HK Express, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Spring Airlines, Thai Airways, Tigerair outside apac Delta Air Lines, United Airlines

Tenpay China Market Share: 35.4% on mobile Android and Apple how it works Transactions made by scanning a QR code within app.

airline adoption in apac AirAsia, China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines, Tianjin Airlines outside apac None so far.

UnionPay China Market Share: 12.6% on mobile Android and Apple how it works Sends payment details over NFC.

airline adoption in apac AirAsia, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Dragonair, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Spring Airlines, Tigerair, Thai Airways outside apac Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Air France, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Finnair, KLM, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa

Samsung Pay China Market Share: Entered market in Q1 2016. on mobile Galaxy devices how it works Sends payment details over NFC.

airline adoption in apac None so far. outside apac None so far.

Apple Pay China Market Share: Entered market in Q1 2016. on mobile iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad how it works Sends payment details over NFC.

airline adoption in apac None so far. outside apac Delta Air Lines, easyJet, Emirates, JetBlue

Source: 2015 Global E-Commerce Payments Guide, Adyen

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Local Flavors The desire to appeal to local tastes around the world can sometimes result in sky-high culinary mash-ups. by Jason Kessler illustration Nelson Aedo

When American Airlines introduced its international route from Los Angeles to Auckland, it proudly crowed about serving items local to New Zealand, such as grass-fed, grain-finished Wakanui beef, as well as ice cream and cheese from Kiwi dairy specialist Kapiti. It’s all part of a plan to unite local and global in order to create a destinationspecific experience for international passengers. According to the airline,

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“Every premium international route is researched to bring cultural tastes of the region to our customers and locally sourced produce from the US origin.” This hyper-local-global ethos is taking hold on carriers all over the world. There may be no better example of this internationally local spirit than on Hawaiian Airlines, where not only are the menus created by beloved Hawaiian chefs, they’re created with staple Hawaiian ingredients as well. Last December, the airline announced that Top Chef contestant Lee Anne Wong (of Oahu’s Koko Head Cafe) would be its newest featured chef, and her onboard menu would include items like guava shoyu kalbi short ribs with mashed truffle kalo (aka taro, a root vegetable), and a mahi mahi poke omelet with spicy masago aioli and hash brown potatoes. By offering the unique flavors of Hawaiian cuisine, passengers are able

to truly experience their destination before they even land. Some airlines have been stretching their local roots even further, but sometimes the efforts get lost in translation. Take Korean Air, for example, which offered poutine, the ultimate Quebecois cold-weather comfort food, on flights last winter in conjunction with the Super Bowl. Nobody will complain when a dish of fries, gravy and cheese curds shows up on their tray tables, but a Korean airline serving a French-Canadian specialty in honor of American football takes the word “globalization” to a whole new level. As airlines strive to find the right point of intersection between local and global, one thing remains clear: Whether it’s special beef from New Zealand or guavatinged Hawaiian short ribs, passengers will always appreciate the effort – as long as it’s delicious.

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When Fish Fly by Katie Sehl

Travelers sitting down to enjoy master sushi chef Ike Aikasa’s menu at Origami Sushi may not realize that they have Japan Airlines, in part, to thank for their fresh fish. Origami joins Surf Bar Oases and Saison, the latter featuring a bounteous raw bar, within airport experience firm OTG’s culinary overhaul of Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal C, and adds to a growing list of airport restaurants with fresh fish on offer. Prized for its diet-friendly vitamins and omega-3s, and its acceptance among many of the faith-abiding, seafood is as on-trend as it ever was; but for airport chefs, there’s more to it than that. “We are super-focused on having a very fresh fish program here,” says Ariel Fox, OTG’s Terminal chef de cuisine at Newark,

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whose menu at Saison includes Maine peekytoe crab, trout, and oysters from both coasts. “[The seafood] is getting flown in and dropped off here, so it’s pretty much as fresh as it gets” – a fact that may be responsible for luring big fish, such as Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse, to airport ponds. The idea of fish as air cargo, not surprisingly, came from the Japanese. As Sasha Issenberg explains in his book The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy, in 1971, Akira Okazaki, recently appointed to a leadership role in Japan Airlines’ cargo division, had a one-way traffic problem on his hands. The airline’s cargo holds were flying full of electronics en route to the United States, but nearly empty on return to Narita Airport.

In his quest for an import market to tap, Okazaki realized that fish – more perishable than fruits and vegetables that could be more affordably transported by sea, less regulated than meat and, of course, a staple of the Japanese diet – was the answer. “The value and sensitivity to decay perfectly matched the economics of air freight,” writes Issenberg. A stroll through Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji fish market revealed that tuna, once unappealing to Japanese palates, was coming into vogue.

“The value and sensitivity to decay perfectly matched the economics of air freight.” Sasha Issenberg

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PHOTOS: ALASKA AIRLINES; LATINSTOCK; SURF

What does aviation have to do with the price of fish and the wave of seafood restaurants hitting airports? Plenty.

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With the help of the airline’s lone Canadian cargoman, Okazaki secured an angler along Prince Edward Island’s bluefin-filled Atlantic shores. Hook and line secured, there was only one catch: transporting the tuna, good for four days, in refrigerated containers light enough to fly and cool enough to maintain freshness without causing so-called meat burn.

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New refrigerated containers were designed to fit in the lower cargo belly of DC-8 aircraft, and five fish, four days and $40,000 later, Atlantic bluefin tuna was sold for the first time at Tsukiji market on August 14, 1972, for a remarkable 1,200 yen per kilo. Remembered in Japanese folklore as “The day of the flying fish,” Okazaki’s acumen led to a boom for Japan Airlines’ inbound freight unit: Just two years later, bluefin constituted 90 percent of its cargo from Canada. But, more significantly, it also ushered in the rise of a global fresh fish economy. Japan Airlines’ advancements in refrigerated containers and seafood cargo – it even produced a manual for fish dealers on how to ready tuna to fly – have been improved on over the years and adopted by several airlines. Qatar Airways Cargo and Korean Air Cargo are among the many that fly to the North Atlantic coast to export fresh seafood to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Demand for live lobster, particularly, has skyrocketed in recent years.

Alaska Air Cargo flies upward of 25 million pounds of seafood each year – approximately 19 million pounds of salmon, halibut, cod and live king crab direct from Alaska. For the past six years, the airline has celebrated the annual rite of spring by flying the first catch of Alaska’s Copper River salmon to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) for its yearly Copper Chef Cook-Off. Copper River salmon is a big catch for Seattle’s restaurateurs who, back in the 1980s, stirred up competition for the export of the salmon, which, like the bluefin tuna, was mostly being flown to Japan. The fatty, deep red salmon swims a grueling 300 miles up the Copper River’s glacial currents before being scooped up by local anglers and flown down to Seattle, where it lands on menus at Ray’s Boathouse, Ivar’s seafood restaurants, Anthony’s restaurants and other fine establishments. But those looking for the freshest catch may not need to look much farther than Anthony’s or Ivar’s Sea-Tac outposts, where the freshest Copper River salmon is delivered straight from sky to table.

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C-Suite

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Goh Choon Phong Chief Executive Officer Singapore Airlines

Goh Choon Phong chose Singapore Airlines over an academic career in artificial intelligence – using his own smarts to lead the legacy carrier, known for premium service and product, into an era where low-cost reigns. by Katie Sehl

n August 30, 1990, Goh Choon Phong, a 27-year-old hopeful graduate of MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department, had come to a crossroads. With three bachelor’s degrees – computer science, management science and cognitive science – already under his belt, he had just submitted his thesis, “Model Selection for Solving Kinematics Problems,” in fulfillment of his master’s of science degree. “Working on this thesis has been a wonderful experience, intermittent frustrations notwithstanding,” Goh wrote in his acknowledgments. “I have learned much from my own follies, and have benefited even more from the wisdom of many others.” Supervising his research at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was Randall “Randy” Davis, whose seminal work in knowledge-based systems and human–computer interaction undoubtedly shaped Goh’s studies. “Each discussion session with him was intense, thoughtprovoking and most refreshing. I hope I have learned at least a fraction of his teachings,” Goh wrote. Goh’s academic pursuits at MIT were encouraged by his parents and his older brother and sisters, and sponsored by Singapore Airlines. After completing his master’s degree, he faced two options: pursuing a PhD in artificial intelligence or returning to Singapore to work

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for the airline. “At that point, everything seemed more fascinating. The idea of doing research and contributing to knowledge creation was particularly fascinating to me,” he told Bloomberg nearly 25 years later. “Had I really [done my PhD], this could have led to a different career path for me, that’s the truth.” But Singapore Airlines called him back to join as a cadet administrative officer, and he answered.

breaking with tradition The history of Singapore Airlines (SIA) begins with the first flights of Malayan Airways Limited on May 1, 1947, but the airline truly came of age in the 1970s, when it cut ties completely with its Malaysian forerunner. Singapore was emerging as the economic hub of Asia, and while Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s government worked to quell the revolutionary hippies of the decade with bans against Beatles-esque hairdos, the young city-state’s flag carrier was preparing its premium-brand image for the world stage. Over the span of the decade, the airline would launch its now iconic Singapore Girl campaign, celebrate its first of many transcontinental flights and expand its fleet to include the Queen of the Skies, and even the Concorde briefly, in partnership with British Airways. >

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After earning a reputation that preceded itself, SIA was able to successfully coast through the turn of the millennium, maintaining its premium standard through regular upgrades as leadership changed hands. But, when Goh succeeded Chew Choon Seng in January 2011, the airline’s profit was at a record low. Chew had steered the airline through a rocky seven years that included recovery from the SARS outbreak and the economic slump in 2007–09. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific had become a formidable adversary at the same time as the Gulf carriers put pressure on Singapore’s premium stronghold. In the low-cost space, AirAsia, Lion Air and others added competition in an increasingly busy airspace just when corporate travelers began to tighten their belts. “The time is appropriate for renewal of leadership in Singapore Airlines,” Chew said as he passed the torch. At 47, Goh had been with the airline for more than 20 years, having served in various divisions from marketing to IT, finance and cargo. As analysts questioned whether the airline’s glory days were in the past, Goh – an unfamiliar face to most – grabbed the reins of a group known for its conservative, slow-moving nature and prepared to face the coming turbulent years head on.

multiply and conquer Goh’s implementation of a new strategic approach for the airline was swift and nimble. “I think everybody knows that SIA has always been focused on the premium segment of business, has always been focused on Singapore as a hub and has always been focused on the core airline business,” he said after being named CAPA Asia-Pacific Airline Chief Executive of the Year last year. “When the landscape changed quite drastically with the proliferation of low-cost carriers in the region, as well as the growth of the Gulf carriers, we knew that we’d have to change ourselves.” To adapt the airline to a new climate, Goh aggressively rolled out a four-pronged approach that involved strengthening its core business and services,

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“When the landscape changed ... we knew that we’d have to change ourselves.” Goh Choon Phong Singapore Airlines

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pursuing ancillary business streams, forging a multibrand airline portfolio and targeting emerging markets through joint ventures. In March of this year, the airline took delivery of the first of its 67 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on order. Plans to launch nonstop service of the A350-900 aircraft from Singapore to San Francisco, as early as October, will enable a key expansion of the airline’s network to the United States. And in 2018, the addition of the ultra-longrange version of the aircraft to its fleet will enable the airline to add increased capacity to the US and officially lay claim to the world’s longest flight. The entry of SIA’s A350 fleet into service was shortly followed with the opening of a $100-million Airbus Asia Training Centre, in partnership with Airbus, for pilot training at Seletar Aerospace Park. By investing in adjacent businesses, Goh hopes the company can leverage its skill set to tap new revenue streams. Singapore Airlines Group now comprises four airlines – SIA, SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair – covering a full spectrum of travel segments. Strategic partnerships with Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Air New Zealand, Turkish Airlines and high-value partner Virgin Australia have helped SIA quadruple its weekly codeshare sectors from approximately 2,000 to more than 8,000. By casting a wide net in a rapidly evolving marketplace, Goh told Business Times, “We now have the nimbleness, the flexibility, to adjust things if need be, even if the market changes.” >

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Romance of the Three Kingdoms

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Dating back to the 14th century and attributed to Chinese novelist Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms recounts the culmination of the Han Dynasty, starting in AD 168, to the dissolution of the Three Kingdoms and reunification in 280. While the novel brims with equal parts historical and mythical storytelling, Goh Choon Phong notes that within its folds there are also many business lessons to be found. “It’s not just about winning the territory and the war itself, but winning over the minds and support of the people,” he told CNN last year. “I think that’s quite important. In business, too, it’s not just about implementing strategy; it’s about how you bring everyone along as you implement those strategies.”

Overseas, joint partnerships have been signed to capitalize on growth in India and China’s fast-growing airspace, though neither market has been without its challenges. With more than 20 years invested in breaking ground in the Indian market, the country’s 5/20 rule, which forces domestic carriers to operate for five years with a fleet of 20 aircraft before introducing international service, has mired SIA’s 49-percent stake venture in Vistara. “It’s not going to be a walk in the park,” Goh told Bloomberg. “However, we believe that the huge potential is there and we want to have an early presence.” An unsuccessful attempt to buy a stake in China Eastern Airlines in 2008 and recent hurdles faced by its Bangkok-based venture in NokScoot have hindered SIA’s network growth in China and Thailand, too. But among the group’s four airlines, it’s managed to boost service to 24 destinations in China. “We continue to be open to

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potential new ventures that make sense for the company, especially if it positions the company for the future,” he told Bloomberg. “So, if there is an opportunity for some sort of venture in China, we’ll look at it.”

beyond the call of duty Responding to the call of duty has underpinned Goh’s entire career with Singapore Airlines – from the moment he submitted his master’s thesis in 1990 to stepping up to the challenge of leadership in 2011. “I have no regrets,” he told Bloomberg with a smile, while looking back on his decision to join SIA over pursuing his PhD. In the little spare time that he’s had in the past five years, Goh has spent it playing tennis, actively volunteering for Community Chest – a nonprofit organization for the less fortunate – and even trying his hand once or twice a year as a flight attendant. “It’s about working with our people [on the front line] and experiencing what they experience,” he told a local paper last December. “With management’s attention, things do get expedited, which is helpful.” Leading by example has been the cornerstone of Goh’s quiet and efficient management of the airline – and has likely been why his staff has been so receptive to his direction for change. “Getting an organization to change focus is difficult enough,” he told Singapore Exchange. “Getting a complex organization to look beyond the success formula of Singapore and core airline operations, to diversify geographically and into new areas of growth was really tough. Kudos to the teams for how they all rallied together and executed as a whole.”

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Points of Purchase From booking to post flight, the opportunities to buy while traveling are abundant. We look beyond the usual upsells at check-in and brand-name goods at the duty-free to uncover some of the more underrated moments to propose a purchase. illustration Fabrizio Morra

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Book and Buy by Marisa Garcia

For airlines to be successful retailers, the first point of sale is a critical juncture for earning the trust and loyalty of prospective customers. With retail portfolios that go far beyond basic airfare, understanding when and how to push ancillary offers is key to making the sale. A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey found 31 percent of consumers would like to make ground transport arrangements when booking. In hopes of tapping this segment, Alaska Airlines refined its online booking process for dynamic and personalized car rental offers. Working with Oracle Maxymiser, the airline explored 72 design and placement combinations, targeting the campaign toward visitors making reservations. As a result, 70 percent of visitors booked car rentals within 15 minutes of seeing the offer – a 12 percent rise in upsales.

window shopping Online shopping habits can also give airline retail a healthy lift. British Airways, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic are among the airlines

that offer customers pre-flight shopping from their onboard catalogs during the booking process, for delivery in flight or at home. According to research from Amadeus, following up with customers within 48 hours of a completed booking is an optimal time frame to encourage more purchases. Seventy-six percent of travelers say that context-aware e-mail offers are more persuasive. Amadeus also recommends re-engaging travelers a few days before departure, when travel-related logistics are being arranged and finalized. Offers related to parking, transfers, luggage and other practical needs are all likely to be well received at this time.

checking in Airport kiosks can do double duty as retail portals, too. “Kiosks, of course, never forget to upsell,” Ryan Buell, assistant professor, Harvard Business School, said in an interview with Harvard Business Review.

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Consumer technology specialist NCR finds that roughly 25 percent of passengers are willing to buy ancillaries on airport kiosks, so airlines are primed to make smart offers to passengers during the check-in process. Plus, the added dwell time created by speedy self-service technology gives travelers more time to shop at airline retail outlets, such as SWISS Shop or Lufthansa’s WorldShops. United Airlines’ and OTG’s Gate Lounge concept, currently available at Newark Liberty International Airport and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, brings purchasing power to passengers’ fingertips. With a variety of seating configurations equipped with connected iPads, travelers can order food, drinks or last-minute travel items – and cash in their MileagePlus award miles as payment. Travelers can also use their miles to pay for goodies, such as snacks or neck cushions at CIBO Express Gourmet Markets.

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Retail

Moving on Up by Kristina Velan

According to a survey conducted by Global Strategy Group in 2009, over half of American adults would rather be stuck in traffic, go on a blind date or visit the dentist than sit in a middle seat on an airplane. Brad Pursel decided he was through with sitting idly by while he and fellow passengers endured the middle seat, so he founded Seateroo in 2014. The service allows travelers to swap seats by bidding via an app. While the minimum bid is set at $5, the average price users are willing to pay for a better economy seat on a short-haul flight is around $20. But, according to Pursel, this amount grows steadily as flight length increases. He cites a decrease in seat pitch and more personalization as the reasons why a slew of similar services has emerged over the past decade: “Given

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the increased ability for consumers to customize products and experiences to their specific desires, passengers are more interested in in-flight comfort than they were in the past.” Seat upgrade services are proponents of the sharing economy, which has gained momentum in recent years as companies like Airbnb and Uber facilitate peer-to-peer transactions. Plusgrade, which launched in 2009, counts over 55 airlines as customers, including Singapore Airlines, Virgin America and Hawaiian Airlines. Real-time bidding services like SeatBoost and Seatfrog enable passengers to upgrade until minutes before boarding. With more than 13,700 users, SeatBoost has upgraded 94 percent of available seats on Virgin America flights departing from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and San

Francisco International Airport since the program went live this past spring. Air New Zealand currently offers the option to upgrade to Skycouch – a row of three economy seats with a footrest extension that creates a flexible space, which is more conducive to sleeping on long-haul flights. China Airlines and Brazil’s Azul have licensed Air New Zealand’s Skycouch design, while Air Astana came up with its own “Sleeper Class” service. Seat upgrade services have likely been so successful because they’re mutually beneficial – the passenger can enjoy an improved in-flight experience while the airline generates ancillary revenue. Thanks to these services, passengers can bid adieu to the days of gazing forlornly at a vacant aisle seat while caught in the middle.

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À la Carte by Caroline Ku

The sound of a galley cart coming down the aisle signals an opportunity to buy on board. These days, it’s not necessarily the luxury duty-free items like the Montblanc belts or bottles of Chanel perfume that are flying off the carts – it’s sandwiches. According to GuestLogix’s Airline Onboard Retail Market Assessment, buy-on-board sales growth has been driven entirely by fresh food, led by low-cost European airlines like Norwegian, easyJet and Ryanair and their no-frills models that keep airfares low, but means passengers have to fork over a few extra euros for a coffee or croissant. The trend of lower price points also echoes in duty-free shops. “We’re not selling the luxury end of the market anymore,” says Tony Detter, managing

Store in the Sky Korean Air’s SkyShop is a duty-free store on board its A380 aircraft. The airline removed 13 seats from the main deck to make room for display units that sell expensive goods such as perfumes, lotions and jewelry. While most airlines are squeezing in seats to increase revenue, Korean Air maintains SkyShop is profitable and recently introduced the store on its daily Seoul – London route. On a smaller scale, China Eastern Airlines converted one of its galley walls into a duty-free showcase. Premium-cabin passengers can window-shop while sipping exquisite teas and enjoying snacks in the business-class bar.

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director of Inflight Sales Group (ISG), a Hong Kong-based in-flight retail supplier, in an interview with Duty-Free News International. “We’re really riding the bridge brands and a lot more [items at the] entry price point.” One item that’s been particularly popular with ISG’s clients, which include carriers like Cathay Pacific and AirAsia, are fashion watches. In addition to offering everyday items, Detter says it’s important to change up the product offering. “What’s really been important is keeping the assortment as fresh as possible … which means more wearable technology, more beauty devices. We want to have the newest product, the newest version at the same time the local markets do.” As for pushing trolley sales, sometimes the items have to be in plain view for passengers to consider them. Trolley Toppers is a transparent display case

that does just that. “Passengers seeing in-flight sales items well displayed at eye level were more tempted to make that impulse additional purchase,” says Ken Griffiths, head of Product Design, Trolley Toppers. After one Middle Eastern airline tested the product in flight, it ordered the toppers for its entire fleet. And while shopping through the in-flight entertainment systems allows passengers more privacy for their purchases, seeing one passenger buy a package of hickory smoked almonds might tempt another passenger to make a purchase, too. “Busy-looking stores generate their own excitement,” says Pedro Gardete, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, in a report on in-flight retail behavior conducted for an American airline. “Simply being on a full flight and watching others buy snacks causes passengers to spend more.”

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Silver Screens by Marisa Garcia

Advanced in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, especially those powered with connectivity, create new opportunities for airlines to redefine onboard retail. As airlines explore the possibilities, they are also helping to shape tomorrow’s IFE systems. All Nippon Airways was first to look at the screen on the seat as more than a cinematic display in 2010, when it

introduced a food and beverage order service via seatback screens. Virgin America launched a similar service on its Red IFE platform with a flirty twist: buying drinks for other passengers. By letting passengers keep an open tab in flight, Virgin simplified orders and boosted sales. Other airlines offer light food and beverages on IFE systems, but some,

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airplane sneakers

In 2011, airBaltic began selling airplanebranded kicks in its online shop. EasyJet’s high-tech Sneakairs may just be available in the near future, too.

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In 2009, Virgin America became the first airline to allow passengers to use the IFE system to offset their carbon footprint by way of donations to Carbonfund.org.

like Japan Airlines and Lufthansa, have thought beyond snacks by selling dutyfree items in flight via their wireless portals. Connectivity expands the number of products airlines can sell, facilitating cross-branded partnerships and making payments more secure, which gives airlines the confidence to sell higher-cost items. “What is happening now with the new systems coming to the market is that we can now start to optimize ancillaries and loyalty,” Juha Järvinen, chief commercial officer, Finnair, said during a presentation at APEX TECH in June. Finnair fine-tuned the retail opportunities facilitated through Wi-Fi by forging unique partnerships with Finnish fashion houses Makia and Ivana Helsinki, selling outfits from their collections on the airline’s Nordic Sky Wi-Fi portal, accessible on seatback or personal electronic devices. The airline has also added Minna Parikka ladies’ shoes to complete the look. The next big leap in airline retail could be personalized offers, using data gathered through IFE analytics. We’re not quite there yet, but watch this space. “It’s in a nascent phase across the industry,” says Cedric Rhoads, executive director, Corporate Sales and Product Management at Panasonic Avionics. “It’s definitely part of where we all want to get to.”

scratch cards

health-care rentals

Passengers with sore feet flying on All Nippon Airways can rent a Fumigoro foot roller to iron out aches and pains.

Ryanair has courted some controversy with the charity scratch cards it sells to passengers on board. In 2010, a passenger ate his £8,930 winning card when he was told he could not claim prize money immediately.

surprise and delight

Programs such as KLM’s Wannagives and Virgin Atlantic’s Celebrating On Board allow the groundbound to surprise flyers with gifts up in the air, from champagne to virtual kisses.

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Upward Mobility by Ari Magnusson

Airlines are finding creative ways to boost revenues by adopting an e-commerce approach to onboard retailing through wireless IFE (wIFE) platforms. PaxLife launched its wIFE platform earlier this year. In addition to giving passengers access to entertainment, it delivers tailored advertising streamed directly to their personal devices. Premium video, native executions, branded-content channels, display and click-to-basket shopping are among the advertising opportunities available. “Airlines will get some very powerful insight around how passengers use their devices on board, what sort of things they watch, buy and interact with. It will undoubtedly mean a better relationship and, inevitably, stronger ancillary revenues,” says Tim Letheren, director and cofounder of Affable Digital, a mobile advertising and marketing consultancy.

after all,” says Letheren, who worked with PaxLife. “On the opposite side of the fence, the media industry loves the in-flight audience, but finds it difficult in this digital age to justify spending in a world where there are few metrics and no chances to optimize.” Immfly similarly developed its wIFE media based on its belief that enriching a passenger’s journey can go hand in hand with opening up revenue opportunities. “Airlines are really keen to become more complete travel brands,” says Sara Ollé, Immfly’s marketing and communications manager. “And wireless platforms are helping to continue the passenger experience beyond the aircraft.”

The wIFE platform of the Barcelonabased company is used by Iberia Express under its Club Express Onboard brand. Immfly’s platform not only lets passengers download in-flight city guides, it also uses destination-specific promotions to encourage passengers to pre-book activities and airport transfer services in over 50 destinations during their flight, and stores tickets to their mobile devices. Product trials with the airline showed that on flights averaging two hours, passengers used the service for about 40 minutes. Arconics, Media inMotion, Piksel join a growing number of companies that are betting on improved advertising platforms via wIFE.

In a recent survey of 700 flyers, PaxLife found that 73 percent of flyers said they would be receptive to advertising. PaxLife’s airline-agnostic app Cloud10 allows the company to build a more long-term relationship with its users and harvest more relevant data. “What we have found is that passengers welcome advertising if it is relevant to them, and they understand the value exchange – this is how the web works,

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Retail Realities by Katie Sehl

With virtual reality (VR) starting to make its way on board, a host of new advertisers and ancillary revenue opportunities will surely follow. And the good news for stakeholders exploring this technology is that passengers will most likely welcome it. A recent report from Ericsson ConsumerLab found that customers rated using VR services to see items in real size and form when shopping online above all else – including “movies that play all around me” and “to watch sports from any viewer position.” Shopping online is as much a reality on the ground as it is an inescapability in flight – and retailers like Topshop are using VR to bring elements of traditional shopping into the process, especially

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when it comes to consumers’ desires to try before they buy. It’s a dilemma that’s been the bane of online retailers that see conversion rates hovering between two and four percent, versus up to 40 percent in stores, according to figures from SaleMove.com. For London Fashion Week FW14, Topshop partnered with marketing agency Inition to create a VR experience that enabled digital shoppers to select garments off the rack and evaluate the item from a 360-degree viewpoint. Etihad, United and Lufthansa are among the airlines that have offered “try before you fly” VR experiences, but opening the door to advertisers on board may reap ancillary dividends. Cyril Jean, CEO of PXCom, thinks the travel and hospitality market is ripe for this type of

immersive sales experience. “A couple of hotel chains and airlines have recently launched some tests enabling customers to discover their offerings from their seats,” he says. “For the moment, it’s more about marketing buzz and brand awareness … [But] 3-D and virtual reality in the tourism industry are breaking through, with a bright sky ahead.” Skylights’ immersive headsets currently fly on board XL Airways, and as the VR company’s CEO, David Dicko, points out, VR headsets create an ancillary revenue opportunity for airlines in themselves. “We’ve had traction with both classes; however, when in economy, it can be distributed and rented out as a premium entertainment ancillary service.”

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Final Sales by Marisa Garcia

A number of embedded and wireless IFE vendors have suggested that airlines could help improve the convenience of connected systems by offering destination services in the air: hotel reservations, tour packages, car rentals and other ground transport, as examples. With the right partnerships in place, airlines could profit from these bookings. PXCom announced this past April that it has partnered with IMM International to add advertising and revenue opportunities to its media. “According to a survey, during the flight, 80 percent of passengers are looking for destination-related services, regardless of the channel,” says Cyril Jean, PXCom’s CEO. Holiday carrier Thomson Airways empowers its crews with tablet devices for onboard service and plans for its crew to use these devices to act as “concierges in the sky.” Crew will advise passengers of activities available at their destination and make arrangements in flight. Air New Zealand first offered this type of concierge service in 2007.

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As a courtesy, Aeroflot already books taxis for customers in flight, on request, which shortens their waiting time at the terminal, with the added confidence of a pre-approved transport provider. The airline’s dispatcher makes these arrangements with established taxi partners, and customers pay a discounted Aeroflot fixed rate. Or how

Vacation Hot Spots Forget connectivity on board, what about “off board”? A number of airlines have begun retailing portable mobile hotspots for passengers who may have forgotten to secure data plans for travel abroad. Bitebird, a pocket 4G Wi-Fi hotspot from Air France-KLM and telecoms company Transatel, can be purchased from the airline’s website in exchange for money or miles. Philippine Airlines also offers myPALRoam service, which provides unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi in 87 countries.

about a bike? AirBaltic sells bicycles in its online shop for passengers who may prefer to travel lighter. Those making last-minute travel plans on Air New Zealand flights can peruse cached versions of TripAdvisor’s website – a service that has room to grow via in-flight connectivity. Finnair’s wireless Nordic Sky portal offers destination guides and lets customers book activities and tours. It also lets flyers pre-order taxis and rent cars. Finnair has also put forth one exciting prospect for the future to help busy flyers keep up with their high-speed lifestyles. The airline is considering adding a grocery pre-order servicem too. Partnering with the 24-hour market at its Helsinki airport terminal, Finnair could offer a menu of grocery items so that flyers can pick up their last-minute items before heading home to empty fridges. Just imagine never again coming home from an extended trip to discover you’re out of fresh milk. “Yes, please” is kyllä kiitos in Finnish, in case you’re wondering.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Passengers will fly with their own devices and their own content rights.â&#x20AC;?

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Michael Small

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Michael has served as Gogo’s president and CEO, as well as a member of its board, since 2010, and has more than 30 years of experience in the communications industry. Before joining Gogo, he was CEO and director of Centennial Communications Corporation for 10 years. He holds a BA from Colgate University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

To read Michael’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > APEX.AERO/ MICHAELSMALL

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id you choose the airline industry or did it choose you? I chose the airline industry because aircraft were the last and very promising frontier for the Internet. Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry? How hard it is to make a change to an aircraft. How do you see in-flight connectivity evolving over the coming years? In-flight connectivity will be faster, cheaper, ubiquitous, more reliable and will support many more applications. Competition among airlines will drive adoption of connectivity services. Do you have your sights set on any regions in particular for growth? We are narrowly and completely focused on the globe. What do you think is the most overlooked aspect of the passenger experience? Just how much and in how many ways the passenger experience can be improved with connectivity. Everyone understands the use case for a passenger Internet session. It is still less understood that connectivity will dramatically reduce turbulence and delays. It is also less understood that connectivity will reduce ticket prices (and improve airline profitability) by driving costs out, particularly maintenance and fuel costs.

How do content and entertainment expectations change for people when they are traveling? At this very moment, choice of content is going up dramatically, and costs are falling considerably. Passengers will fly with their own devices and their own content rights. How important is social media for an airline in the digital age? Very important. If travel isn’t a social media moment, I don’t know what is. What is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at work? Text and Tweet for Twee Dollars. Don’t ask. Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours? Flying on the Jimmy Ray and Gogo One, our test planes. What’s the one item you can’t travel without? My PED (and a government-issued ID, of course). Two things that you miss most about home when you’re traveling? My wife and kids. Your top three films of all time? Any three James Bond movies. If you could sit beside anyone on a plane, who would it be? Anyone sleeping (and not snoring).

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Jewel

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Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crown Jewel Already treasured as a world-class hub, Singapore Changi Airport will bedazzle air travelers with the 2019 opening of Jewel, a public marketplace, garden and international landmark all wrapped under an iconic glass dome.

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by Jasmin Legatos

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Jewel

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elevision personality and chef Anthony Bourdain knows his way around airports. With four travel-focused shows under his belt, he’s logged enough hours in terminals to distinguish good from bad. His favorite? Singapore Changi Airport. “It’s got it all,” he says. In the inaugural episode of The Layover in 2011, he declared it’s the airport you want to get stuck in. While his opinions can sometimes be controversial, when it comes to this particular issue, most agree that he’s right. It’s a leisure hub (yes, there are movie theaters, spas and video game decks), a modern architectural gem, a culinary cosmopolis, a green oasis and the sixthbusiest airport on the planet – in 2015, 55.4 million passengers passed through its doors. But instead of resting on its reputation, owner Changi Airport Group (CAG) has big plans for the future. A fourth terminal is slated to open at the end of 2017, and then there’s Jewel – a glassy doughnutshaped complex that CAG and its partner CapitaLand Mall Asia, the shopping mall arm of real estate giant CapitaLand, believe will give Singapore’s airport the edge amid intensifying global competition. Thanks to its lifestyle-first focus, it will also further cement Changi’s status not only as a transit point, but also as a destination for travelers seeking unique experiences.

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the jewel in the crown Once completed at the beginning of 2019, and coupled with Terminal 4, Singapore Changi Airport’s capacity will rise to 85 million passengers a year. While those beginning their journey in Singapore or transiting through the city-state are the project’s key demographic, Jewel will be open for all. “We are confident that passengers will choose to stop over at Changi just to visit Jewel,” says Hung Jean, CEO of Jewel Changi Airport Development, the project’s development and property management. It’s more than an airport project, Hung says. It’s a tourism project. Positioned in front of Terminal 1 on the former site of an open-air car park, Jewel will be a public space, intended for the enjoyment of destination tourists and locals alike. Running through a list of its future offerings, it’s easy to see the appeal, even if you call Singapore home. Jewel won’t just be an extension of the airport, it will be a 1.4 million square foot greenhouse, park and mall. At its core will be a jaw-dropping 130-foot-tall waterfall dubbed the Rain Vortex, fed by recycled rainwater. Surrounding the cascade will be 72,000 square feet of trees, plants, ferns and shrubs – a verdant paradise known as Forest Valley that stretches over the building’s five above-ground floors (the remaining five storeys will live below ground as parking facilities). >

Changi’s Legacy of Firsts

AIRPORT GARDENS Changi sowed the seed for airport gardens in the 1980s and now has spaces devoted to sunflowers, cacti, orchids – and butterflies. FREE LOCAL CALLS, AIRSIDE Yearning to call your loved one before boarding your flight? Telephone kiosks allowed travelers to make free local calls while in transit. JET BRIDGES Changi was among the first airports to construct sheltered walkways linking terminals and aircraft. Paid tours of the restricted area were available at $0.50 per person.

1980s 1981 92

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ROOFTOP SWIMMING POOL Situated atop the Aerotel Airport Transit Hotel is a pool, complete with showers, a Jacuzzi and poolside bar. Take a dip while waiting for your flight.

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Jewel

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“To travelers, Changi Airport is an icon of Singapore; to Singaporeans, a welcome landmark telling us that we have arrived home. To me, it is a part of the Singapore identity – a symbol of renewal and change.” Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore

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WHISKEY APPRECIATION ACCREDITATION Changi staff went through extensive training, tasting, nosing and learning how whiskey is made to enhance the airport shopping experience for Scotch. AIRPORT GAME SHOW Changi entertained with a game show that tested travelers’ trivia knowledge. It featured a set, host, live audience and prizes in the form of Changi-dollars.

NEXT-GEN LUGGAGE AND BODY SCANNERS Changi was the first airport in Asia to test new hand luggage and body scanners designed to speed up passenger processing.

AUTOMATED CHECK-IN SYSTEM Changi launched a six-month trial of an automated system that integrated check-in and immigration processes for departing travelers.

24-HOUR HELLO KITTY CAFÉ The world’s first 24-hour Hello Kitty café, set among orchids, features merchandise, food and beverages with the cartoon cat’s imprint.

THE A380 As Singapore Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A380, Changi was the first airport to welcome the world’s largest commercial aircraft.

2002

2004

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seamless and convenient,” Hung says. The new project will also impact the existing Terminal 1, allowing it to increase its handling capacity through more spacious arrival and baggage claim halls, a revamped departure check-in hall and new ground transport facilities, she adds.

“We wanted to create a space where activities that were traditionally outdoors in nature are brought to an indoor environment,” Robin Goh, a CAG spokesperson, told CNN in 2014. It’s an idea that’s already proven popular at the airport. Terminal 3, for instance, features its own five-storey vertical garden, a huge living wall that takes advantage of the building’s see-through design. Elsewhere in the airport, there are butterfly, cactus, orchid and sunflower gardens. These features and Jewel’s planned green spaces are in line with Singapore’s reputation as a city in a garden, Hung says. Nonetheless, traveler experience is at the heart of the airport’s expansion. Connected to Terminal 1 through an expanded arrival 94

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hall and to the other terminals via walkways, Jewel makes it easy for travelers in transit or starting their journey in Singapore to enjoy the space. Early-check-in facilities and baggage drops mean they can explore worry-free. A 130-room hotel named Yotel, the “affordable luxury” brand with outposts at London Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, will give those with longer stopovers a place to rest before hopping on their next flight. Jewel will also provide dedicated spaces for travelers continuing their journey via cruise or coach, thereby tapping into an important market segment, Hung explains. These facilities will include specific waiting areas, baggage transfer services and shuttles to the ferry terminals. “It will be

Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie and his firm Safdie Architects, the glass and steel complex balances the needs of its plant life with the comfort of its patrons. “Jewel was conceived as a spatial and functional integration of airport facilities, a major retail marketplace and an oasis garden of extraordinary scale,” Safdie explains. “These various functions are juxtaposed in such a way that they positively impact each other. The several levels of retail are permeated by vertical and horizontal openings to the garden.” From the outside, the building will be a landmark of the city-state’s urban landscape. “It will glow at night and afford dramatic views from all surrounding areas,” he adds. Safdie knows what it takes to construct a landmark: The architect and his team were also responsible for Singapore’s hallmark Marina Bay Sands resort. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

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designing a new landmark

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jewel by the numbers

90,000 m2 RETAIL AREA

21,700 m2 INDOOR GARDENS AND ATTRACTIONS

130

HOTEL ROOMS

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134,000 m2 SITE AREA

18,500 m2

FACILITIES FOR AIRPORT OPS

2,500

PARKING SPACES

Despite only being in the construction phase – piling has just been completed with ongoing structural work taking place – the project has already garnered accolades from the design world. In July, it won an International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. It was one of the few yet-to-be-completed works to earn the distinction and was chosen because of how it aims to reinvent the definition of the modern airport and how it strives to bring together a park, a marketplace and airport facilities under one roof.

connecting local to global Singapore Changi Airport’s pedigree already puts Singapore front and center. Dining options let passengers get a taste of its famed hawker fare at the 24-hour Singapore Food Street. At the same time, it brings in world flavors, whether in the form of a French boulangerie or a Japanese ramen outpost. Jewel continues this pattern. The shops, for instance, won’t only be the big brands travelers are used to seeing over and over

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in airport halls. “We want the world to meet Singapore and for Singapore to meet the world,” Hung says. Changi will work with local brands, introduce artisan showcases and partner with craftspeople. The plan is to also introduce international players that are new to Singapore and Asia. It’s about making the retail experience a process of discovery for our visitors, Hung adds. Discovery is a key tenet of Changi’s lifestyle mandate, whether through special projects like the Social Tree, a nearly 30-foot-tall interactive installation that displays photos and videos snapped via on-site touchscreen photo booths, or one-off events like a Star Wars exhibition featuring photo opportunities with life-size X-Wing and TIE fighters. Its Kinetic Rain sculptures in Terminal 1 mesmerizes passengers, while its free Singapore sling sample at the Raffles Long Bar in Terminal 3 undoubtedly delights and puts any tensions regarding upcoming flights at bay. With Jewel, Changi will take its reputation as a favorite airport to new heights and raise the bar for airports worldwide.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social media is very important. It is an easy, personalized and quick way to interact with your passengers.â&#x20AC;?

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Ryanne Van Der Eijk

THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT WILL BE:

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Senior Vice-President Customer Experience KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

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Ryanne has an extensive background in the hospitality and travel business in the Netherlands and abroad. As a results-oriented people manager and executive, she maintains a continuous focus on changing an operational company into a customerdriven organization. After more than 20 years with KLM in various management roles, she now oversees Customer Experience for the airline, reporting to the CEO.

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hat are some of the hurdles currently faced by an airline trying to improve its customer experience? It’s important to have all staff, not just customer-facing staff, realize how they contribute to the customer journey. We are always looking for ways to improve the 360-degree feedback of our customers and have staff apply the right information at the right time. How important is social media for an airline in the digital age? Social media is very important. It is an easy, personalized and quick way to interact with your passengers. However, at times of disruptions, it is almost impossible to keep up with all those personal contacts. What new technology do you think will have the most impact on the airline passenger experience? I think all technologies that have human interactions will have the biggest impact. They also need to be good and up to standards. But it’s important to remember the personal interactions will make the difference. Is there anything you think the hospitality industry is doing well that the airline industry could improve on? Treating every passenger as an individual. Call them personally instead of sending

standardized letters. Listen to their feedback and apply it when possible. Improve the 360-degree feedback of your passengers so all staff are aware of the customer experience. Train your staff inline with hospitality standards. If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing? Working for charity abroad. Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours? The extensive range of challenges that come across my desk. What’s the one item you can’t travel without? My iPhone. Something that only a frequent flyer would understand? That not everything can be fixed right away. Providing a good explanation is crucial in keeping frequent flyers loyal. Two things that you miss most about home when you’re traveling? My favorite breakfast and my kids. Your top three films of all time? The Power of One, Sliding Doors and The Best of Youth.

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Find Your Interior An A350 XWB cabin is a vessel for the onboard experience. There are thousands of options. Airbusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Customer Definition Centre is where airlines are guided to find the right one for them.

PHOTO: AIRBUS

by Caroline Ku

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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ooking down the seemingly neverending hall, most visitors are in awe when they enter the Inspire Room, the centerpiece of Airbus’ A350 XWB Customer Definition Centre (CDC). For effect, it’s almost pitch-black inside. The only light emanates from high-set screens that run the length of the room, looping satellite footage of the Earth at night. Light beams bloom from London, Beijing and Dubai, representing departing flights from the world’s megacities. They bounce from screen to screen in rhythm with sparse, ethereal music. To the visitor, it feels as if you’re floating in outer space, reflecting on the state of air travel and the potential it holds. A row of rooms lines each side of the hall, each concealing a unique concept of what a cabin interior could look like. Inside fuselage number one is T Airways, a cabin with subdued colors that might cater to business-attired professionals, whose in-flight agendas involve Wi-Fi and in-seat power. Fuselage number two holds Fun Air, an interior with rainbow-hued seats that

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Airbus

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“If you just put seats in without a story behind them, that would be boring.” Ingo Wuggetzer Airbus might cater to vacationers, who order mai tais en route to their tropical destinations. “We create a theme of what the virtual airline is about and then we apply it in the fabrics, in the design, in the seats to create a real specific atmosphere that inspires customers,” says Ingo Wuggetzer, vicepresident, Cabin Marketing, Airbus. “If you just put seats in here without any story behind them, that would be boring.”

a personal greeting The CDC is where airlines go to outfit their A350 cabin interiors. Guests are invited to stay at on-site apartments while they spend their days roaming the many rooms in the building, exploring, learning and picking the finishings to personalize their aircraft. Representatives from Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Finnair may have been among the site’s first visitors. Subtle industrial design details, such as a decorative hardwood circle on the floor in the exact diameter of an A350 fuselage, enhance the experience. “The building itself is a real tool,” says Eric Ezell, head of the CDC. “The architecture is defined by the A350 XWB definition process.” Airbus sets the tone for the experience by placing the country flag of every incoming airline at the welcome desk. Lounges, prayer rooms and other amenities also help to make guests feel at home during their stay. Even the decorative LED wall that displays more than 16 million colors, showcasing the A350’s sophisticated cabin lighting system, is set to reflect the airline’s brand color. >

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“When customers come to the CDC … it’s not where things start,” Ezell says. “It’s basically where things come together.” Located within the Hamburg Aviation complex, the site is in close proximity to aerospace partners, which helps to accelerate any processes that involve suppliers. “The customer only has to travel once to find all the customization elements and tools under one roof, including the experts of Airbus and risk-sharing partners to answer all their questions,” Ezell explains. Gone are the Excel charts, the slideshows and the endless scheduling of meetings that used to overwhelm the definition process. Inside the CDC, decisions are fast-forwarded through highly intelligent software, virtual reality, 3-D walkthroughs and physical mockups that enable customers to envision many cabin interiors before choosing the right one. Take, for example, the touchscreen kiosk that scrolls through a multitude of materials and 104

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color combinations for a lavatory countertop in just a few minutes. “Normally, it would have taken months just to make a decision on some specific topics,” says Wuggetzer. Now, the entire process takes only about 12 months. “If there is a certain solution you have in mind, but are not sure about, we can build it like Lego pieces, do it virtually or do it in real size, one-to-one ratio to find the best solution fast.” Much like a shopping mall, separate rooms and areas focus on specific design elements for the A350 XWB. In the Design Studio, customers can get a feel for the textures and textiles of different trim and finish themes, from Exotic Fusion to Modern Simplicity. Inside the Play Room, the latest in-flight entertainment options from Panasonic Avionics, Thales and Zodiac are on full display. “The purpose is to help airlines find their perfect cabin interior, down to whether or not they need a couple of inches more or less,” says Wuggetzer.

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artificial natural environment Testing things in their physical space, simulating the cabin environment as accurately as possible, is imperative. Jet engine noise, for example, dampens unpleasant sounds. During one visit, a customer remarked that the mechanical screeching of a trash compactor seemed exceptionally loud. Airbus employees realized that on an airplane, the hum of the jet engine muffles the sound – so they added a feature that simulates the aural in-flight atmosphere to account for this. Now, when Wuggetzer demonstrates the trash compactor, he pushes a button that starts a jet engine murmur, reducing the compactor sound with white noise. Cabin lighting is also a factor when imitating the onboard experience. An airline may request a complete dinner setup with food and tableware to see how various colors Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Airbus

Attention is paid to tiny details throughout the process. Cabin mock-ups even include National Geographic magazines, screens showing a George Clooney movie and cappuccino drinks with latte art flourishes.

“You can test, feel and define everything in relation to each other.”

PHOTOS: AIRBUS; KATIE SEHL

Eric Ezell Airbus might affect passengers’ appetites. Even if a fish fillet is grilled to perfection, placed under green light, it can be off-putting. Amber is the best hue for in-flight mealtime, much like the candlelit ambience of a fine restaurant. Even picking out a galley kitchen can involve multiple trials. An airline may bring several trays of the same meal and conduct Airline Passenger Experience Association

blind taste tests to determine which oven masters the art of heating broccoli, chicken penne or coffee to just the right temperature. “Everything is possible,” Ezell says, referring to the CDC’s various labs. “It’s a working environment that allows you to test, feel and define everything in relation to each other.”

depth perception Once parts of the cabin have been defined, airlines can see their A350s come together through the magic of virtual reality. This happens in the A350 XWB Cabin Concept Centre, located a stone’s throw from Airbus’ CDC, which is also in the Hamburg Aviation complex. By projecting a cabin interior mock-up on three sides of a rectangular room, plus the ceiling and the floor, Airbus customers can get a sense of the space, can physically walk through transitions between cabin classes or see the difference between a nine- and 10-abreast configuration, for

example. “Virtual reality really allows us to dive into the individual cabin layout,” Ezell says. “Here we can fully reflect the customer’s selection.” All the materials and options that were selected during the definition process, including countertops, fabric and in-flight entertainment hardware, can be realized through virtual reality, down to the logo on the headrest cover. But defining a cabin doesn’t end with a three-dimensional digital rendering. “With light and trim and finishings on screens, you always have to keep in mind that projections can give a slightly different color character. In the end, you want to see the real thing, the real material in your hands to validate it,” Ezell says. “Some questions cannot even be validated on the screen, because it has to do with human interface with the machine, with accessibility of cabin situations, maneuverability of the trolley or the luggage,” Wuggetzer adds. > volume 6, edition 4

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the nordic effect

Finnair’s cabin lighting captures the aurora borealis, a natural phenomenon that illuminates Finland’s northern sky.

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a glowing welcome

Qatar Airways hangs its brand of luxury over the entryway of its A350 – an extravagant domed light to make a grand impression on passengers.

chinese heritage

One of the final stages of the definition process is the Configure Room, where the A350 cabin is mocked up in one-to-one ratio. “It’s like a Lego room,” Wuggetzer says. In here, everything is white, stripped of all trims and finishings; it’s all about shape, size and fit. Colored markings along a guided track on the floor indicate setups for various seat pitches and configurations, letting customers test their seats in their chosen layout. When everything is in place, they get a tangible feel for how tall they stand next to a monument, whether it’s too difficult to roll a loaded trolley around a certain corner, or whether a baby bassinet prevents passengers from moving easily in and out of their seats. It’s a cathartic moment for everyone. “It works so perfectly,” Wuggetzer says about the room. “We have seen so many happy 106

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people in here … We did not expect this to be a highlight of all the tours.”

turning the inside out For the design of the A350 XWB, Airbus drew some of its inspiration from a phenomenon born in the last decade – social media – where passengers most like to rant about airlines. The goal was to better understand not just their customers (airlines), but their customers’ customers (passengers), allowing the “personal” to influence the thinking behind cabin design. Launched in 2014, the A350 has a quieter cabin, expanded 18-inch-wide seats, seatback screens up to 12 inches wide, larger overhead bins and larger windows that let in more natural light. Collectively, the features make up the portfolio of Airspace, the new cabin

product that has opened the possibility for greater personalization in the A330neo, and eventually other cabins, too. In the age of personalization, it’s no coincidence that Boeing opened its own 787 Dreamliner Gallery in 2007 in Everett, Washington, to help its customers brand their cabins. The trend affects all industries. Steve Jobs made it literal by putting the “i” in iPod, iPhone and iPad. For airlines, it’s big data that has allowed them to identify passengers beyond their seat number, such as knowing a passenger’s frequent flyer status or if that person might be celebrating a birthday in the skies. But how do passengers discern one onboard experience from the next when there are so many airlines to choose from? It’s showing what’s on the inside that counts. Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: AIRBUS, CHINA AIRLINES

China Airlines weaves a persimmon design into the carpet pattern and displays a Chinese brush painting on its lavatory walls.

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A Brand Apart Spurred by a growing demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific, the number of airlines flying to and from the region is staggering. With so many carriers to choose from, how does an airline stand out? by Caroline Ku

> Daniel Baron chief executive officer LIFT Strategic Design

Airline Passenger Experience Association

> Jonny Clark founder TheDesignAir

> Robecta Ma vice president, marketing, americas

> Leslie Thng chief commercial officer

> Mio Yamamuro senior executive vice-president

Cathay Pacific

Scoot

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PHOTOS: HK EXPRESS

ne of the world’s busiest routes by air is the 110-minute flight between Hong Kong International and Taiwan Taoyuan International airports. Airplanes take off more than 100 times a day between the two hubs. It’s a scenario that echoes all over the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, whether you’re flying Tokyo–Sapporo, Melbourne–Sydney or Delhi–Mumbai. The airspace over the Asian islands and mainland is flourishing with short-haul flights and young airlines that have launched in the past decade, spurred by a growing middle class with a desire to travel – domestically, throughout Asia and beyond. With new distribution capabilities, shopping for airfares is no longer a simple matter of choosing a flight that matches a certain date and time. Travelers are able to compare, side by side, one airline’s amenities against the next. A search for a Singapore– Sydney flight brings up options from British Airways, Qantas, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines and Scoot – a mishmash of low-cost and full-service flag carriers, some allies, some competitors and one subsidiary. With so many options, how does a traveler choose? How does an airline land a booking?

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Roundtable

go local “Airlines are increasingly looking to their roots as a source of differentiation,” says Jonny Clark, founder of TheDesignAir, a popular website for airline product news and reviews. “Branding and passenger experience, especially, are now more locally influenced.” Clark gives the example of China Airlines, a Taipei-based carrier that brought Taiwanese culture into the interior of its Airbus A350 XWB through details like a plum blossom motif and persimmon wood veneers, and in business class, a lamp with a dragon’s claw for a base – all a nod to the island’s flora, lush geography and heritage.

“Airlines are increasingly looking to their roots as a source of differentiation.” Jonny Clark TheDesignAir

HK Express

Local influences are also seen in Hong Kong Express’ transformation from full-service to low-cost carrier (LCC). Daniel Baron, CEO of LIFT Strategic Design, a Tokyo-based studio specializing in airline brand, cabin design and customer experience development, wanted travelers to think of the airline, which was renamed HK Express in 2013, as the city’s choice carrier. However, his company saw a potential cause for confusion: The HNA Group airline shared terminal space with its sister carrier, Hong Kong Airlines, not to mention the similarity between the airline’s former and current names. “The main task was creating a new LCC brand that communicated both ‘youthful and fun,’” says Baron, “plus ‘Hong Kong’s hometown LCC.’” Along with a revamped image, HK Express took on new uniforms and cabin interiors. The livery features Hong Kong’s skyline stretched across the aft fuselage in purple, with the airline name in red, exuding “energy” while maintaining “professional.” In keeping with the airline’s roots in Hong Kong, HK Express partnered with the city’s Octopus Card, allowing passengers to pay for onboard purchases with the same card they use to buy snacks at the 7-Eleven or access the rapid transit system. The airline also involved Hong Kongers in a competition to name its five Airbus A320s after a popular style of Cantonese cuisine, dim sum. >

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CLOCKWISE from TOP LEFT: Vanilla Air and Qantas crews; All Nippon Airways’ livery; Nok Air’s livery; and Scoot flight attendants.

Keeping it local also works for Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines that launched in 2011. “We sought to give our fans and the online community a stake in our business by consulting them on subjects such as our brand tagline, ‘Get outta here,’ the name of our aircraft and determining what products to sell on board,” says Leslie Thng, chief commercial officer of Scoot.

Low airfares may be a selling point for LCCs, but with more than 60 in the APAC region, price can’t be the only one. “LCCs are highly competitive in price, but it is not always helpful for raising brand awareness,” says Mio Yamamuro, senior executive vice-president of Vanilla Air, a subsidiary of All Nippon Airways. Perhaps this is why Vanilla Air, established in 2013, has opted for bright and chipper branding – think cyan blue and sunny yellow – and arrived at the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, which has been chosen to help market the airline.

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“Asian airlines … are not obsessed with gray and dark blue, the traditional ‘safe’ colors of airlines in North America and Europe,” Baron says. “Asian countries themselves are quite colorful, and airline designs should reflect the fantastic cultural heritage that exists.” Although not a traditional image of Japanese heritage, “the sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea” is part of Japan’s cultural zeitgeist. “It is said the character has received a positive response from media critics and achieved popularity with all generations,” Yamamuro says, explaining why the Nickelodeon character is seen throughout the airline’s advertising. In a Washington Post article about the peculiar popularity of SpongeBob in Japan, young women were cited as the country’s top fans, with his cuteness and uniqueness from the standard cast of talking animals being an appeal. For EVA Air, it’s Hello Kitty; for All Nippon Airways, it was Pokémon. Nok Air, the Thai Airways subsidiary established in 2004, came up with its own bird, of no particular species,

“Airline designs should reflect the fantastic cultural heritage that exists.” Daniel Baron LIFT Strategic Design Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY; QANTAS

low-cost language

that can be spotted fleet-wide. “Nok Air’s irreverent liveries, featuring colorful aircraft and the famous beak, are some of the most recognizable throughout Asia, and while low cost, Nok Air has successfully built a brand that has stuck,” says Clark. Nok Air’s CEO, Patee Sarasin, has also explained that the cartoonlike bird is intended to attract kids, so that they grow up with an affinity for the airline. Colors, characters and logos help identify an airline, but Scoot emphasizes aircraft and amenities to differentiate its brand of LCC from others. “The wide-body 787 Dreamliner has proven to be a game changer that has allowed Scoot to elevate the LCC travel experience, thereby differentiating Scoot from other LCCs in APAC. How many low-cost carriers offer in-flight Wi-Fi, in-seat power and in-flight entertainment streamed to passengers’ own devices?” Thng asks. “Our young passengers, in particular, have told us how much they enjoy our fleet-wide, fixed-duration, unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi plans, which they are unable to get on other LCCs in the region.”

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the face of hospitality For many LCCs, a memorable mascot is not its only feature; they take pride in their services, too. “We hone our quality service to stand out from competitors,” Yamamuro says. “Our customers are delighted with the Japanese spirit of hospitality, called omotenashi … We believe that we can gain repeat customers by treating them with our familiarity and hospitality.” In an online video that captures how passengers are welcomed on board a Vanilla Air flight, the cabin crew are introduced over the loudspeaker by name, along with the languages they speak. But also included are odd details, such as one flight attendant’s preference for beer and another’s membership in a Japanese archery club. As a result, passengers feel as if they know a little more about the people tending to them, adding another level of personalization to the experience. “We recognize that the human touch remains the cornerstone of any travel

Roundtable

experience,” Thng says of Scoot’s service mentality, “and we strive to deliver that through our warm and exuberant cabin crew, known as Scootees, and their trademark spirit of Scootitude!” A prominent front line is a strategy for an airline that sets itself apart based on service. “Legacy carriers promote product and service above price, and most airlines will opt to showcase … a female cabin crew member,” Clark says of a trend he has observed, unique to APAC carriers. Dressed in a kebaya with a sarong, Singapore Airlines’ Singapore Girl is a symbol of Asian hospitality, and has been around since the 1970s. The flight attendants undergo a 15-week course on management and service, with special training on the needs of the young, elderly and those with disabilities. One Singapore Girl, Karen Choong Shi Qi, received an APEX Heart Award for assisting a 92-year-old diabetic woman who had injected too much insulin into herself while on a flight. Singapore Girls, as a group, have become so iconic, a waxwork of one stands in Madame Tussauds in London. >

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familial ties To stay competitive in the APAC region, many legacy carriers are expanding their marketability with subsidiaries that are often complete departures from the main brand. Take Scoot, for example. Thng describes the LCC as using bright and brash ads with cheeky headlines to grab attention, while Singapore Airlines relies on understated details and its legacy of premium service to keep loyal customers. It’s similar with other sister airlines like Thai Airways and Nok Air, Qantas and Jetstar, or All Nippon Airways’ Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air. Visually, the flag carrier and its subsidiaries have little in common. This makes Cathay Pacific and its recent rebranding of Dragonair into Cathay Dragon an anomaly. Instead of painting the two airlines as separate entities, it has drawn them closer together. “Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon are a combined network,” says Robecta Ma, vice-president, Marketing, Americas, Cathay Pacific. Both airlines have the signature Cathay Pacific look and brushwing logo and reflect contemporary Asia. But unlike the other sister airline models, where one is clearly a full-service carrier and the other is low cost, the relationship

Cathay Pacific

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between Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon is more collegial. “Cathay Dragon is a fullservice regional airline that offers premium ground and in-flight service,” Ma says. While Cathay Pacific focuses on overseas destinations, Cathay Dragon covers mainland China. “When our customers travel between Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, we want them to have a seamless experience, and our new branding reflects this,” she explains.

be different For a passenger, whether an airline advertises its strong sense of place – indicating an opportunity to sample a more exotic passenger experience – or represents a homecoming with its familiar cabin, food and faces, its message must be obvious. “Meaningful and crystal-clear brand differentiation is critically important,” Baron says. “It’s about designing for the positioning of the airline, and doing that well reaps rewards in the form of loyalty and yield.” Whether low cost or legacy, branding is important to all carriers. “The Asia-Pacific region is a melting pot of different cultures and influences,” Clark says, “and airlines that are actively looking at points of difference are growing in passenger recognition.”

Color Spectrum “Low-cost carriers usually avoid the colors of the national flag to appear more accessible to multiple countries,” says Jonny Clark. “Legacy carriers, on the other hand, look to consumers from the opposite end of the spectrum and usually pick colors that represent national pride … a quieter tone of voice that is more reserved.”

See how airline colors vary worldwide, at > APEX.AERO/ LOGOCHROMATIC

PHOTO: CATHAY PACIFIC

Roundtable

Down By the Bay With APEX EXPO at Marina Bay Sands this year, attendees donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go far to see the best that Singapore has to offer. From world-renowned landmarks to Michelin-starred hawker stands, sample Singaporean culture at these stops. illustration Manuel Cordova

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Down By the Bay With APEX EXPO at Marina Bay Sands this year, attendees donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go far to see the best that Singapore has to offer.

CAFÉS 1. One Shot Coffee 30 Cecil Street No-seats coffee kiosk that serves java and sandwiches to go. 2. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Beanstro The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, B2-20, Canal Level American chain spruced up with bistro furnishings and an elaborate menu. 3. The Clubhouse 20 Cross Street, #01-35 China Square Central Serves coffee and coldpressed juices in a stylish showroom suitable for work and meetings. DRINKS 4. Raffles 1 Beach Road The hotel’s Long Bar is the birthplace of the Singapore sling. 5. LeVeL33 8 Marina Boulevard Touts itself as the world’s highest craft brewery. 6. 28HKS 28 Hongkong Street Cocktail bar with a speakeasy vibe, hidden behind an unmarked door. 7. My Awesome Café 202 Telok Ayer Street Buzzy hangout for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night drinks. EATS 8. Toast Box The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, B2-62, Canal Level Casual Singaporean food without having to hit the hawker stalls. 9. Lau Pa Sat (aka Telok Ayer Market) 18 Raffles Quay Hawker stalls in a Victorianstyled wrought-iron hall with nearby park space. 10. Sky on 57 10 Bayfront Avenue Rooftop Asian-fusion restaurant at Marina Bay Sands. 11. Timbré 45 Armenian Street Enjoy live music over pizza topped with roasted duck.

12. Makansutra Gluttons Bay 8 Raffles Avenue Hawker stalls serving the likes of fried carrot cake and oyster omelets. 13. Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle 335 Smith Street Michelin-starred hawker stall. Feeling thirsty? Smith Street Taps is nearby. 14. Grain Traders #01-01/02/03 138 Market Street Get wholesome, healthy meals in the form of buildyour-own bowls. 15. Bird Bird 18 Ann Siang Road Serves spunky Thai food like crispy-sweet chicken and Big Mac fried rice. SIGHTS 16. Gardens by the Bay 18 Marina Gardens Drive The Supertrees, Cloud Forest and OCBC Skyway are the main attractions. 17. Singapore Flyer 30 Raffles Avenue See Marina Bay Sands from a 540-foot Ferris wheel. 18. Marina Bay Sands Casino 10 Bayfront Avenue Feeling lucky? Give the roulette table a whirl at this top-notch casino. 19. Merlion Park 1 Fullerton Square A landmark and hop-on point for a bumboat cruise along the Singapore River. 20. Marina Barrage 8 Marina Gardens Drive Architecturally astounding water-treatment plant where locals go for water sports and kite flying. 21. Orchard Road Big-name stores on this shopping promenade. 22. Mustafa Centre 145 Syed Alwi Road A 24-hour shopping center that sells everything from kitchenware to electronics.

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READ IT HERE FIRST See breaking news here before you see it anywhere else. WHY IT MATTERS

Passengers prefer self-service technology to person-to-person interaction, reports SITA in its annual Passenger IT Trends Survey. According to the survey, 91 percent of passengers using a technology-delivered service will repeat the practice – even if they were dissatisfied with the experience. “Once people are converted from person-to-person interaction to using self-service technology for travel steps, few...

Hot on the heels of a big airline announcement for streamingbased service provider Netflix, a major studio executive gives APEX Media an exclusive take on the controversy around streaming inflight entertainment. “I think there is a great deal of confusion about subscription-based services such as Amazon and Netflix in regards to these services being made available to passengers on airlines,” says…

ONLY THE BEST Each story is handpicked by a team of aviation experts.

Eight airlines from Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia have formed what they are calling the world’s largest alliance of low-cost carriers...

SITA Survey Says Passengers Prefer Self-Service

Not So Fast, Netflix: Streaming IFE Comes With Strings Attached, Says Major Studio Exec

Birds of a Feather: Asia-Pacific LCCs Flock Together to Form Budget Airline Alliance

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Our team contextualizes each headline and provides astute insights.

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New Delta CEO Says Premium-Economy Cabin Is Coming Next Year

Delta Air Lines’ newly appointed CEO, Ed Bastian, says the airline will introduce an international premium-economy cabin next ...

Read all of the industry’s important headlines in one place.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social media affords us a better understanding of the image our customers have of themselves.â&#x20AC;?

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> FAST FACTS FREQUENT FLIGHT:

LAX-ICN

NOW WATCHING:

Mr. Robot

Dante Dionne

THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT WILL BE:

Intergalactic

FAVORITE MESSAGING APP:

Kakao Talk

Senior Innovation Technology Manager Korean Air

PHOTO: WONHO FRANK LEE

Alongside his position at Korean Air, Dante is an Organizational Leadership PhD candidate and adjunct faculty member at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He has more than 25 years of industry experience in global technology innovation, systems integration and management consulting.

To read Dante’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > APEX.AERO/ DANTEDIONNE

Airline Passenger Experience Association

an you share some of your PhD research with the APEX community? My doctoral research focuses on how the process of developing leadership skills can influence competition. A micro-social perspective is that the fundamentals in improving passenger experience are not isolated to a set of techniques or technologies. At its core, we must focus on meeting the evolving needs and expectations of the human condition and the societies in which we live. How do content and entertainment expectations change for people when they are traveling? I believe that passengers have similar expectations for in-flight and on-ground content and connectivity options. For example, in Korea, the wireless infrastructure is so advanced (significantly faster than the US average) that in-flight Internet services based on existing commercial satellite technology would be disappointing to them. That is a primary reason why Korean Air has not implemented in-flight Internet. How important is social media for an airline in the digital age? Simply put, social media affords us a better understanding of the image our customers have of themselves. We can and should adapt to meet the ever-evolving needs and expectations of our customers. Today’s global traveler relies upon technology to remain constantly connected.

Firms can leverage this phenomenon to enhance and provide consistent service levels to these digital natives. As an example of meeting this challenge, Korean Air interfaces with Kakao Talk, a popular mobile instant messaging application for smartphones in order to provide up-to-date flight status information. How will millennials’ needs and expectations transform the airline passenger experience in the years to come? This is the question of the day. In light of the failures of experts attempting to project the impact of boomer and Gen X generations, I believe most experts would do well to take care when prognosticating generational changes. I have two adult sons who grew up plugged in to the World Wide Web in the largest and most racially and ethnically diverse generation in human history. According to scholars, such as Neil Howe and William Strauss, growing up thinking globally has instilled a sense of destiny, a collective self-image and a penchant to lead a meaningful and satisfying life. Something that only a frequent flyer would understand? The value of traveling with your own pillow. Allergies and laundry chemicals notwithstanding, an inhospitable hotel pillow can make your destination much less favorable. Your top three films of all time? The Hobbit 1, 2, 3. volume 6, edition 4

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What Passengers Want You have a very important job to do. Overnight, all the jetliner cabin designs that ever existed have disappeared. It is now up to you to create the interior of an aircraft cabin exactly as it should be. So, how should it be? by Katie Sehl

oeing has built all sorts of airplanes over the years: Airplanes for airmail, airplanes for war and even airplanes for airlines. Now the 100-year-old aircraft manufacturer is building airplanes for people. “We made the decision to do something that was pretty much unprecedented, to go to the flying public, our customers’ customers,” says Blake Emery, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ director of Differentiation Strategy, on the company’s ideological shift in the 1990s during work on the Sonic Cruiser, and later the Dreamliner. The idea didn’t immediately fly with

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management, though. “They viewed it as, the people who made the purchasing decisions at airlines are the ones you really need to please, not the passengers,” he adds. The Sonic Cruiser never took off, but its cool factor – cranked rocket-esque wings, vertical fins and subsonic speeds – left a lasting imprint on the flying public and Boeing executives. So, the design brief for the 787 included an important detail: Passengers should say “wow” as they step inside the aircraft. “We actually used that three-letter word,” Emery says. >

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PHOTOS: BOEING; ISTOCKPHOTO; NASA

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Off-Seat Power Solutions™

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armstrongsales@astronics.com

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Passenger Desires Boeing’s research uncovered several desires shared by passengers worldwide.

PHOTOS: BOEING; ISTOCKPHOTO

a warm welcome

To build an architecture for wows, you have to get friendly with the flying public, and it’s not as simple as just asking passengers what they want. “If you do a typical questionnaire and focus group, you’re not going to get much that you don’t already know,” Emery says. Passengers want more legroom, more overhead storage, more space – most people know that. “Space is so valuable and so precious, in a sense, that isn’t going to change, because the model is you can have all the space you want, you’ve just got to pay for it,” he explains. What passengers want, what passengers can have and what passengers do can be mutually exclusive. “Passengers don’t say, ‘I’m going to buy the cheapest ticket,’” says Kent Craver, Boeing’s regional director of Cabin Experience and Revenue Analysis. “They say: ‘I want a wide seat, I want more legroom, I want more channels of in-flight entertainment and I want better food – but what they do is buy the cheapest ticket.” With little wiggle room in economy, Boeing had to dig deep in its research. Airline Passenger Experience Association

“There’s a reason it’s really important that first impressions be great,” Blake Emery says. “It’s because of the way the brain is wired. For some doggone reason, it doesn’t like to be wrong.” If a passenger’s first thought is that they’re going to have a good experience, they will look for things to prove that viewpoint. “We want people looking for the positive.” In addition to cathedral-like vaulted ceilings on the 777X, light will be used strategically to make the flight attendants look their best. A recent study from TU Delft also found that many people experience a positive feeling when they see flight attendants working in the galley as they board. “People have the sense that ‘Oh ... they’re preparing the flight for me,’” Emery says.

ideals and ideologies In an idealized design session, participants are given the chance to put their wants to the test. In the early 2000s, Boeing turned to three audiences – architects and artists, airline brand managers, and young professionals – to undertake the task of designing their version of a perfect aircraft interior. The exercise stems from a stunt pulled by Bell Labs’ vice-president back in 1951. Managers were summoned to an unexpected meeting where he urgently announced: “Gentlemen, the telephone system of the

United States was destroyed last night.” Stunned, managers were ordered to rebuild the system from scratch. “The guy I learned idealized design from was actually present in the room at the time it happened,” Emery shares. Bell Labs’ impromptu taskforce rapidly brainstormed radical ideas, anticipating every modern phone feature short of cameras and the Internet. Prior to one of Boeing’s idealized design sessions, Emery’s team had been exploring ways to enhance the boxy jetway tunnel, so passengers would be happier boarding their airplanes. But an architect’s idealized design brought their work to a divine halt when he pointed out a trick of compression and release employed in religious structures, such as the Taj Mahal or St. Peter’s Basilica. Typically, church entryways have low ceilings, narrow confinements and dimly lit interiors. But as worshippers cross from the entrance to the main hall, soaring arches and vaulted ceilings extravagantly open upward, heralding that you are now in another world, you are in the house of God. > volume 6, edition 4

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The technique, to a lesser degree, has been adapted to high-end hotel architecture. “When we heard this architect in this idealized design session, we thought, ‘Well, you know, we don’t have to change the jetway,’” Emery says. “The jetway sucks, but let’s use it to our advantage … and let people have a psychological release as they enter the airplane.” The revelation allowed Boeing to focus on enhancing the aircraft entryway instead. Idealized airplanes may never actually fly, but they point Boeing’s designers in profound directions and help to leapfrog over current pain points. “You can’t just look at what’s wrong and fix it, because then you’re stuck in the past,” says P.J. Wilcynski, associate technical fellow and Payloads chief architect for Boeing. “To create something totally new, you have to start over with a clean sheet of paper.”

the reptilian brain Archetype discovery sessions – a highly guarded proprietary method used by Boeing – take passenger research a step deeper. Adapting methods developed by Clotaire Rapaille – a French social anthropologist and marketing consultant who has gained notoriety for his contributions to the

sense of control “There’s a reason why people like entertainment and it has nothing to do with the content,” says Kent Craver. “It has to do with the ability to stop, start, pause, change.” Passengers often have anxiety over their lack of control during their flight, but empowering them with small features that can be controlled goes a long way. Dimmable windows and a more clearly defined flight attendant call button, along with more clearance to engage with flight crew have helped mitigate this anxiety. The company’s vCabin app promises to bring more control to passengers’ fingertips, with features that will let flyers dim lights, order drinks and more from their mobile devices.

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signature look of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and Folgers’ emphasis on the smell of coffee – the sessions aim to uncover universal unarticulated needs. Based on a triune theory, which defines three distinct parts of the brain – the cortex, limbic and reptilian – Rapaille’s sessions begin with a purge of the cortex, the part of the brain that typically aims to impress with intellect but can obstruct deep truths. The second part of the session engages the limbic, or emotional brain, by asking participants to tell a story. By the final stage, disoriented participants are asked to describe the very first time they experienced whatever Rapaille’s team is trying to understand – a car, a coffee, etc. Boeing’s archetype discovery sessions lead groups of roughly 30 peop le through a series of curious activities. Participating without knowledge that Boeing is overseeing the research, “naïve subjects” are asked to make collages out of images, tell stories and recall their very first flight. “There are underlying themes that resonate throughout everyone’s stories, and those tend to be deeper, unarticulated needs,” Emery says.

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a place for my things Room for carry-on baggage is a need regularly expressed by passengers, but as Blake Emery points out, the way different cultures respond to not having space is different. “Western cultures … tend to go relatively quickly to anger,” he says. “But if you’re from an Eastern culture, there’s a whole different dimension … All of a sudden, they feel like they are losing face, on stage in front of everyone else.” To relieve passengers’ anxiety and enhance comfort, Boeing studies their baggage. “We looked at what people were carrying on board, and the bins were actually designed around the bags,” P.J. Wilcynski explains. Easy-to-use latches and pivot mechanisms bring the bins low for filling. On the 777X, passengers will be able to close a 100-pound bin with one hand.

Terms frequently used to describe first flights include “magical,” “miracle” and “wonderful” – very different from the words people use to describe their most recent flights in economy: “coffin” and “bored” being among them. In India, Boeing encountered difficulty finding enough flyers to survey. Up to 50 percent of participants had never taken a flight before, and the

miracle

dream

wonderful magical

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PHOTOS: US NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE; ISTOCKPHOTO; NICOLAS VENTURELLI

Boeing

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Boeing

word “dream” cropped up the most often in descriptions of what people thought it would be like to fly – a validation of the 787’s name, which by that time had already been chosen.

a window into sky philosophy After gathering qualitative research from archetype discovery and idealized design sessions, Emery was in search of someone to help him translate his research into cabin architecture, and Wilcynski was up for the task. Several findings pointed to the need for larger windows, and fortuitously, the Dreamliner’s lightweight, carbon-fiber fuselage allowed them to push window boundaries. “We pretty much had the OK to make windows bigger,” Emery says. “And so, if we knew we could make the windows bigger, we needed to get them right. We needed to get them in the right place and the right size and everything.” To test windows, they built a 767 mock-up inside a big tent. “We called it the big top,” Wilcynski jokes, but the center quickly became known as the PERC, or Passenger Experience Research Center. Starting in 2002, guests finishing up the Boeing Tour were beckoned to the PERC tent, where they would be asked questions about their experience in the mock-up. (The PERC is now a permanent fixture at the Future of Flight Aviation Center in Paine

connection to the sky “Windows allow you to never lose that connection with flying,” Blake Emery says. But, when a window shade is closed, it becomes a wall and the connection is lost. So on the Dreamliner, in addition to the windows being larger, positioned higher and being viewable from every seat – they can’t be closed. Dimmable windows enable passengers to control the level of light entering the cabin. While the windows didn’t dim enough for All Nippon Airways, the general response to the shadeless portals has been favorable.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Field-Lake Stickney, Washington.) Each time, only windows would be modified, gradually climbing higher on the sidewall, shape-shifting from ovals to triangles to teardrops, and even featuring a mullion. But the questions – none of them about windows – remained the same. Eventually, the teams found a sweet spot – a height and shape that was not only subconsciously preferred, but that enhanced perceptions of the experience as well. At 19 inches tall and 11 inches wide, the windows on the Dreamliner are the largest of any commercial jet, and the 777X’s windows may seem even larger. But adapting the Boeing Sky Interior (BSI) to some aircraft provided more challenges than others. On aircraft like the 737, for example, where it’s not structurally or economically feasible to enlarge windows, Boeing adapts its philosophy. Sculpted sidewalls were designed to enhance the window’s inner reveal, and at work with the other features of the BSI, the effect makes them seem larger. In 2011, the airframer had a chance to confirm the efficacy of the philosophy when surveys run on two Norwegian Air Shuttle 737 fleets, one with the BSI and one without,

revealed that despite having the same amount of space, passengers felt they had more on the BSI-outfitted aircraft.

build something better “On the 777X, we’re bringing things full circle,” Wilcynski says. “We continued with the passenger research that started on the Sonic Cruiser, but we also reintroduced, in a more modest fashion, working together with the airline customers.” Having tailored the BSI to different aircraft, Wilcynski’s design teams realized they could create multiple options for one aircraft, offering airlines more selection without compromising the experience. “Custom cabins without customization” is how he describes it. But, what do passengers want? The answer, perhaps most simply, is passengers want to fly. Boeing asks respondents very similar questions in PERC as it asks flyers at airport intercepts. One noteworthy detail stands out above the rest. Regardless of the question, responses for every aspect of the passenger experience rate higher when asked in flight. “I’m not sure we’ve ever measured anything in PERC that came out higher on the ground than in the air,” Kent Craver says. volume 6, edition 4

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you feel like someone is anticipating your needs, that really adds to comfort on board.â&#x20AC;?

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Q&A

> FAST FACTS

Maria Walter

LOCATION:

ORD

NOW WATCHING:

Orange Is the New Black

THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT WILL BE:

Personalized

FAVORITE AIRCRAFT:

B747

Managing Director, Product and Brand Strategy United Airlines

PHOTO: UNITED AIRLINES

Maria is a global marketing and merchandising expert who has been connecting people and products through technology for more than a decade. As managing director of Product and Brand Strategy, she cultivates new partnerships with companies such as illycaffè and Saks Fifth Avenue. Her focus on United’s customer experience is bringing exciting new products like United Polaris business class to the friendly skies.

To read Maria’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > APEX.AERO/ MARIAWALTER

Airline Passenger Experience Association

hen it comes to onboard comfort, what do you think is most important? I think that the seat products are obviously top of mind for every single flyer, and what every airline is thinking about, down to the materials used on the seat covers to the composition of the cushioning and all those kinds of details. But I think comfort comes a lot from the level of service that’s provided and the care that you get from the in-flight crew. That’s something that can really set the stage for having a wonderful experience. When you feel like someone is anticipating your needs and delivering on what you need in that given moment, that really adds to comfort on board. What is the most overlooked aspect of the aircraft cabin? From the consumer point of view, airlines tend to put a lot of effort into seating products and the overall interior look and feel, but there are times when you’ll do a seating refresh, but not necessarily have all the lavatories refreshed at the same time. Every customer sees the lavatory, whether you’re in the premium cabins or the economy cabins, and it’s something that can start to look dated over time. So I think that that’s a place where all airlines really need to try to keep up. Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours? I absolutely love being able to directly affect the customer experience and really put myself in the passenger’s shoes. My job is really cool because it touches everything

from in-flight entertainment content and being able to work with Hollywood studios to many other things. We actually just worked with Tribeca Digital Studios to create content for United exclusively and produce a documentary called Destination: Team USA. It was flying exclusively on United leading up to and during the Olympic Games and we expanded it to Netflix. We’re really excited to have exclusive content that’s created by an airline. It’s a tearjerker, though, I won’t lie! If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing? I think my husband and I would be running a restaurant in my hometown. I love to cook, and my in-laws own a craft distillery, so being able to play with spirits and food pairings, that would just be amazing for us. It’s a bourbon distillery, so anything that’s kind of like comfort food, peach-bourbon or barbecue bourbon-glazed. My husband is amazing on the smoker. What’s the one item that you can’t travel without? My phone charger. I think I have to plug it in three times a day. Your top three movies of all time? Goodfellas, The Shawshank Redemption and The Wizard of Oz. If you could sit next to anyone on a plane, who would it be? Stephen Colbert. I love him. I think he is so witty and funny, and he would just be a hoot to sit next to.

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Designworks

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How Design Works

From prototype to final product, Designworks puts its concepts to the test every step of the way, because how something functions is as fundamental as its design look. RENDERING: DESIGNWORKS

by Howard Slutsken

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t doesn’t take a crystal ball to look into the future. It takes foam. Huge blocks of solid foam that are sculpted to millimeter precision by a massive five-axis milling machine that gets its instructions from sophisticated modeling software – software that gives the multidisciplinary, crosscultural and creative team at Designworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group, the ability to be makers, not only designers. Anything from a toothbrush to components of a first-class aircraft seat or even a tractor might rise out of the foam in the milling machine’s garage-sized restricted-access workspace. Then the fun begins, examining, testing, and modifying and retesting what’s been created.

foam formations and plywood prototypes In developing designs for aircraft interiors and seating, “It’s all about the passenger experience,” says Johannes Lampela, director of design. “But to understand that, you can’t just do that on a computer screen; you have to build it and test it. We have a huge facility that gives us the ability to mock things up and be experimental and test the relationships.” A seat’s feature set can include the size of the seat, bed and screen; specifications for a vanity, laptop storage or any of the myriad other components that are being included

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PHOTOS: WONHO FRANK LEE; DESIGNWORKS

Anything from a toothbrush to components of a first-class aircraft seat might rise out of the foam. Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Designworks

in premium seats. “We quickly mock this up in plywood and foam core. Plywood, so that we are absolutely correct in the dimension, because if it’s only foam core, you can cheat. The plywood keeps it rigid,” Lampela says. That way, a designer’s work on a screen can meet real-life testing. Lampela gives the example of a first-class passenger who’s working on a laptop when the meal service begins. There’s space for the laptop on a side shelf so that the main table can be cleared. But what if the passenger wants to get something out of the vanity? Will the laptop now be in the way of the door? “It’s so interesting when you’re working with the mock-up just how a tiny thing can have a big impact. And some of the insights we’re learning from the mock-up might not just benefit passengers; they might benefit service or maintenance,” he says.

Tools of the trade in the company’s 8,000-square-foot shop in California include a five-axis computernumerically-controlled mill that helps facilitate rapid prototyping.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Making a change to a foam model can be as simple as using a sharp knife to cut off an armrest and then using tape to reposition it. “In the end, because your product is going to be lived in for up to 17 hours, you have to use that as part of the design process,” says Garen Moreno, director, Strategic Partnering. “Before we go to the airline and say, ‘Here’s what your product is going to be,’ we have to make sure that it’s going to be right.” > volume 6, edition 4

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from mock-up to real deal As Moreno explains, “What you don’t want to do is to create products for the past. You can embrace the past, but you’ve got to be able to understand the future. And this is what is really important for us here.” It was Designworks’ focus on the future, in part, that brought Singapore Airlines to the studio a few years ago. The airline’s project to create a new first-class cabin had a very aggressive timeline – only two years until the introduction of the new product. Designworks put together a small strategic team that included co-designers who were local to Singapore to ensure that the regional culture and trends would be correctly reflected in the new designs. Lampela’s team began with examining Singapore Airlines’ current first-class offering. “Our first observation was that it felt like seats dropped into a cabin that didn’t have any relation to the aircraft,” he says. 130

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Understanding the constraints facing the team was key to the project. Certification guidelines, seat and cabin size, and technological requirements were just some of the factors that needed to be established. Having a tightly defined project can offer opportunities for great solutions, according to Moreno. “If it’s only blue sky, sometimes you don’t know where you’re going … I think that you can’t have great creativity without constraints; you can’t have innovation without constraints.” Plywood and foam cabin and seat mockups were tested using passengers’ activities as a guide. Everything from the boarding process through working or relaxing, food service, sleeping and departing was analyzed. All elements of the cabin, seating and service were integrated into the final holistic design, which “almost makes it feel like you’re not in a fuselage with a clump of seats, but [rather] like a first-class club,” Lampela says.

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Singapore Airlines’ first-class cabin conveys luxury with 35-inch-wide seats, elegant curves and warm and cool contrasting colors.

The mock-ups were then transformed into the final product. Warm-brown leather seats feature an inventive covering technique that increases tension in the material, helping it to maintain a smooth appearance after hours of use. Buttressed by padded headboards, the seats’ finishings include metal trims for enhanced user touchpoints. Tables integrated into the front of the seating area allow for extension without the need for a folding device. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: DESIGNWORKS

Designworks

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a virtual new world

More than 130 multidisciplinary professionals work at the company’s three offices around the world.

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Designworks recently moved its Asiafocused studio from Singapore to Shanghai, augmenting its Munich facility and Los Angeles headquarters. The company’s 1970s roots, or perhaps wheels, are found in the LA region’s car culture. The studio began as an early 1970s version of a startup, in a garage in Malibu, California. “They did a lot of work in a variety of industries but focused a lot on transportation,” Moreno says. In the 1980s, Designworks initially partnered with BMW and since 1995 has been a subsidiary of the BMW Group. The Designworks team that’s focused on aviation-related projects represents between 20 and 40 percent of the company, a tiny division when compared with the massive footprint of the global BMW Group. “We’re essentially a small team within the BMW design team, and we’re able to help influence work that we do across other areas as well,” Moreno says. “What’s exciting now

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is that because of the success that we’re having, we’re finding that a lot of our aviation designers are being asked to work on projects for other parts of the company.” Those projects might include autonomous vehicles and new technologies like virtual and augmented reality. Designworks is testing in-cabin VR and AR, which Moreno notes isn’t just about putting on a headset. “In flight, you are in a very unique environment. You’re moving. There are physical sensations that are going to influence everything that you do,” he says, “and also psychological inputs just from having a headset on and being next to somebody. What are the social implications of VR?” But as design begins to shift into a new virtual world, Lampela notes that it’s important to stay focused on the fundamentals, too. “Good design tells a story by addressing both functional qualities – how we use it, and emotional qualities – how we perceive it, to create better user experiences.” Airline Passenger Experience Association

PHOTOS: DESIGNWORKS; WONHO FRANK LEE

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;For customers there is only one experience: It includes the experience on the ground and in flight.â&#x20AC;?

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Q&A

> FAST FACTS LOCATION:

HEL

FAVORITE AIRCRAFT:

Juha Järvinen

A350

SEATBACK OR PED?

Seatback

FAVORITE SOCIAL NETWORK:

Facebook

Chief Commercial Officer Finnair

PHOTO: JUHA JARVINEN

Juha is an executive board member at Finnair, and Joint Venture Executive board member for Atlantic Joint Business as well as Siberian Joint Business. With more than 18 years of aviation experience, he’s held positions in sales and marketing, commercial functions, airport operations and cargo logistics, among others. He joined Finnair after 14 years with Scandinavian Airlines. He has been an APEX Board member since May 2016.

To read Juha’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > APEX.AERO/ JUHAJARVINEN

Airline Passenger Experience Association

id you choose the airline industry or did it choose you? When I was studying at university in London, I applied to 30 different airlines for a one-year industrial placement; SAS and Finnair offered me positions, and I chose SAS at Heathrow to work as a call center agent. Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry? Despite all the challenges every day, this industry keeps operating so many flights, globally, with great punctuality and safety. What do you think is the most overlooked aspect of the airline passenger experience? There are still many improvements needed in irregularity handling: Exploring how we can be more proactive in solving the issues as they occur and finding alternative solutions for our passengers. How important is social media for an airline in the digital age? Social media is a crucial communications channel for airlines. It is fast, works for PR and marketing needs, but also for urgent information in case of irregularities, etc. What opportunities are there for airlines and airports to work together to improve the end-to-end passenger experience? For customers there is only one experience: It includes the experience on the ground and in flight. Airports and airlines need to be able to find ways to maximize the total experience, both in terms of seamless travel and transit,

but also through delivering an experience that makes the customer choose the same airline and airport combination again. How will the rise of Chinese travelers influence the passenger experience? Chinese customers have a continuous demand to be online 24/7. Onboard Wi-Fi access and localized meal options are both important for Chinese travelers and many [other] Asian travelers. If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing? I had a dream to become a CNN news anchor. What is a funny thing that happens to you at work? When flying on long-haul flights, waking up and not remembering where you are going – the result of too many flights in short time frames! Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours? For me it’s meeting interesting people around the world. I recently met the Chinese Premier in Beijing! Something that only a frequent flyer would understand? Weekend at home with no program planned: best feeling ever. Two things that you miss most about home when you’re traveling? My family and my own bed. If you could sit beside anyone on a plane, who would it be? Queen Elizabeth II.

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Wherever you’re going BBC World News travels with you

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Millennials

The Chinese Millennial Traveler By 2034, one in every five air travelers worldwide will be flying to, from or within China, the bulk of them millennials. Impressive both in number and spending power, this jet-set demographic will play a key role in shaping the future airline passenger experience. by Maryann Simson | illustration Mathias Sielfeld

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hinese millennials are moneyed, educated, technologically proficient, socially united – and a little bit spoiled. They also represent one of the biggest populations of the millennial group: 60 percent of millennials worldwide live in Asia, with a third originating from either China or India. And, according to a study commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board, Chinese millennials are the biggest spenders among Asian millennials, and have no qualms about spending upward of $14,000 on travel per year. This makes China’s millennials the most powerful contributor to an overall Asian millennial market that some value at more than $210 billion. “Gaining the loyalty of millennial consumers is absolutely imperative for ‘legacy’ companies,” says Joan Kuhl, founder and president of training, research and consultancy agency Why Millennials Matter, and author of several books on what she calls “the First Globals.” According to Kuhl, “They just overtook baby boomers this year as the largest generation in the United States, and in China, there are 385 million millennials

– that’s 28.4 percent of the population. Goldman Sachs has called Chinese millennials the single-most important demographic in the world today.” A report issued by Goldman Sachs last year on the Chinese tourist boom estimates that the majority of Chinese tourists will be millennials. “Over the next decade, 74 million millennials at Chinese universities are set to graduate,” the report states. “We think they will look to travel overseas in large numbers, given they are well informed and do not consider language barriers to be prohibitive.”

experience matters Treating all millennials the same would be a mistake. Jason Dorsey, cofounder and millennial researcher at The Center for Generational Kinetics in Austin, Texas, says that while the actual age group or demographic of a generation is handy to know, it’s really attitudes and life experiences that we should be studying if we want to understand what makes them tick. “The first and last birth year for a particular generation will vary around the world,”

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Dorsey says. “What we are really looking for is consistency and predictability in behaviors, and when does that predictability start and stop.” While China’s millennial generation (born between about 1980 and 2000) was growing up, the country experienced a huge economic boom, advances in consumer technology, the proliferation of the World Wide Web and, perhaps most critically, the enforcement of a strict one-child policy over the past 20 years in many areas. Naturally, the social climate they grew up in has contributed to the development of particular personas, and it would do airlines good to get to know them. >

Capturing Jet-set Chinese Millennials

Airlines outside of China are using online platforms, viral videos and social media to target millennials in China and it’s working.

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AMERICAN AIRLINES

BRITISH AIRWAYS

HelloAmerica.cn was launched in 2010 for Chinese travelers considering a US destination to pick up tips on visa applications and sightseeing. Visitors to the website were also encouraged to share their “American dreams” on the portal’s blog, with a chance to win roundtrip tickets to the US.

To lure its Sina Weibo followers to WeChat, British Airways launched a Chinese New Year campaign, rewarding its first 2014 WeChat followers with red envelopes, which are traditionally exchanged between family members, and filled them with promotional coupons worth $50.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Millennials

apex experience

Most Popular Domestic Travel Destinations

Hainan

49%

Yunnan

43% 41%

Tibet

37%

Hong Kong Zhejiang

28%

Sichuan

23% 21%

Shandong Xinjiang

20%

Shanghai

20%

Xiamen

24%

Beijing

Macau

24%

Liaoning

16% 11%

Source: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chinese Luxury Traveler 2016 Report,â&#x20AC;? Hurun Research Institute.

Most Popular International Travel Destinations

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Millennials

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Ninety-seven percent of Chinese millennial travelers report sharing their travel experience online, via travel review sites, personal blogs and more. china’s digital natives Millennials are generally considered techsavvy and tech-addicted, but Chinese millennials really take this and run with it. Not only do they spend more time online than Western millennials, but they appear to be better at using technology, and this means their expectation of a digital brand engagement experience is incredibly high. They won’t tolerate being bombarded with messages and they expect things to work, especially on mobile devices. “Millennials in other places tend to be less tech-savvy, more tech dependent,” Dorsey says. “They don’t know how tech works; they just know they can’t get on without it. In China though, you tend to have a much higher threshold of technical skills. It’s a whole new level. There’s a complete integration into that digital world, which to them is as important and almost as real as the physical world.” Their intense digital immersion, a lifetime spent in relative solitude as only-children, and the intense pace of urban life in many large Chinese cities mean they are often quite happy to stay home. Interacting with friends digitally on their preferred social networks, such as WeChat and Weibo, researching products and shopping online, streaming movies and gaming are all perfectly normal activities. 140

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China Southern Airlines was the first airline to open a WeChat account to reach millennials and has developed more than 20 functionalities – from booking flights to customer service – on the app. Air China, AirAsia, China Airlines and other domestic airlines also hold WeChat accounts; but notably, in appeal to the booming market, carriers abroad, such as KLM, Air France and British Airways, are getting the message, too. “Since China’s millennials are often homebodies, airlines should focus on digital marketing and advertising that millennials can view while online,” Kuhl says. “Also, the on-demand services a company can provide will be utilized by this generation.” China’s homebody culture, known as the “zhai economy,” has spurred a rise in on-demand services, such as online food, grocery and product delivery, in major cities. According to the “Chinese Millennial Traveller” report, the third in a WYSE Travel Confederation’s series, the number of bookings made with a smartphone in China far exceeds mobile bookings for young travelers from other regions. About 57 percent of Chinese millennial travelers use their smartphone four or five times a day, and 39 percent admit they can’t go more than five minutes without glancing at it.

UNITED AIRLINES Following Delta Air Lines’ move to accept Alipay, United Airlines is the latest airline outside of China to have adopted China’s most popular online payment, making it easier for Chinese travelers to book with them online.

AIR NEW ZEALAND An online advertisement styled as an in-flight safety video targets Chinese travelers dreaming of a destination wedding or romantic getaway. It shows a man and a woman falling in love in “Romance Class” on Air New Zealand, while advertising special fares and an exclusive romance-themed amenity kit for couples.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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luxury of escape The penchant for finding respite from big-city life extends to the Chinese millennial’s travel urges, too. Travel among this group is widely viewed as a means to indulge, escape from city life and seek out exotic experiences. Young Chinese travelers are less likely to plan their trip with a clear destination in mind, but visa requirements do play a role in decision-making. According to the report by Goldman Sachs, roughly 60 percent of Chinese travelers view visa applications as the greatest impediment to traveling abroad. A number of countries, including France, the UK and the United States, are relaxing visa requirements, but still only 45 countries don’t require visa applications. Hong Kong and Macau will remain popular destinations,

but increasingly, travelers are seeking out off-the-beaten path treks elsewhere in Asia and abroad in Europe and the United States. Comfort is key as well. The highest portion of Asian millennials traveling in business class comes from China, and this group shares a preference for fourstar accommodations, according to the Singapore Tourism Board’s “Capturing the Asian Millennial Traveller” report. While combination trips booked with tour operators have been popular, this group is looking more and more to piece trips together on their own. These open gaps could be an excellent opportunity for airlines to boost ancillaries by making smart recommendations through their apps. “They increasingly are leaving open spaces,” Dorsey explains.

Airline Loyalties in China

In a survey of more than 500 Chinese consumers (aged 25–36), Hurun Research Institute found that Chinese millennials are more aware of airline loyalty programs than they are of hotel loyalty programs. These programs ranked as the most popular:

51%

Air China China Southern Airlines

27%

China Eastern Airlines

26%

Lufthansa

19%

Emirates

18%

Cathay Pacific

17%

Singapore Airlines

16%

Hainan Airlines

14%

Cathay Dragon

13%

Air France

12%

British Airways

Airline Passenger Experience Association

10%

Millennials

Kuhl suggests that, regardless of nationality, millennials have an “all out” attitude toward trips and will spend extra on certain air travel perks. She says that aside from upgraded food and beverage on board, they might spend more on RFID baggage tags, checked luggage at the gate and priority baggage claim. High-performance Wi-Fi and in-seat electrical outlets are also strong contenders for an upsell, especially for Chinese millennials, who spend 27 hours a week online – approximately 69 percent of that time on social media – and want to share every detail of a trip with their “digital entourage.” Viewing this affinity for perks, Dorsey says airlines could make big loyalty gains with small details on board. “Here’s where Chinese millennials really differ from other generations,” he says. “They like small luxuries. What that means is that a nicer soap or a nicer cookie, or anything like that, that adds just a touch of luxury to the experience is meaningful to them … If the airlines thought like that, that would be one of the important things.” As airlines outside of Asia increasingly endeavor to market to this emerging travel group, it will be important to make sure they don’t miss the mark in their efforts. “Appealing to millennials is a delicate balance,” Kuhl concludes. “This demographic can often tell when corporations are trying too hard to appeal to them, which can turn them off. Understanding their desires and behaviors is imperative for gaining their business, but do not make the efforts to appeal to them too extreme.” volume 6, edition 4

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Travelogue

Notes From the Cockpit Seasoned pilot and writer Mark Vanhoenacker found that bringing his two passions together â&#x20AC;&#x201C; flying and writing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; brought about numerous revelations. by Mark Vanhoenacker | illustration Gabriel Ebensperger

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Travelogue

t’s said that everyone has a book in them, and no one who knows me was surprised that mine was about flying. I started flying the Airbus A320 in 2003 and switched to the Boeing 747 in 2007. Indeed, flying and writing have been two of the most reliable joys of my life – so much so that I almost called my book Skywriting, until a wise editor vetoed it in favor of Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot. Before the book, I’d written about travel, science and culture for various newspapers and magazines. Writing a book – and in particular, writing a book about flying – was a very different experience. It was a much longer project, of course, and it was also much more personal work, because I’d dreamed of becoming an airline pilot since I was a small child. I felt strongly that I wanted to write as much about my passion for flying as about technology, as much about a way of experiencing the world as about the marvelous machines that make such experiences possible. As the research and writing progressed, I was pleased to discover that flying itself

apex experience

became more meaningful to me. I’ve always been amazed by the curious first hours and days we spend in a city after a long-haul flight to the far side of the world. The glass doors of a terminal usher us into a departure hall. Then, a few hours later, another set of doors opens and we walk out into a new world, into the sights, sounds and smells of

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an unimaginably distant place. How can it be that yesterday afternoon I was in London having coffee with friends and now I’m walking down a busy street in Beijing? It’s a curious and miraculous experience – indeed, it’s perhaps as miraculous for our species as getting airborne in the first place. I’d long been transfixed by this all-fivesenses experience that overtakes us when we arrive somewhere new, and I’d long suspected that our deeply rooted sense of place cannot travel nearly as fast as our airplanes, on journeys that until very recently might have taken months by sea or overland, if they were possible at all. I called this feeling “place lag,” and like jet lag, it’s an unexpected side effect of our technology, of our speed. I’ve felt place lag after every long-haul flight, but the act of naming it, and trying to explain exactly what I mean by it, clarified the experience. That’s a good thing for me, and perhaps for readers who’ve had similar feelings, because place lag is a welcome reminder that the world is still enormous. >

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The process of writing the book heightened my curiosity about more concrete aspects of flight as well. I went through a period where after every flight, I tried to note down every experience or fact that I thought would be of interest to my passengers, my friends or a pre-pilot version of myself. This had the curious effect of making me notice many more details than I had before, which led me to ask more questions, and this process enriched the day-to-day experience of my job. For example, I had occasionally heard a rumor that a handle on the flight deck, which we can pull to vent the cockpit air, was used in previous versions of the B747 to take star sights, way back in the days when such navigational measurements were a routine part of every journey. The idea of this cockpit-ceiling aperture as a sort of vestigial organ that one generation of the B747 had inherited from another, and then adapted to another purpose, was one that I relished. Was it true, though, or just a good story that pilots told? So, I asked older colleagues and a helpful official at Boeing. It Airline Passenger Experience Association

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turns out that this story is true, and it’s one that I’m happy to share with my readers, as well as with the next generation of pilots. My research led me to many other lovely revelations, especially about the wonders of flying at night, which are often as mysterious as they are beautiful. For example, when a star rises from the horizon, there’s often a moment when its light seems to methodically change color. Viewed from the cockpit, this hue shifting is something much clearer and slower than normal twinkling, almost like a tiny, interstellar traffic light. I’d always marveled at it as a pilot, but as a writer, I had to understand it, at least in general terms, and try to explain it. I e-mailed astronomers who explained the phenomenon to me in fascinating detail. “Pockets of air act as prisms to divide the star’s light,” is how I summarized their explanations. Such starlight is one of many things about my job and the world that I only understand because the writing process demanded that I ask. When I started the book, I hoped to write something that would appeal to people

Travelogue

in the aviation world (like you, perhaps) who already love to fly and who already understand how aviation has shaped the modern world. But equally, I wrote for passengers who’ve come to view flying merely as transportation, something they don’t necessarily look forward to with excitement or wonder anymore. Writing about flying increased my knowledge of some of the aviation world’s more marvelous details, and it also redoubled my passion for my job. Sharing that with readers and passengers is one small way to thank them for letting me do the job I dreamed about since childhood.

Follow the author on Twitter > @MARKV747

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Upcoming APEX Events

For the most up-to-date event calendar visit > APEX.AERO/EVENTS

multimedia market April 24–26, 2017 Berlin, Germany #APEXMARKET

apex tech 2017 November Los Angeles, United States #APEXTECH apex tech 2017 May/June Los Angeles, United States #APEXTECH

6 4

apex middle east March 2017 Dubai, UAE #APEXMIDDLEEAST

1 expo 2017 Sept. 25–28 Long Beach, United States #APEXEXPO

expo 2016 Oct. 24–27 Singapore #APEXEXPO

expo 2016 October 24–27 Singapore #APEXEXPO

multimedia market 2017 April 24–26 Berlin, Germany #APEXMARKET

apex middle east March 2017 Dubai, UAE #APEXMIDDLEEAST

apex tech 2017 May/June 2017 Los Angeles, United States #APEXTECH

expo 2017 September 25–28 Long Beach, United States #APEXEXPO

apex tech 2017 November Los Angeles, United States #APEXTECH

next up: Looking Ahead 2016: volume 6, edition 5 This year’s closing issue will look back on the highlights and trends that surfaced in Singapore and carry them forward into the new year. Beyond the rise of the Chinese millennial traveler, we’ll continue our passenger profile series with a close look at the amenities, services and companies that are increasingly tailoring to solo female travelers. Just in time for holiday reading, this issue will explore how the airline industry is working to improve disruptions.

APEX Appearances IATA World Passenger Symposium October 18–20, 2016 Dubai, UAE Session: “The Connected Aircraft: A Passenger Experience Journey from Takeoff to 2025,” moderated by APEX CEO Joe Leader

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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APEX Awards Recognize Industry Leaders APEX has revamped its awards to keep pace with one of the fastest moving industries in the world. As the airline passenger experience industry’s most influential organization, we’ve sharpened our awards program to be more relevant than ever. “These new categories were created to be more forward-thinking than in previous years,” says Dominic Green, chair of the APEX Awards Committee. “The in-flight experience is evolving, and we want to constantly recognize members who are leading the charge. Unlike the Passenger Choice Awards, members of the industry

give accolades to their peers with APEX Awards, which recognize important and innovative solutions throughout the airline passenger journey.” Entries will be judged by a panel of industry peers, including APEX members from airlines, hardware and software companies, distributors and aircraft manufacturers. In previous years, judges named winners for two key categories: Best Achievement in Passenger Experience and Best Achievement in Technology. On October 24, at the EXPO in Singapore, APEX will name recipients for eight new awards.

the new categories: > best video curation For curating a great selection of video programming within the budget provided. > best original audio For creating an outstanding audio station or audio collection. > best original video For creating a new video, such as an in-flight safety video or a promotional airline video, etc. > best cabin innovation For creating a thoughtful new cabin environment. > best passenger comfort innovation For creating an innovation in passenger comfort, including seats, design, lighting, temperature control, air quality, etc. > best personalization innovation For creating a personalized passenger experience, including a service application, personalized IFE, catering experience, etc. > best in-flight entertainment innovation For creating a new in-flight innovation that is elevating the passenger experience through GUI design, features, applications, streaming, hardware, seat integration, etc.

PHOTO: VANCE WALSTRA

> awards committee > For more information about the new awards categories and the selection process, contact Katie Goshgarian at kgoshgarian@apex.aero

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Chair: Dominic Green, Inflight Dublin Members: Joanna Boundy, Qantas; Linda Celestino, Etihad Airways; Michael Childers, Lufthansa Systems; Juha Järvinen, Finnair; Éric Lauzon, Air Canada; Brian Richardson, American Airlines

> best in-flight connectivity innovation For creating a new in-flight innovation, including interactive connectivity on board, unique Wi-Fi features and offerings, etc.

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APEX EXPO Cool Award APEX EXPO has always been about the exhibitors, which is why the APEX EXPO Cool Award is back for a second year.

what is the apex expo cool award? The APEX EXPO Cool Award was created to recognize the innovative APEX spirit showcased each year at the event. At the show, keep your eye out for cool innovations on the tradeshow floor, and vote for your favorites. Examples include inventive ways to speed up the check-in process, create a customizable in-flight experience, feature state-of-the art entertainment and more. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re impressed by an APEX exhibitor, make it known!

who will be nominated? Each exhibiting company will be included in the ballot. Exhibitors may include their showcased products and services in their submission if received by headquarters before September 30.

how to vote? Voting will take place on site at APEX EXPO via paper ballot. Ten ballots per registered company will be available at the registration desk. Completed ballot forms are due at the registration desk by Wednesday, October 27 at 5:00 p.m. local time to be counted toward the award.

when will the finalists be announced?

2015 cool award finalists

The winner and finalists will be announced and showcased in the Thursday edition of the APEX EXPO Daily Experience, so attendees can check out the winning booths all day long.

2. Panasonic Avionics > The Cool Room 3. PXCom > PXApp Destination Guide

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Buzz Productsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team poses for a photo in celebration of their 2015 APEX EXPO Cool Award win.

We hope you enjoy this new award and focus on the great innovations of APEX exhibitors! PHOTO: VANCE WALSTRA

1. Buzz Products > ecoTHREAD > Billboard Earbuds for Delta Air Lines > Qantas Next-generation Check-in Bag Tag > TUMI for Delta Air Lines Amenity Kits

Airline Passenger Experience Association

apex experience

Save the Date: APEX MultiMedia Market 2017 their favorite content vendors and also discover new ones that they can rarely meet in their local market. What is the primary benefit for airlines attending the conference? The main benefit for airlines is being exposed to new sources of content that provide an international flair. At this show, we’re kept up-to-date on the upcoming blockbusters, but we can also meet smaller distributors from France, Italy, Germany and other countries that often have interesting local content to enrich the IFE libraries of large global airlines. How do you envision this event evolving alongside the airline content industry? Content is often what differentiates one airline from another. I’m a true believer that airlines and their content service providers will continue to search and license content gems as the wealth of their IFE offering makes each one of them unique. Also, the installation of in-flight Wi-Fi systems

Éric Lauzon, APEX MultiMedia Market Cochair

will also revolutionize the airline content industry, as it will open the door to myriad new possibilities while offering airlines a new way to distribute content to passengers in a similar fashion than how they consume entertainment content at home.

PHOTOS: ÉRIC LAUZON, RICHARD THEEMLING

With another successful APEX EXPO almost in the books, it’s time to start planning for APEX’s second-largest annual event: APEX MultiMedia Market. Mark your calendar for April 24–26, 2017, when the conference will land in Berlin, Germany. As the largest gathering of airlines and content service providers, the event traditionally sets the stage for the coming year’s entertainment. We caught up with Éric Lauzon, manager, Multimedia Entertainment, for Air Canada and cochair of the event, to discuss what’s on the docket for next year. What makes APEX MultiMedia Market stand out from other similar events? MultiMedia Market stands out for its intimacy and its unique focus on in-flight entertainment (IFE) content. Today, the definition of IFE is much broader than pure entertainment content as it also includes various applications, games, user interfaces, etc. The conference is usually held in Europe where airlines get a chance to meet up with

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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APEX Heart Awards Applaud Acts of Sympathy The APEX Heart Awards recognize individuals and airlines behind everyday and extraordinary gestures that elevate the air travel experience. Here are three instances where crewmembers, a pilot and an airline went out of their way to let passengers know they care.

Karen Choong Shi Qi, Singapore Airlines flight attendant Karen (Kren) Choong Shi Qi, a Singapore Airlines flight attendant, assisted a 92-yearold diabetic woman on a 12-hour flight from Singapore to Frankfurt. When the woman accidentally injected too much insulin and started shaking, Karen offered her an apple to stabilize her blood sugar. But the elderly passenger couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bite into the hard fruit, so Karen cut the apple into bite-sized pieces, even offering to feed it to the her.

Etihad Airways pilot, cabin crew and staff An Etihad pilot turned around an international flight, set to take off for Abu Dhabi, after being notified by cabin crew that a couple on board had just found out their grandson was in the ICU. After disembarking, the two passengers were met by airline staff members, who had already retrieved the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s luggage and arranged a car. Thanks to the team effort, the couple was able to say goodbye to their grandson before he passed away the following day.

JetBlue

For more acts of kindness in the passenger experience, visit > APEX.AERO/APEXHEART-AWARDS

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Following a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016, JetBlue announced that it would provide free airline tickets to the immediate family and domestic partners of the victims, of which 49 were killed and 53 wounded. the airline has also partnered with the city of Orlando and local businesses in supporting OneOrlando Fund, a non-profit organization created to provide financial support and services to the Orlando community in the wake of the tragedy.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

IFSA

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IFSA President´s Letter We are winding down from the 2016 IFSA Conference and Expo, which was held in the windy city of Chicago September 19–21. As always, we had an exciting agenda filled with informational sessions and a variety of networking and social events. This is always a motivating week filled with energy that I know all of our members look forward to each year. The 2016 IFSA Conference and Expo shaped up to be a recordbreaking year for the tradeshow floor, with over 180 booths sold and record attendance from our airline members. IFSA also worked to bring new initiatives to the conference. To highlight some of the innovations in the industry, we had a “New Product Showcase” as well as a live Ask the Expert Q&A session hosted by the Government Affairs and Education Committee booth. We also had our successful events and experiences that are IFSA member favorites, such as the annual Chefs Competition and the crowd-pleasing Craft Beef Tasting experience.

In other IFSA news, we are looking at another recordbreaking year for IFSA’s Foundation Scholarship program. With over 100 entries and the highest amount of scholarship funding to date, we are excited to have announced all the scholarship recipients. Winners can be found at IFSAnet.com. The Government Affairs & Education Committee (GAEC) has had a busy 2016 with the release of the fourth edition of the World Food Safety Guidelines (WFSG), a comprehensive guide to assist the onboard industry in meeting and exceeding food safety standards, available for download at IFSAnet.com in English and Spanish. We encourage you to share the free download with your colleagues. Imminent changes are on the horizon for food labeling and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Fortunately for IFSA members, GAEC, with the help

of legal counsel, is working hard advocating for our members. Please visit our Ask the Expert page on our website if you have questions. One of my goals as IFSA president is to help create solutions and opportunities for our airline, catering and supplier members. I enjoy working with each of you to make that goal a reality for all of us. Our members are like family and the association is here to help all members grow within the onboard food industry. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to IFSA.

Best, > Jane Bernier-Tran

PHOTO: IFSA

President International Flight Services Association

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IFSA

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IFSA Foundation Scholarship Winners 2016 The International Flight Services Association Foundation Scholarships are awards given to exceptional students. They cover tuition, books, living expenses and associated costs with college. The scholarships are available to students across the globe. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

For more information visit > IFSANET.COM

scholarship

recipient

company

amount

Sue Ling Gin Charitable Trust

Sachindra Sanam Venkata

United Airlines

$10,000

Gourmet Foods

Caroline Davis

Delta Air Lines

$5,000

Gourmet Foods

Garrett Kiefer

HACO

$5,000

Harvey & Laura Alpert

Kelly Bucher

United Airlines

$5,000

Harvey & Laura Alpert

Kelly Carpenter

Miller Coors

$5,000

DFS, Inc.

Parker Ragle

Sky Chefs

$5,000

Flying Food Group

Dylan Feliu

Flying Food Group

$5,000

Intervine

Allison Linzing

United Airlines

$5,000

John & Ginnie Long

Emma Kautz

Flying Food Group

$5,000

John Louis Foundation

Vivian Do

Flying Food Group

$5,000

Alphonse Joseph

Nicholas Melvin

Atlas Air, Inc.

$5,000

King Nut Companies

Charlene Hamilton

HACO

$5,000

Michael J. Devine

Zina Darwish

dnata

$5,000

Oakfield Farms Solutions

Shivani Patel

Chelsea Food Company

$5,000

United Airlines

Christopher Bedard

Flying Food Group

$5,000

United Airlines

Connie Tran

Flying Food Group

$5,000

WESSCO International

Ryan Franklin

United Airlines

$5,000

AMI

Mike Jerome

Gate Gourmet

$4,500

McGuire & Associates

Joel Cabrera

Flying Food Group

$3,500

Infinite Peripherals

Erin Sucich

JetBlue Airways

$2,272

James T. Pfannkuche

Anthony Jerez

Flying Food Group

$2,250

Ken Samara

Mandi Roan

Oakfield Farms Solutions

$2,250

Gate Gourmet

Kelly Trilio

gategroup

$2,250

Fleury Michon/Delta Dailyfood

Saleem Abu Hussein

dnata

$2,000

JetBlue Airways

Yousef Abu Hussein

dnata

$1,500

JetBlue Airways

Quynh Nguyen

Buddy’s Kitchen

$1,500

FreemanGroup

Estelle Chough

United Airlines

$1,363

FreemanGroup

Bianca D’Amaral-Rodrigues

Sid Wainer & Son

$1,363

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COMING TO AIRLINES JANUARY 2017

CONTACT Martin.Sansing@disney.com ~ VISIT OUR WEBSITE nt.disney.com

come talk to us about pixL IFE

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What to look for in the months ahead

Coming Attractions w

The Accountant

Director: Gavin O’Connor Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jean Smart, Cynthia Addai-Robinson Christian Wolff works as an accountant for the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With Crime Enforcement closing in, he takes on a legitimate client where a multimillion discrepancy has been discovered. But as Christian gets closer to the truth, the body count starts to rise.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

Allied

Director: Robert Zemeckis Cast: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Goode, Jared Harris A World War II operative learns a devastating secret about his wife.

Animal Crackers

Directors: Tony Bancroft, Scott Christian Sava Voiced By: Emily Blunt, John Krasinksi, Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone, Danny DeVito, Gilbert Gottfried A family’s life is turned upside down when they inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers, which magically changes the person who eats them into the animal they have eaten. Now, they must save the circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

Anthropoid

Director: Sean Ellis Cast: Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan Based on the extraordinary true story of Operation Anthropoid, the WWII mission to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, whose reign of terror prompted Allied soldiers to hatch a top-secret mission that would change the face of Europe forever. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CORP. CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: NORTH AMERICA

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

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Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

The Birth of a Nation

Bridget Jones’s Baby

Director: Ang Lee Cast: Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin

Director: Nate Parker Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Mark Boone Junior, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Dwight Henry

Director: Sharon Maguire Cast: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey

Billy Lynn and his fellow soldiers become heroes after a harrowing Iraq battle and are brought home for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, what really happened to the squad is revealed – contrasting the realities of the war with America’s perceptions. DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES * EXCLUDING CHINA, HONG KONG, MACAU, TAIWAN AND UK

Certain Women

Nat Turner is a literate slave and preacher whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use his preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As Nat witnesses countless atrocities against himself and his fellow slaves, he orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom. DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

Cold War 2

Single again after leaving Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones decides to focus on her job and friends – until she meets Jack, the suitor who is everything Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch – she’s only 50 percent sure of who the baby’s father is. DISTRIBUTOR: UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

Collide

Director: Kelly Reichardt Cast: Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, Jared Harris

Directors: Leung Lok-man, Luk Kim-ching Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung, Charlie Yeung, Eddie Peng

Director: Eran Creevy Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley

Three women are striving to forge their own paths in the American Northwest: a lawyer, contending with office sexism; a mother, determined to build her dream home; and a law student, forming an ambiguous bond with a ranch hand. As their stories intersect, a portrait emerges of individuals in the process of defining themselves.

After a successful rescue operation, Sean Lau is now the Commissioner of Police. However, things turn bad when his wife and daughter are kidnapped. Sean has to seek help from former rival and retired DCP Waise Lee to help save his wife and child.

After a heist goes terribly wrong, Casey finds himself on the run from ruthless mob boss Hagen. He has precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Casey sets out on an adrenaline-fueled car chase on the German highways to save the love of his life.

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Denial

Director: Mick Jackson Cast: Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott PHOTOS: © LIAM DANIEL / BLEECKER STREET; © 2016 MARVEL; © MISTER SMITH ENTERTAINMENT; © 2016 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © NICK WALL / PATHE; © FEDERICO VAGLIATI 2016

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Deborah E. Lipstadt is fighting a legal battle for historical truth against David Irving who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, the burden of proof is on the accused. It is now up to Lipstadt and her legal team to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI * EXCLUDING US

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them w

Director: David Yates Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he encounters a No-Maj, Jacob, and misplaces his magical suitcase. As a result, some of his fantastic beasts escape, spelling trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Doctor Strange

Director: Scott Derrickson Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong In his quest for healing after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands, world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange discovers powerful magic in a mysterious place known as Kamar-Taj – the frontline of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MARTIN SANSING

Equals

Director: Drake Doremus Cast: Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Guy Pearce Nia and Silas work in a futuristic utopian society that ended crime and violence by genetically eliminating all human emotions. Despite this, Nia and Silas notice a growing attraction between them. If suspicion mounts, they will be forced to go back to their old lives, or they could avoid it by pulling off a daring escape. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

Florence Foster Jenkins

Fräulein – A Winter Tale

Director: Stephen Frears Cast: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant

Director: Caterina Carone Cast: Christian De Sica, Lucia Mascino

Florence Foster Jenkins is an heiress and socialite who obsessively pursues her dream of becoming a singer. Her voice is awful but her partner and manager, St. Clair Bayfield, protects her from the truth. When Florence decides to give a concert at Carnegie Hall, St. Clair faces his greatest challenge.

A storm rages in the soul of Regina, a morose and lonely spinster. She is dubbed “fräulein,” after a mysterious, elderly visitor, lost and childlike, passes her hotel that has been closed for years. What was supposed to be a short-lived one-night clash soon turns out to be a turbulent and surprising coexistence.

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Genius

Director: Michael Grandage Cast: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Guy Pearce, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney A stirring drama about the complex friendship and transformative professional relationship between the world-renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins and the larger-than-life literary giant Thomas Wolfe. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

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The Guest

A huge company loss jeopardizes Zheng’s career. Frustrated and drunk, he gets into a mysterious car, but doesn’t recall what happened. Soon after, Zheng discovers his boss is dead and he is the prime suspect. Zheng believes the source of his troubles is the creepy driver who has secretly come into his life. DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT LTD. CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG

Director: Christopher Smith Cast: Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Ewen Bremner, Warwick Davis, Stephen Graham, Joanna Scanlan

Director: Rosemary Myers Cast: Bethany Whitmore, Harrison Feldman, Amber McMahon On the cusp of turning 15, Greta can’t bear to leave her childhood. She floats in a bubble of loserdom with her only friend, Elliott, until her parents throw her a surprise birthday party flinging her into a parallel place; a world that’s weirdly erotic and thoroughly ludicrous – only there can she find herself.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

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Hands of Stone

Harmonium

Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz Cast: Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramírez, John Turturro

Director: Kôji Fukada Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Mariko Tsutsui, Kanji Furutachi, Taiga

In June 1980, Roberto Duran defeated Sugar Ray Leonard to capture the WBC welterweight title, but shocked the boxing world by returning to his corner in their November rematch, famously saying the words “no mas.”

Toshio hires Yasaka in his workshop. This old acquaintance who has just been released from prison begins to meddle in Toshio’s family life; shaking things up, revealing loneliness, and bringing out the bonds that nevertheless endure.

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* EXCLUDING MAINLAND CHINA

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Girl Asleep

Days before Christmas, nine-year-old Tom discovers Santa Claus taking shelter in the garden shed. Having crash-landed his new sleigh, Santa attempts to liberate his reindeer and is thrown into jail. Now, it’s down to Tom and his dad to spring Santa from prison and save Christmas.

Director: Im Dae-woong Cast: Leon Lai, Geng Le, Han Chea-young

Get Santa

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Housefull 3

Directors: Sajid-Farhad Cast: Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Akshay Kumar

Hell or High Water w

Director: David Mackenzie Cast: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Katy Mixon, Jeff Bridges

Inferno

Toby is a divorced father who’s trying to make a better life for his son. His brother Tanner is an ex-convict with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that’s about to foreclose on their family ranch.

DISTRIBUTOR: EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD. CONTACT: PRASHANT GAONKAR

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

I.T.

Director: John Moore Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Michael Nyqvist, Anna Friel, James Frecheville, Stefanie Scott

Robert Langdon is a symbologist on a trail of clues tied to the great Dante himself. When he wakes up in a hospital with amnesia, he hopes Dr. Sienna Brooks will help him recover. Together, they race against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population.

Mike Ryan, a self-made man who has it all, is approaching the height of success with his company, when his relationship with Ed Porter, his I.T. consultant, sours. He soon finds himself in a deadly high-stakes game of cat and mouse when Ed starts using technology to threaten his family, business and life.

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Jack Reacher: Never Go Back w

Director: Ron Howard Cast: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Ben Foster, Sidse Babett Knudsen

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A father doesn’t want his three daughters to get married. Now, it’s up to three men to try to convince the father that they’re a good fit for his daughters.

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Director: Edward Zwick Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he’s now accused of a 16-year-old homicide. DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

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Jason Bourne

Director: Paul Greengrass Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles PHOTOS: © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © SHAYNE LAVERDIÈRE, SONS OF MANUAL; © FRANK MASI PHOTOGRAPHS © 2016 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD.

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Former CIA assassin Jason Bourne resurfaces just as his former employers are planning to hunt him down. Now, fully recovered from his amnesia, Bourne tries to uncover the truth about his past and his family while exacting revenge and eluding capture by the forces hot on his trail. DISTRIBUTOR: UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

Juste la fin du monde

Keeping Up With the Joneses

Director: Xavier Dolan Cast: Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Gaspard Ulliel

Director: Greg Mottola Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Gal Gadot

After 12 years of absence, a writer goes back to his hometown, planning on announcing his upcoming death to his family. As resentment rewrites the course of the afternoon, fits and feuds unfold. Meanwhile, all attempts of empathy are sabotaged by their incapacity to listen and love one another.

An ordinary suburban couple finds it’s not easy keeping up with the Joneses – their impossibly gorgeous and ultra-sophisticated new neighbors – especially when they discover that Mr. and Mrs. “Jones” are covert operatives. DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, US, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA

Ki & Ka

Director: R. Balki Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor

Kevin Hart: What Now? w

Director: Leslie Small Cast: Kevin Hart

A young, married couple’s relationship challenges the gender roles placed upon women and men in Indian society. Comedian Kevin Hart presents his hilarious stand-up routine filmed live on August 30, 2015 in front of 53,000 people at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field during his “What Now?” tour.

DISTRIBUTOR: EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD. CONTACT: PRASHANT GAONKAR

DISTRIBUTOR: UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

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The Light Between Oceans i

Director: Derek Cianfrance Cast: Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz

Land of Mine

Director: Martin Zandvliet Cast: Roland Møller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Emil Belton, Oskar Belton, Mikkel Følsgaard

Based on a true story, a Danish sergeant takes charge of a group of youthful German POWs who he puts to work, defusing explosives on the coast of Denmark in the immediate aftermath of World War II. DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CORP. CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR * EXCLUDING GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, SCANDINAVIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Looking: The Movie

The Magnificent Seven

Director: Andrew Haigh Cast: Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett, Lauren Weedman, Raúl Castillo, Russell Tovey

Director: Antoine Fuqua Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard

After several months of living in Denver, Patrick returns to San Francisco to celebrate a momentous event with old friends Agustín and Dom. While their lives have moved forward, Patrick must face the unresolved relationships he left behind and make difficult choices.

With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns. As they prepare for the violent showdown, the mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS

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DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

Maudie

Director: Aisling Walsh Cast: Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke Everett, a recluse, hires Maudie, a hunched woman with crippled hands, to be his housekeeper. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love with Maudie who yearns to be independent. Maudie charts Everett’s efforts to protect himself from being hurt while rising to fame as a folk painter. DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CORP. CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR * EXCLUDING CANADA

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On a remote Australian island after World War I, lighthouse keeper Tom and his wife, Isabel, discover a boat washed ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month-old baby. Rescuing the infant, they make the decision to raise her as their own but the consequences of their choice prove to be devastating.

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children w

PHOTOS: © 2016 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2016 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.; © LICHTBLICK MEDIA, BEACHSIDE, INDI FILM, SWR 2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2014 SNAPSHOT PRODUCTIONS, BLINDER FILMS AND SNAPSHOT FILMS EAST; © 2015 THE SILK ROAD PROJECT, INC.

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Director: Tim Burton Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Ella Purnell, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies.

Moana

Morris from America w

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker Voiced By: Auli‘i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson Moana meets the demigod Maui, who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana discovers the one thing she’s always sought – her identity. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MARTIN SANSING

Director: Chad Hartigan Cast: Craig Robinson, Markees Christmas Morris is a 13-year-old who has just relocated with his single father to Heidelberg, Germany. Fancying himself the next Notorious B.I.G., Morris finds himself a fish out of water in an EDM world. But he sets out to take the hip-hop world by storm and win the girl of his dreams – his cool, rebellious classmate, Katrin. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

Moscow Never Sleeps w

Director: Johnny O’Reilly Cast: Anastasia Shalonko, Dmitri Pavlenko, Alexey Serebryakov, Akim Efremov The lives of five people are forever changed during Moscow’s City Day holiday. A businessman, a singer, an actor, a young girl and a mother must overcome difficult obstacles and make life-changing decisions. Like New York, Moscow is a prison you don’t want to escape from. DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT LTD. CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble w

Director: Morgan Neville Cast: Yo-Yo Ma, Kinan Azmeh, Kayhan Kalhor

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Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his internationally renowned collective of diverse instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers explore the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

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Night Peacock

Director: Dai Sijie Cast: Liu Yifei, Liu Ye, Yu Shaoqun, Leon Lai

Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale i

Directors: Ben Bowie, Geoff Luck

Based on the incredible, true-life story of a baby elephant born in a rescue camp in the wilderness of Botswana. When she is suddenly orphaned at six weeks of age, it’s up to the men who look after her herd to save her life. DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CORP. CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

Nil Battey Sannata w

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari Cast: Swara Bhaskar, Ratna Pathak, Riya Shukla Apu is giving up on her studies because she thinks her mother, a housemaid, will not be able to afford higher education – only privileged children become doctors or engineers and Apu believes she’ll end up a maid, too. To change her perspective of life, Apu’s mother enrolls herself in school.

Pete’s Dragon

Elsa is a student from France who falls in love with Rong, a Shakuhachi master during her studies in Chengdu. But she discovers Rong has lied to her about his unusual relationship with Xiaolin. Elsa is so disappointed, she returns to France and meets tattoo artist Jianmin, who she marries following a series of incidents. DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT LTD. CONTACT: GRACE LAU * EXCLUDING CHINA

Phobia

Director: David Lowery Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, Robert Redford

Director: Pavan Kirpalani Cast: Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Misra, Ankur Vikal, Yashaswini Dayama, Nivedita Bhattacharya

A reimagining of the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon.

An agoraphobic young woman, traumatized by past events, finds herself trapped and terrorized in her own home.

DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MARTIN SANSING

DISTRIBUTOR: EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD. CONTACT: PRASHANT GAONKAR

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Queen of Katwe

Director: Mira Nair Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine Queen of Katwe is the true story of a young Ugandan girl whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess, and, as a result of the support from her family and community, pursues her dream of becoming an international chess champion. DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MARTIN SANSING

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story w

Director: Gareth Edwards Cast: Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who do extraordinary things, becoming part of something greater than themselves.

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Rules Don’t Apply

Director: Warren Beatty Cast: Alec Baldwin, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Haley Bennett, Candice Bergen, Matthew Broderick Enduring the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire for whom they work, an aspiring young actress and her ambitious young driver struggle hopefully to make their dreams come true. DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MARTIN SANSING

The Sea of Seiro: Detective Mitarai’s Casebook w

Director: Seiji Izumi Cast: Hiroshi Tamaki, Alice Hirose, Hikari Ishida, Hisahiro Ogura Private detective Kiyoshi Mitarai and Miyuki Ogawa arrive in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. They are interested in a case that involves bodies that were discovered drifting in the Seto Inland Sea, where the tides repeat every six hours.

The Secret Life of Pets w

Directors: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney Voiced By: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper

Max is a terrier. After his owner adopts a new dog, a mishap leads to the two pets being stranded in Manhattan. On the run from animal control, the dogs encounter a hilarious group of misfit pets while they attempt to make it home again. DISTRIBUTOR: UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT LTD. CONTACT: GRACE LAU * EXCLUDING JAPAN

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PHOTOS: © 2016 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.; © 2016 & TM LUCASFILM LTD.; © FRANCOIS DUHAMEL © 2016 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2016 THE SEA OF SEIRO: DETECTIVE MITARAI’S CASEBOOK FILM PARTNERS; © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Southside With You *

Director: Richard Tanne Cast: Tika Sumpter, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Parker Sawyers

Snowden

Director: Oliver Stone Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Nicolas Cage, Scott Eastwood, Rhys Ifans, Zachary Quinto

The incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world – considered a hero by some and a traitor by others. DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

Inspired by Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date in 1989. A young law associate, Barack, tried to woo a lawyer, Michelle, during a daylong date that took them from the Art Institute of Chicago to a screening of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing to the site of their first kiss outside an ice cream parlor. DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI * US, UK, AUSTRALIA, NZ, JAPAN, CHINA, BENELUX, GREECE, EAST EUROPE, CIS AND SWITZERLAND

Storks

Directors: Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland Voiced By: Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele Storks deliver babies – at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for Internet giant Cornerstore.com. Unexpectedly, Junior, the top delivery stork, gets tied up with an adorable baby girl. Desperate to deliver this bundle before the boss gets wise, he and his friend Tulip, race to make their first-ever baby drop. DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

Director: David Ayer Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje A team of the world’s most dangerous Super Villains are assembled and sent on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed, but chosen for their patent culpability, will they resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself? DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

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Suicide Squad

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Sully

Director: Clint Eastwood Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney The world witnessed a miracle when Captain “Sully” Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. But while Sully was being heralded by the public, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career. DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

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The Truth Beneath w

Director: Lee Kyoung-mi Cast: Son Ye-jin, Kim Joo-hyuk

Trolls

Director: Mike Mitchell Voiced By: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Russell Brand, Kunal Nayyar

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN * EXCLUDING CHINA AND KOREA

Unlocked

Yeon-hong is enthusiastic about helping her husband become a National Assembly member. But on the first day of the campaign, their daughter goes missing. Yeon-hong is desperate to find her, but is devastated by her husband, who is worrying more about the election. DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT LTD. CONTACT: GRACE LAU * EXCLUDING KOREA

War Dogs

When the Bough Breaks w

Director: Michael Apted Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Orlando Bloom

Director: Todd Phillips Cast: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, Bradley Cooper, Eddie Jemison

When the CIA apprehends a suspect who is believed to have knowledge of an imminent terrorist attack, Alice, a former interrogator, is called in unexpectedly. Quickly realizing she has been set up, she narrowly escapes and finds herself on the run, while trying to prevent a deadly biological attack on the city.

Two friends exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on US military contracts. But they get in over their heads when they land a $300-million deal to arm the Afghan military – putting them in business with some shady people, who turn out to be the US government.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CORP. CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

Director: Jon Cassar Cast: Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Romany Malco, Michael K. Williams, Theo Rossi, Jaz Sinclair John and Laura are a couple who desperately want a baby. They finally hire a surrogate, Anna. But as she gets further along in her pregnancy, so too does her psychotic fixation on John. The couple becomes caught up in Anna’s deadly game and must fight to regain control of their future. DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

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N: NORTH AMERICA

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

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PHOTOS: © DREAMWORKS ANIMATION DREAMWORKS TROLLS © 2016 DREAMWORKS ANIMATION LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS ENTERTAINMENT LTD.; © 2015 BLOOM MEDIA; © 2016 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING

Overly optimistic Trolls inhabit a colorful world, with a constant dance in their step and a song on their lips – but alongside the comically pessimistic Bergens.

THE WIZARD OF LIES

INSECURE

FIRST CLASS WITH

QUARRY

DIVORCE

LAST WEEK TONIGHT ® WITH JOHN OLIVER

ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS

VICE PRINCIPALS

Hotels

apex experience

Room and Board Before or after APEX EXPO, hop aboard one of Asia-Pacific’s many carriers to Tokyo, Hong Kong or Shanghai to experience the nuances in cultures and hospitality across the region’s airlines and hotels.

Imperial Hotel

The Peninsula

The PuLi Hotel and Spa

Tokyo, Japan

Hong Kong

Shanghai, China

HND, Haneda International Airport Japanese Yen

Calling code: +81

PHOTOS: IMPERIAL HOTEL TOKYO; THE PENINSULA; THE PULI HOTEL AND SPA

Commute time to airport: 20 mins

HKG, Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong Dollar

Calling code: +852

Commute time to airport: 30 mins

PVG, Shanghai Pudong International Airport Chinese Yuan

Calling code: +86

Commute time to airport: 40 mins

why you’ll go

Guests feel welcomed by the high ceilings, wide staircases, extravagant chandeliers and sleek furnishings – elements of grandeur in a city where everything else seems small compared to Western standards.

Hong Kong’s oldest hotel is a time capsule of a bygone era of elegance and hospitality, a rare gem in the fast-paced commercial capital of Asia. Expect top-notch service from the hotel help, known as the Peninsula Pages.

Find a Zen-like cave in bustling Shanghai without leaving the city center. The urban luxury resort features a garden terrace and dark, sophisticated, calming interiors. With a spa to boot, it sets the stage for ultimate relaxation.

why you’ll stay

Not sure about sashimi or unagi? The hotel’s many restaurants offer American, French and Chinese cuisines – with room service that can compete – making staying on hotel grounds highly tempting.

Don’t let the name Peninsula Academy fool you. While learning is involved, the program takes guests on cultural Hong Kong experiences, including dim sum making and gallery tours.

Drop your bags off at the hotel, then take a stroll through the neighboring Jing’an Park. Later on, retreat to the hotel without losing sight of the park’s flora from its third-floor indoor infinity pool.

fun fact

“The Pen” is known for its fleet of RollsRoyces, which can be reserved to fetch you from the airport or take you on a cruise of the city at sunset.

Its 32-meter Long Bar is matched by a long list of wines and champagnes, which you can sip over snacks like crispy pork skin with spiced apple puree.

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Time Travel The time it takes to go the distance sure isn’t what it used to be. by Kristina Velan

While most passengers groan over airline journeys in excess of 24 hours – with multiple legs and layovers at different airport hubs – the time it takes to travel now isn’t what it used to be. In 1881, it would have taken 30 to 40 days to travel from London to Singapore, at least, that is, according to one of the first isochronic maps created by British explorer and cartographer Francis Galton. With London as his starting point, Galton plotted out the travel distances between locations around the world and colored them into zones. At a glance, you could look at a map and measure how far you could travel within different blocks of time. 178

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Visit us at apex.aero

What would an isochronic map look like today? > APEX.AERO/ ISOCHRONES

Commercial air travel has made the world much smaller. Thirty-seven years ago, when APEX was founded as the World Airline Entertainment Association in 1979, it would have taken approximately 17 hours in the air for travelers to reach London from Singapore on jumbo jets – a travel time that was almost cut in half for a few years when British Airways and Singapore Airlines operated the Concorde in a joint service. Even without commercial supersonic flights, improved long-haul operations are reducing travel times. Singapore Airlines is set to reclaim the crown for world’s longest flight with its Singapore–New York City route, which was the longest in the world from 2004 until it was discontinued in 2013. Scheduled to relaunch in 2018, it promises to bring passengers halfway around the world in around 19 hours, very different from the length of time it would have taken to

travel multiple legs between the two cities in the 1970s, let alone the 1880s. Looking ahead, flights from London may be able to reach Singapore in less time than it takes to fly across North America. British aerospace technology firm Reaction Engines is currently working on a new engine system called Sabre that will fly anywhere in the world in four hours or less.

If you are an APEX member who is interested in contributing to the Throwback page, please submit your personal stories relating to the airline industry, or a moment or product in aviation history, to editor@apex.aero.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

MAP: ROME2RIO

Throwback

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