APEX Experience – The Journey Issue

airline passenger

october - november 2014

The Journey Issue WINE IN THE SKY | THE CRYING PLANE | FUTURE OF TRAVEL

NEW CUSTOMS | WAYFINDING | COMFORT IN THE CABIN | ONE PLANE JOURNEY

official publication of the airline passenger experience association

DELIVERING AND SHAPING PREMIUM ENTERTAINMENT, CONNEC TIVIT Y AND DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS, TO AIRLINE PASSENGERS WORLDWIDE

We combine an impressive wealth of skills, expertise and knowledge, within a passionate group of highly motivated individuals.

These teams provide content, creative, digital and technical solutions to surprise and delight passengers. We intelligently review and service to maximize return on investment, differentiate product and add value.

We are expertly delivering the current, and developing the future potential of passenger entertainment.

sales@globaleagleent.com

www.globaleagleent.com

Airbus Widebody Family

You don’t have to squeeze them in...

airbus.com

What if you didn’t have to choose between improving fuel efficiency and passenger comfort? What if you could offer wider seats whilst cutting bills? What if customer loyalty didn’t suffer at the hands of economics? With Airbus, you can have the best of both worlds.

Airbus Widebody Family, our numbers will convince you.

© AIRBUS, 2014. All rights reserved. Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks.

...to make your money go further.

A BETTER FLIGHT EXPERIENCE BRouGHT To you By INTELLICABIN. ™

The cabin system of the future, IntelliCabin, is here today, and has been designed to increase functionality, optimize power usage, and improve the flight experience for both crews and passengers.

www.baesystems.com/intellicabin

Contents

apex experience

The Journey Issue

Visit us at apex.aero

october - november 2014

When we embark on a trip, we experience both a physical and emotional journey cycle. Airlines and service providers can help drive the narrative of passengers’ personal travel stories by creating memorable, sensory experiences.

> Features

> IN Profile

63

Riding the Breaks

New Customs

The passenger’s journey ends after disembarking from the plane, but for the airline crew that’s when the aircraft’s next journey begins. We explore the leg-to-leg operations that often go overlooked by travelers.

Crossing the border can be stressful at the best of times, but airports and airlines are finding solutions and implementing technology to improve this aspect of the passenger experience.

Nick Vivion

Stephanie Gehman

44 The Crying Plane Flying can often be emotionally overwhelming, so it’s no surprise that flyers report getting extra weepy while watching in-flight entertainment.

Jenn Wint

50 Greg Cornell Product manager, eConnect and Cabin Power, EMTEQ Ltd.

79 From Grape to Tray Table

60 Helen Lynch Director and owner, Stellar Entertainment

Making a wine that tastes great at high altitude starts in the vineyard. We spoke to the vintners at Canoe Ridge Vineyard, who supply for Alaska Airlines, to learn how they produce wines that are fit to fly.

Jason Kessler

87 Lightweight Heavyweight

76 Roy Moody CEO, Phitek

Inspired as passengers and driven as engineers, the creators of Expliseat set out to create a slim and comfortable seat solution.

Brett Snyder

35 (De)signing the Way The airport designer’s job is a thankless task, but when they’ve done their job right, wayfinding for travelers is an intuitive and seamless experience.

Katie Sehl

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84 Miranda Mills Senior vice-president, Aviation, Inmarsat

92 Brad Jaehn Vice-president of Product, Gogo

Airline Passenger Experience Association

illustration: Ricardo Polo photos: PHITEK; Mehran torgoley

52

Wow! I look good.

ZODIAC INFLIGHT INNOVATIONS AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS Entertainment & Seat Technologies

Contents

apex experience

Comfort & Ambience Entertainment & Connectivity Catering & Services

Visit us at apex.aero

october - november 2014

> Industry

30

Sleep Dreams

Music in Motion

Catching some zzz’s on the fly is getting easier as airports and airlines introduce sleep aids and safe havens.

Playing the right tunes helps travelers fly on a high note.

Jasmin Legatos

24 Planes, Trains and Automobiles Time and distance are crucial factors passengers take into consideration when determining their mode of transportation.

Katie Sehl

Shallom Johnson

32 Cool Concepts on the Table Cabin innovation brings the future to passengers’ fingertips.

Maryann Simson

Time to Play

18 APEX in Action

How in-flight gaming can take a few cues from the cinema.

Modus Apparatus

Combat aviation-specific phobias with the tips and programs being implemented by airports and airlines.

Katie Sehl

28 Random Acts of Surprise Little acts of kindness can go a long way to strengthen brand identity, maintain customer loyalty and make newsworthy headlines.

Kerry Reals

12 President’s Letter 13 Board News

37

Anxiety ABCs

> APEX

34 Jordan Yerman

26

101

100-105 APEX News

106

From zany to practical, we look at some of the new traveler tools on the market.

IFSA News

Jasmin Legatos

> Listings

38

108 Movie Listings

Sensory Connections Beacon technology is making the airport experience seamless.

Terri Potratz

38 Air Messenger Are passengers ditching small talk in favor of a seat messenger?

Katie Sehl

40

129 Advertisers’ Index

> Standbys

14 Editor’s Letter 16 Featured Contributors

69 Roundtable: Comfort in the Cabin Experts in design, engineering and human factors weigh in on how comfort can be delivered to economy-class flyers.

Paul Sillers

95 Travelogue: Ahead of Time What will the passenger’s experience be like in one, five and 10 years? Watt imagines the future of travel.

Cameron Watt

130 Throwback: The Abstract Skies of Yore Minimalist airport maps were inspired by electric wiring diagrams and London’s Underground Tube network.

Moving Maps Always a fan favorite, flight trackers have come a long way.

Samantha Shankman

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

photo: Mehran Torgoley; Illustrations; Julie Carles; Manuel Córdova

23

The world’s most experienced Content Service Provider Celebrating 40 years

President’s Letter

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Dear Fellow APEX Members, With an amazing EXPO fresh on our minds and a new year around the corner, I would like to bring attention to an important fact that makes APEX so special: Every member has a voice. Below are a few key accomplishments from 2014 that illustrate how you, the member, drove positive change for APEX during the past year. > We’ve heard from many members that EXPO should not be a stationary event yearto-year – that it should move around the United States and the world. We heard you and have booked the next four years accordingly with EXPOs in Portland, Oregon; Singapore; Long Beach, California; and Boston, Massachusetts. > You’ve let us know that APEX should be more involved in public policy and advocacy.

Consequently, we’ve hired Bryan Rusenko as Technical Director to help members make better

use of standards and guidelines.

And we’re currently finalizing our crucial report on Closed Captioning for IFE, which will be submitted to the US Department of Transportation as it drafts regulations in this area.

have updated the format to be more inclusive of industry insight and judgment in addition to the passenger sentiment we receive through surveys. See page 105 for more information on that important change.

> Members have increasingly asked for an updated printed member directory to complement the highly useful online resource. Your Membership Committee delivered, and a fresh directory was printed and distributed at the end of the summer.

> Industry and association news continue to be an important feature of APEX membership, which is why we recently re-launched the APEX Media Platform – including the magazine you’re holding and several online features.

> APEX members deserve and have asked for a website that is better functioning, more robust and more useful – including industry news, association news and new ways to connect with one another. As of writing this, we are on the cusp of rolling out the revamped APEX website based on your feedback and demos at EXPO. > The Passenger Choice Awards has been a valued member benefit for years, and members sought improvements that would even better reflect member accomplishments and innovations. We heard you and

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Thanks again to everyone who helped make the last year such a productive one. During the coming months, I look forward to hearing more of your input so that we can keep improving. Feel free to reach out to me directly or to any Board member. Our contact information is listed at apex.aero.

All the best,

> Alfy Veretto apex president Virgin America

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

Board News

apex experience

Meet the Board The APEX Board of Directors uses this space to inform members about ongoing Board work and decisions. In addition to APEX association information in the magazine, the Board sends emails after each Board meeting to update the membership and to be as transparent as possible.

Board information is also shared in the APEXnews Daily SmartBrief and direct emails to the membership.

APEX continues to show the world that this association is about its members. As part of the APEX Image Campaign, we’re showcasing the collaboration that happens between members to continuously improve the passenger experience.

This comprehensive campaign features new advertisements, messaging and more. Thank you to everyone who has participated so far!

An exciting new initiative to position ourselves as an industry thought leader is our recently launched passenger survey, which collects valuable data on how passengers view their in-flight experience.

See our first survey report at apex.aero.

The Passenger Choice Awards has been revamped to be more representative of the traveling public.

An important adjustment we have made is that the online survey is now open during May and June only.

Read more about these changes on page 105.

> Alfy Veretto president Virgin America

> Joan Filippini treasurer Paramount Pictures

> Brian Richardson vice president

> Dominic Green secretary

American Airlines

Thales Avionics

> Patrick Brannelly immediate past president

> Kevin Bremer

Emirates

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

After our highly successful Regional Conference in Shanghai last fall and in Sydney this spring, our next conference is this November in Hong Kong.

We hope to see you there!

photos: Mehran torgoley

The printed member directory – back by popular demand – was completed and distributed in September. And as always, we hope the online directory will continue to be a valuable tool for you.

Available at apex.aero.

> Michael Childers Lufthansa Systems

> Éric Lauzon Air Canada

> Luay Qunash Royal Jordanian Airlines

APEX has re-launched the TV Market Conference as the MultiMedia Market, with the goal to host a conference that recognizes both new and traditional media platforms, including TV, movies, games, GUIs and apps. We’re excited about the change and hope that it better serves this crucial part of our industry!

Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2014-2015 Board election!

Airline Passenger Experience Association

> Mary Rogozinski Gogo

> Ingo Wuggetzer Airbus

october - november 2014

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Editor’s Letter

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Finding Our Heroes Our cover illustration was inspired by the hero journey cycle that is prevalent in many cultural narratives around the world. We sought to find similarities between these fundamental patterns of the mythical hero and the common practices of the frequent air traveler.

When we first considered “Journey” as the theme for our October issue, Al immediately started singing “Don’t Stop Believing,” which culminated in an embarrassing moment for the entire editorial team. We knew we were on to something.

companies undertake to make those improvements – nearly every exhibitor we spoke to could point to months (and sometimes years!) of research, development, prototyping, testing, refining and testing some more when it came to their innovations.

There are countless clichés about the journey being the better than the destination, though this is often hard to imagine when you’re stuck in an airport for a four hour layover or crammed into a middle seat for a 14 hour long-haul trip!

This issue looks not just at how passengers cycle through their travel journey, but also the path that our products and services take to contribute to that experience. Whether it’s the journey of a bottle of wine from vineyard to seat 23A, or how seat 23A made it from a designer’s concept notebook into the aircraft cabin, anything offered to a passenger has a story to tell. We even look at how experience can be influenced through design, particularly in our special tearout poster on airport wayfinding.

For some people, the journey is the reward. For APEX members, creating that journey is. Share your stories with us anytime at editor@apex.aero

The EXPO was also a reminder of the incredible efforts that our

Terri and Al

> Al St. Germain publisher

> Terri Potratz editor

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october - november 2014

illustration: Marco Romano

Still, there is something to the act of travel itself that captures the imagination, and as APEX members we are the creators of those truly imaginative experiences. Walking through this year’s APEX/IFSA EXPO was an exciting reminder of our association’s ability to further improve those experiences, making our customers more engaged, connected and entertained while they travel.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Better quiet.

Better sound.

A better experience in first class.

Your premium passengers want the best. So why not treat them to a more relaxing flight? Our industry-leading headphones are now better than ever.

Improved Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology allows your premium fliers to focus better on their favorite in-flight entertainment or quietly relax in peace. At the same time, proprietary Bose Active EQ and TriPort® technology deliver deeper, clearer sound. Try them for yourself and we think you’ll agree…they will enhance the value of your IFE system, delight your passengers and help differentiate your airline. ©2014 Bose Corporation. CC015056

1-508-766-4075 airlineheadphones@Bose.com Bose.com/QC25

Contributors

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Featured

Read Maryann’s work on page > 32

See Marco’s work on the cover.

Maryann Simson is an aviation writer living in the world’s third-largest aviation center: Hamburg, Germany. She never boards a flight without earplugs and a judiciously-selected travel pillow, and her favorite part of the airline travel experience is when her suitcase wins the luggage-lottery and tumbles down the claim belt first... Score!

Marco Romano is an award-winning illustrator based in Milan, Italy. He has only one travel ritual, and that is to organize all his essentials into one backpack so he can avoid having to use the luggage trolleys. He cherishes the moment when he’s just purchased the ticket for his next trip, knowing he’ll soon be off on a new journey.

october - november 2014

APEX Experience Magazine 1507 West Yale Avenue Orange, CA 92867 +1 714 363 4900 Cover illustration by marco romano

> Publisher Al St. Germain astgermain@spafax.com

PRODUCTION > Production Director Joelle Irvine

EDITORIAL

> Acting Production Director Maureen Veilly

> Editor Terri Potratz tpotratz@spafax.com

> Production Manager Andréanne Lafond

> Copy Editor Katie Sehl ksehl@spafax.com

> Assistant Copy Editors Diane Carlson Ann Ward

> Community Manager Jessica Sammut jsammut@spafax.com

> Fact Checkers Leah Esau Tara Dupuis Charles Rowland

> Research Assistant Ella Ponomarov

Read Nick’s work on page > 52

Nick Vivion is a travel filmmaker and reporter who has a meticulous packing strategy. He prides himself in the ability to pack any bag perfectly, with everything in its place. Taxiing on the runway is his favorite part of the overall passenger experience. When the engines rev up and the plane soars, life is perfect.

> Contributors Stephanie Gehman, Shallom Johnson, Jason Kessler, Jasmin Legatos, Kerry Reals, Samantha Shankman, Paul Sillers, Maryann Simson, Brett Snyder, Nick Vivion, Cameron Watt, Jenn Wint, Jordan Yerman ART

See Marcelo’s work on page > 35

ADVERTISING > Sales Director Steve O’connor soconnor@spafax.com +44 207 906 2077 > Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw mshaw@spafax.com

> Art Director Nicolas Venturelli nventurelli@spafax.com

Marcelo Cáceres is a graphic designer specializing in visual information, whose hobby is architectural photography. When he travels, he thoroughly researches his destination and explores the streets with his camera in tow. His favorite part of the journey cycle is when the plane lands, and he knows he’s about to discover an exciting new place.

> Proofreaders Katie Moore Robert Ronald

> Ad Production Coordinator Anne Marie Nguyen

> Designers Eva Dorsch > Contributors Francisco Andriani, Martín Azambuja, Marcelo Cáceres, Julie Carles, Manuel Córdova , Havi Cruz, Thomas Danthony, Ricardo Polo, Marco Romano, Coca Ruiz

SPAFAX CONTENT MARKETING > President Raymond Girard > Content Director Arjun Basu

content on the go

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Lumexis FTTS速 Inflight Entertainment Systems

Best By Every Measure LIGHTEST WEIGHT G R E AT E S T C A PA C I T Y LOWEST COST HIGHEST RELIABILITY FTTS eliminates all equipment boxes between the server and the seat-back IFE screens. With fewer parts, FTTS is lighter than other embedded IFE systems while providing higher system reliability and lower maintenance costs.

www.lumexis.com

Social

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

EXPO in Action This year’s EXPO featured a number of social events, ranging from the always-popular opening mixer to a Coachella-themed networking event at the House of Blues. Attendees did not let a record-breaking Southern California heat wave deter them from having a good time!

“This conference was constantly strong, from the first to the last day.”

4

6

5

7

photos: mehran torgoley

3

18

Maren Muente, Kid Systeme

2

1

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Social

apex experience

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

See the gallery at > apex.aero /social

1. Laila Hollander, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; Joan Barker, Spafax 2. Estel Carbo and Rowena Falcinella, Panasonic Avionics 3. Laurent Groux and JeanCharles Bernier, Latecoere 4. Anthony Garcia, Latino LA 5. Phillipp Jacke, Gabrielle Sarmiento 9

“It’s been a little hot this week, but we enjoyed it so much and we’re looking forward to getting to know Portland next year as well. It’s been wonderful.”

10

6. Andrea Hansen, Terri Steiner International; Philip Salisbury, TSI; Deborah Israel, Sony Pictures Releasing 7. Michael White and Sylvia Urbina, AA; Susana Brown 8. Andy Reid, GEE.; Gabriela Lewin, LAN Airlines SA; Estibaliz Asiain and Amir Samnani, GEE 9. Cathay group 10. Lee Casey, Lumexis; Linda Palmer

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11. Ryan Pliner, TSI; Masha Reznik, Interact; Alisher Tashibayev, CNBC 12. Dan Mord and Mike Reese, Delta; Hermann Kahr, Global C; Brian Dassell, Republic Airways 13. House of Blues 14. Jeff Crawford, Warner Bros.; Bryan Rusenko, APEX Technical Director

Shelby Cohen, BAE Systems 12

Do you have social photos that are fit to print? E-mail submissions to 13

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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> editor@apex.aero

october - november 2014

19

The world’s most widely deployed wireless IFE service

YES, I’M SERIOUS Runtime: 1:47

PG-13

Sean and Louise are co-workers at a novelty shop where they spend their days joking and flirting. They're perfect for each other, except that they're both in relationships. Sean is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend and Louise ... MORE

Gogo Vision delivers movies & TV shows straight to flyers’ devices.

From wide body aircraft to regional jets, from localized content to the latest titles – we’ll work with you to create a customized solution for your airline.

And since Gogo Vision is installed on over 1,500 aircraft - more than any other wireless IFE system - you know you’re in experienced hands.

Visit gogoair.com/airline to find out why Gogo Vision is the right fit for your fleet. ©2014 Gogo LLC. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

apex experience

Welcome

This Issue

photo: Henry Cheng

Won’t Be Long Before Hong Kong Located on the island of Chek Lap Kok, the Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is an important passenger hub and gateway for 44 destinations in Mainland China and 180 locations worldwide. With more than 100 airlines operating flights and over 59.9 million passengers in 2013, HKG is ranked the 11th busiest airport in the world.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

october - november 2014

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PANASONIC AVIONICS DELIVERS GREAT AUDIO

Driving a revolution in in-flight audio .

When it comes to in-flight audio, it's clear there's room for improvement.

At Soundchip we're changing this. Drawing upon our consumer electronics expertise and development-level relationships with leading IFEC equipment and headphone suppliers, we're driving a revolution in in-flight audio - enabling airlines to offer the same sonic thrills in the air as passengers are used to on the ground.

In 2011, Soundchip and Panasonic Avionics Corporation joined forces to modernize the in-flight audio experience. Our mission was to rethink all aspects of a passenger aircraft's audio delivery system, from the formatting of media through to the headphone itself. Two years on and our work is complete, the outcomes of which are nothing short of game changing.

Contact us today for more information: hd-audio@soundchip.ch

AUDIO TECHNOLOGY \ IN-FLIGHT AUDIO DESIGN \ HEADPHONE ENGINEERING \ HEADPHONE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

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Follow us @theAPEXassoc

Sleep Dreams

Comfort

Find more sleep tips at > APEX.AERO/ZZZ

Restfulness can be elusive for the busy traveler, so we examine some of the latest innovations to help weary passengers get some shut-eye.

by Jasmin Legatos

LEFT: Ecouterre’s Resmo chair in different configurations.

photos: Chien-Hui Ko; GoSleep

ABOVE: GoSleep pods at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Catching some zzz’s is uppermost in the minds of tired travelers. According to an international survey conducted by travel website Skyscanner in 2013, 36 percent say sleep pods are the “most wanted” airport facility, right after movie theaters. Of course, airport lounges, which offer everything from alcove daybeds to private sleeping pods, have traditionally been the domain of passengers looking for some quality rest as they make their way from point A to B. But for those who don’t have access to these lounges, respite can be harder to come by.

To solve that problem, companies like Minute Suites, which recently opened in the international concourse at HartsfieldJackson in Atlanta, offers pay-per-use private retreats where travelers can grab a quick nap while in transit. Airports like Singapore’s Changi feature free relaxation zones, complete with head Airline Passenger Experience Association

and footrest-equipped lounge chairs, to bring sleep to the masses. Somewhere in the middle are the egg-shaped pods, called GoSleep, at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Featuring a sliding shade for the ultimate in privacy, these out-in-the-open compact chairs transform into sleep-ready lie-flat beds. The Resmo is a compact chair designed for “camping involuntarily at the airport,” equipped with a privacy shield and configurable in several ways.

Frequent flyers are well-versed in tricks for settling down comfortably in-flight – wear layers (good for makeshift pillows and blankets), pick a window seat so you can lean against the wall (no drooling on your seatmate’s shoulder), etc. – but airlines like LAN are making things easier by providing heavy-eyed economy passengers with sleep-amenity kits that include eye masks and earplugs.

Three innovations to help you sleep better The electronic Remee sleep mask provides customizable lighting patterns that claim to increase the frequency of lucid dreaming, so that you can guide your imagination even while you sleep.

British design firm Seymourpowell proposes an adjustable seat that morphs to fit an individual’s needs: think less space for John Jr. and more space for Dad. The compact Travel Halo features two stabilizing pillows attached to a headband and an eye mask.

The pillows, which cradle the back of your head, help you to avoid those kinks and cramps associated with sleeping upright.

october - november 2014

23

Charticle

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Planes, Trains and Automobiles Governments around the world regularly weigh the pros and cons of infrastructure investments and recent research shows that the air travel market share can shift dramatically, particularly when high-speed rail is a viable option.

by Katie Sehl | Illustration Francisco Andriani TOO FAST TO FLY

3 HRS.

“Rail market share quickly decreases when travel time is below 1 hour (when road transport is much more attractive to passengers) and over 3 hours (since it would imply a distance that could be covered faster by a plane).”

CAMPOS, ET AL, “THE COST OF BUILDING AND OPERATING A HIGH SPEED RAIL LINE” (2007)

RACE AGAINST TIME [HSR | AIR]

MADRID—SEVILLE [530 km]

These proposed high-speed rail routes promise a higher rail market share by shortening journey time. Predicted market share was calculated based on an equation created by Peter Jorritsma from the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis.

MARKET SHARE BEFORE 2002

CURRENT TIME: 4h 32’

HSR TIME: 2h 10’

67% | 33%

80% | 20%

AUTO

MONTREAL—TORONTO (542 km)

%

40%

35

AI

R

While commercial aircraft can achieve faster travel speeds, check-in, baggage handling, security, boarding and transportation to the destination’s downtown hub often increase total journey time.

NEW YORK—WASHINGTON (362 km)

25% TRAIN

CURRENT TIME: 2h 45’

HSR TIME: 1h 36’

77% | 23%

88% | 12%

MARKET SHARE AFTER 2002 (HSR)

8%

BOSTON—NEW YORK (306 km)

27%

AIR

AU

T

O

CURRENT TIME: 3h 30’

HSR TIME: 1h 24’

54% | 46%

89% | 11%

LISBON—PORTO (292 km) HSR TIME: 1h 15’

67% | 33%

91% | 9%

65

CURRENT TIME: 3h 25’

%

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october - november 2014

HI

GH

SPEE

D RAIL

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Charticle

apex experience

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

SOURCES Marc LaLiberté quoted in Richard Blackwell’s “Railway executive seeks a better way from Point A to B,” The Globe and Mail (2012). For additional source material, please visit blog.apex.aero/rail-by-number-bibliography

TOO LONG TO DRIVE

500 km

“A few studies documenting air transportation and HSR in France, Spain and Japan conclude that it is very difficult for air transportation to compete effectively in short haul markets of 500 kilometers or less.”

Despite air travel’s speed advantage, high-speed rail can be time-competitive with commercial aircraft if journey distances are around the suggested threshold of 500 km.

AUTO HIGH SPEED RAIL

0 KM

CLEWLOW, “IMPACTS OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL AND LOWCOST CARRIERS ON EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC” (2013)

AIR

160 KM

“Between zero and 160 km, the car and the bus may be the best modes.

Between 160 and 800 km, I would say the train is the best. Then above 800 km, flying is the best option.”

MARC LALIBERTÉ, VIA RAIL PRESIDENT & CEO

800 KM

A G

512 KM

A IM

M

676 KM

T 4 OK 4 Y % O | — 5 H 6 IR % O

S

H

YA T 4 OK 0 Y % O | — 6 O 0 K % A

3

406 KM / 430 KM

A

LA

G — 7 BO 4 % LO |

R 2 OM 6 % E

357 KM

M A 0 DR % I | D— 7 0 M % A

A N

N U H T 2 AIP 6 % EI | —T 7 4 AI % C

128 KM

800 KM

2

G

160 KM

JI N % AN PA — | 9 R 98 B % IS EI % JI | 9 —L N 1 Y G % O N

MARKET SHARE [AIR | HSR]

894 KM

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Services

apex experience

Anxiety ABCs

Visit us at apex.aero

Read more about common travel phobias > APEX.AERO/ANXIETY

Passengers may face a litany of nerve-wracking experiences, some of which can stem from these journey-inspired phobias, but airports and airlines have been working overtime to address common anxieties.

by Katie Sehl | illustration Julie Carles

Somniphobia: Fear of falling asleep Free amenity sleep kits provided by airlines like JetBlue, LAN and Cathay Pacific equip those wary of public weariness with the tools they need, like eyeshades and earplugs, to doze off a little more comfortably in economy.

In-flight entertainment aids include Air New Zealand’s video “Delta,” which features low frequency sound waves present during deep sleep, or the Pillow Music channel on Asiana Airlines.

[See more sleep tips on page 23].

Aviophobia: Fear of being on an airplane or other flying vehicles Aviophobiacs can learn to combat this fear by enrolling in fear of flying courses offered by airports and airlines like Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and Turkish Airlines. If a diploma from one of these courses isn’t enough, British Airways’ “Slow TV” – seven-hour-long footage of a scenic train ride – may help the fearful imagine themselves in a grounded locomotive.

Cathisophobia: Fear of sitting At the airport, chair-bound travelers can stay on their feet – or at least try to – by surfing in Munich Airport’s wave pool, skating in the Ice Forest at Incheon International or downward dogging through a yoga session at Helsinki or San Francisco airports.

Nomophobia: Fear of losing cell phone reception

Macrophobia: Fear of prolonged waiting Automated kiosks for check-in and bag-tagging, and other selfservices provided by IATA’s Fast Travel program help passengers avoid lengthy lines landside. Arriving passengers can sign up in advance for Trusted Traveler programs to fast-track border crossing. For extreme macrophobiacs, apps like WhatsBusy help the non-lingering sort avoid lengthy wait times around the airport.

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october - november 2014

With Wi-Fi in the sky becoming commonplace, the future looks bright for nomophobiacs. The FAA’s 2013 ruling on the allowance of gate-to-gate device use means that nomophobes can stay connected, and the bring-yourown device in-flight entertainment trend is making “airplane mode” a thing of the past.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Services

apex experience

Random Acts of Surprise

Visit us at apex.aero

For more news on services visit > apex.aero/services

Freebies, performances and random acts of kindness often result in a positive and memorable experience for the passenger. How do airlines use the element of surprise to secure client loyalty?

by Kerry Reals | illustration Julie Carles

airline acts of kindness The now-defunct Midwest Airlines used to surprise passengers with warm complimentary cookies.

Imagine you’re at the airport waiting for a flight when, suddenly, an airline representative approaches you, addresses you by name and hands you a small gift. Not just any gift, but one specifically tailored to your personal interests.

This is precisely what Dutch carrier KLM did with their KLM Surprise initiative, which rewards passengers through random acts of kindness that make people feel special, and – crucially for the airline – prompt them to spread the word via social media.

A handful of airlines are building similar “acts of kindness initiatives” into their marketing and branding strategies, including WestJet with its well-publicized Christmas Miracle campaign. However, this remains a grossly underused weapon in the airlinemarketing arsenal, according to Devin Liddell, principal brand strategist at design consultancy Teague.

“We all know small gestures make a big difference in people’s lives. If [airlines] turn it into a signature moment that’s all their own, this will go a long way in the hearts and minds of passengers,” Liddell says.

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KLM targeted random passengers who used Foursquare to show they had checked in at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Combining this data with information from those passengers’ Twitter and Facebook profiles, the airline determined their interests and reasons for travel, tracked them down and surprised them with a personalized gift.

“After a first hesitant look, all passengers reacted happily surprised,” says KLM manager of social media, Karlijn Vogel-Meijer. “The presents were not about money but about personalization.

One guy that planned to go to New York for a business trip and had to miss that year’s most important soccer match of his team was surprised with a Lonely Planet NYC [guidebook] with the sports bars marked in KLM blue.”

Liddell believes airlines like KLM and WestJet are “ahead of the curve,” and urges other airlines to follow suit as a way of building brand loyalty: “Airlines finding out more about passengers and giving a small gift – that’s a relationship, and when you’re in a relationship you’re more loyal.”

Korean Air surprises its anniversarycelebrating passengers with birthday and honeymoon cakes.

Before WestJet, Spanair (now defunct) surprised Christmas Eve passengers in 2010 with personalized gifts on the baggage carousel.

In 2011, airBaltic helped travelers ring in the holidays with a surprise light show projected onto a Boeing 737.

The crew aboard a Finnair flight surprised passengers with a Bollywood dance performance in 2012.

In 2012, on behalf of the Easter bunny, Scandinavian Airlines delivered 800 large Easter eggs to passengers collecting their luggage in Stockholm.

This August, passengers who flew Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas were treated to a surprise Cirque du Soleil performance upon arrival.

This June, Frontier Airlines pilot Gerhard Bradner ordered 50 Domino’s pizzas out of his own pocket for hungry weatherdelayed passengers.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Ambience

apex experience

Music in Motion

Visit us at apex.aero

Listen to our favourite travel-inspired playlists > youtube.com /theapexassoc

Seasoned flyers will attest that a good playlist for your headphones is crucial to any amount of travel – and recently, airports and airlines worldwide are also tuning in to the trend.

by Shallom Johnson

From SEA-TAC’s Experience the City of Music Program, featuring live and overhead music by regional artists, to Heathrow Airport’s 2013 partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, travelers have a plethora of sounds available to entertain, soothe and energize. But with so much music to choose from, it’s a daunting task to develop playlists or performance rosters to suit the tastes and moods of every person who passes through.

Some airports have opted for selfselected offerings, like Singapore Changi Airport’s Entertainment Deck Music Area, equipped with comfortable seats, built-in speakers and a variety of music genres to

Mood Manipulation “Music is an emotive manipulator that influences attitude, motivation and behavior at many levels and in many contexts.”

Music and Manipulation, Steven Brown and Ulrik Volgsten

”Research from fields of musicology, psychology and consumer behavior suggests that tempo is one of the most important determinants of human response to music.”

“It is all in the mix: The interactive effect of music tempo and mode on in-store sales”

Casinos play mild, continual music with no defined end so that gamblers are unable to unconsciously track the flow of time. Sharp crescendos, pulsing bass lines and other jarring sounds are avoided to keep the gambler in a trance-like state.

When customers in a supermarket are exposed to loud music, their shopping rate increases.

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choose from. Among airlines, JetBlue has taken this concept one step further, with passengers tapping in to select music not just for themselves, but for everyone else at JFK airport’s Terminal 5. “We have always thought of music as a way to enhance the travel experience,” states Anna McEntee, JetBlue’s onboard content manager. “We partnered with Rockbot, an amazing service that allows anyone traveling through T5 to view the current playlist and vote on what they want to hear next. Our customers tell us – often through Twitter – how they love the set list throughout the day and their ability to get in on the act directly.”

A more interactive, crowdsourced strategy may work well for terminal spaces, but other

challenges arise when deciding on airplane boarding music. Should airlines focus on creating calming soundscapes to account for the often chaotic airport experience, or more upbeat music to hurry people into their seats? Los Angeles-based photographer and frequent flyer Jordan Engle prefers the former, saying that American Airlines’ combination of scenic nature videos and calming music “certainly helps make an unpleasant experience more soothing.”

Whether in transit for business or pleasure, travelers around the world have much to look forward to as airports and airlines continue to curate their aural environments, transforming these transitory spaces into places for everyone to enjoy.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photo: getty images

Chris Isaak performs for travelers in Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, December 15, 2011

Realise the potential of passenger connectivity

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Ambience

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Cool Concepts on the Table

The Immersive Business Class Seat by Thales

Touchscreen technologies abound on the ground, so we examine the latest in the potential for interactive or immersive surfaces to be implemented within the cabin environment.

by Maryann Simson

At Sydney Airport, touchscreen vending machines can be found in the restrooms.

At Boston Logan International, 46-inch bezel-less monitors mounted over baggage carousels provide useful realtime information to arriving passengers.

At London City Airport, an interactive technologies firm called Engage has teamed up with a world-leading business-news agency to create the Bloomberg Hub, which Engage says “provides timely and relevant news, data and information within a visually compelling, technology-driven space.”

Interactive technologies are quickly being adopted throughout airport terminals and on aircraft as well. Spike Aerospace, the potential makers of the world’s first supersonic business jet (deliveries are projected for 2018), have gone so far as to announce that the S-512 cabin will be entirely windowless.

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Instead, cameras surrounding the exterior fuselage will construct panoramic views displayed on large, thin screens embedded in the cabin walls.

And while Thales, one of the in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) industry’s front-running solution providers, reports that windowless cabins are “interesting, but not something we are preparing for at the moment,” the company’s core focus over the past year has been on providing the market with a “highly scalable entertainment system” that offers an alternative navigational route through entertainment and information programs without passenger and hardware having to connect.

“Interactive media is becoming less challenging to implement,” says Lori Krans, vice-president of communications at Thales.

“What is more challenging is packaging all

the touch points so that what comes through is relevant to whoever is in the seat. In short, mastering personal engagement is the key.”

During September’s APEX/IFSA EXPO in Anaheim, Thales unveiled further enhancements to its immersive seat concept, which integrates an ultra-high definition main display screen, passenger control display, eye tracking and an interactive virtual landscape panel, among other innovations.

Asked whether Thales is collaborating with ground-based interactive tech firms, like Engage, to bring better solutions to the sky, Krans replied: “Yes. Though disclosure of the names is not appropriate … Cool concepts are always on the table (or in the seats).”

Thales’ strongest competitor in the IFEC space, Panasonic Avionics, is also in a constant mode of exploration when it comes to unearthing exciting new ways for passengers to interact with their onboard systems.

“Over more than a decade we have showcased technologies at APEX and AIX in what many customers refer to as the ‘Cool Room,’” says Steve Sizelove, product research manager at Panasonic Avionics.

“We see it as our responsibility as a thought Airline Passenger Experience Association

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apex experience

Ambience

For more news on ambience visit > apex.expo/ambience

Photo renderings of Spike Aerospace’s Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet

Bloomberg Hub at London City Airport

photos: thales, Spike aerospace, Bloomberg, sydney Airport

By writing the word “drink” with a finger on its tabletop surface, users of the bar could conjure the digital drink menu and place an order.

A touchscreen vending machine at Sydney Airport (TOP), and a traveler in London City Airport’s Bloomberg Hub (BELOW).

Airline Passenger Experience Association

leader to push the envelope, to educate and to engage our customers in a discussion about how technology trends may impact the behavior of consumers and eventually the airline’s business.”

The “Cool Room” featured a standout demonstration in the form of a futuristic A380 premium section bar at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in 2012. During a time when large-scale capacitive multi-touch did not exist and technology for writing on a capacitive touchsurface was still emerging, Panasonic presented a bar top with these advanced features. By writing the word “drink” with a finger on its tabletop surface, users of the bar could conjure the digital drink menu and place an order.

According to Sizelove, the reaction was very positive. “At the time, the technologies

were new and components were harder to get and more expensive. Today, the concept is easier to implement. Customer interest ultimately relies on necessary use-case and a positive business-case.”

Most recently, Panasonic has focused energy into developing concepts ranging from simple human machine interface techniques to complex holistic interaction approaches based on user preferences and profiles. Some manifestations of these latest brain waves were demonstrated for customers at the APEX/IFSA EXPO in September. Other areas of the aircraft that present a strong use-case for interactivity and that Panasonic has explored digitizing include cabin sidewalls, windows, armrests, food trays, bag bins and even floor panels. october - november 2014

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Entertainment

apex experience

Time to Play

Visit us at apex.aero

For more on in-flight games visit > apex.aero/Games

Will the popularity of sponsored gaming and trivia extend from movie theaters into aircraft?

by Jordan Yerman | illustration Havi Cruz

As the cinema lights dim, you used to settle into your seat, shoes sticking to the floor as a dancing puff of popcorn urged you to buy a bag of his brethren before the movie began. Inevitably, the pre-film experience grew to include commercials. Now, audiences are directly involved in the next phase of pre-movie distraction: trivia on the big screen, which you use your smartphone to play.

The value of a game like Timeplay isn’t the trivia itself: We love it because the top player rewards are enticing and we have the opportunity to impress our fellow audience members.

It’s no game for Timeplay’s sponsors, though. Instead of tuning out during pre-film commercials, the viewer now

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engages directly. This goes beyond trivia: The steering wheel on that racing game is brought to you by Mazda, and that hockey shootout by Koodo Mobile.

Despite the distractions found in the cabin, a huge element of the in-flight experience is that of waiting, so there’s plenty of room for interactive games at cruising altitude. What, then, about games for an audience; a sort of Timeplay in the sky?

Advertisers will likely drive the evolution of in-flight gaming, rather than pure passenger entertainment. Instead of a giant screen, we might have a dedicated seatback channel. Instead of a bucket of popcorn, a tiny bag of peanuts.

Games starting on the hour, and may the best trivia maven win.

57% of all airline passengers said they engaged in in-flight gaming in the last three months.

APEX Passenger Insights Survey 2014

IN-FLIGHT TRIVIA Ensemble Media’s managing director Dan Harris wrote the first cabin-wide trivia game, “Inflight Trivia Challenge,” in 2000 and it was soon available on more than 30 airlines. While multiplayer gaming is nothing new to the in-flight market, Harris notes that it is a perennial trend which currently seems to be on the upswing: “According to Big Fish, multiplayer gaming is the second most influential trend in videogaming worldwide for 2014, with an emphasis on social gaming, which is facilitated by the rise in social media networks.

This is appealing to players because it allows them to connect with each other in a social environment, as well as allows them to advertise their individual achievements to the other players.”

In the US, 62 percent of game players are adults and the percentage of women participating is also increasing. As airline cabins become Wi-Fi enabled, passengers will have the capability to connect to games being served through embedded systems with their own PEDs. This capability is very much akin to the premise of Timeplay, where cinema audiences use their smartphones to connect to a shared auditorium screen.

Ensemble Media and FlightBet are actively developing various opportunities in skill-based gaming for prizes.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

REGISTER NOW H YAT T N E W P O R T B E AC H , C A U S A 1 8 - 1 9 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

Leading technical experts in the IFE and communications industry make attendance at the APEX Technology Conference a priority.

APEX TEC is where new technologies are evaluated, industry-wide quality and compatibility standards are created and other vital technology issues impacting the industry are addressed.

A I R L I N E PA S S E N G E R E X P E R I E N C E A S S O C I AT I O N W W W. A P E X . A E R O

(De)signing the Way

airfield views Large windows overlooking the airfield help to pull passengers in the direction of their gates.

People tend to walk towards light.

Airport wayfinding systems guide thousands of travelers through a complex web of counters, customs and concourses, yet since they’re designed to be intuitive, the tricks of the trade often go unnoticed.

by Katie Sehl | Illustration Marcelo Cáceres

typeface Three typefaces are used in 75 percent of airport wayfinding signage:

A large “X” height improves legibility.

2

Helvetica Frutiger

3

Clearview

1

Sans serifed fonts are easier to read on signage.

Prominent ascenders.

pictograms

Currency Exchange

Arriving Flights

Shop

In 1974, the US Department of Transportation commissioned the American Institute of Graphic Arts to produce a comprehensive set of 50 pictograms. The designers surveyed pictograms used around the world, including Tokyo International Airport and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and rated them based on legibility, recognizability, and their resistance to vandalism.

Kiosk

Café

The “transfer pictogram” has not been standardized, as it was less needed when pictograms were developed.

Restaurant

Promintent descenders.

Text using upper and lowercase letters with initial caps is easier to read than all uppercase lettering.

Apertures are the area of the letter that is partially enclosed.

International

Welcome Bienvenidos

Arrows are traditionally placed on the left side of a sign, however when an arrow is pointing right, some designers opt to “pull” the message by placing the arrow on the right side.

Clear sight lines help travelers see their destinations from greater distances and lessen the need to rely on signs.

Sign Language

LCD monitors can be programmed to display the local and originating flight’s language.

Customs

parking

Currency Exchange

Gift Shop

A blue background with a white capital “P” is universally understood as a sign indicating a parking area.

Domestic

40%

Domestic

of passengers are interested in navigation services on mobiles.

ARRIVALS

Interactive directories are now available at many airports.

At Schiphol airport, designer Max Kisman opted to replace traditional parking signs with recognizable symbols of Dutch culture such as a tulip, skater and farmer.

Information

car rental

Car Rental

The results of a 2003 study on symbols most associated with car rental signs, prepared for Pearson International Airport.

Departures

20%

37%

29%

Arrivals

14% Bus

Taxi

Outside the Airport

The top of every street sign related to HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport terminals has a curved edge that reflects the building’s arched roof and functions as a subconscious wayfinding cue.

airside

arrow legibility A study was performed to evaluate a set of arrows and select the most legible for use on National Park Service guide signs. The study found that the legibility of arrows from different distances could be enhanced by design. Color Detour 1 was ultimately recommended for use. In airports the design of the Montreal Expo arrow is noted to best complement the style and proportions of aviation symbols.

Research shows that passengers have three key questions when it comes to the concourse.

walking distances

1 Gate location

As walking distances increase, there is an associated increase in passenger anxiety about being able to find their gate in time.

2 Toilet facilities

beverage 3 Food, and shopping

In terms of business impact, poor wayfinding may mean the passenger prefers to wait at the gate and not return to the food court or retail areas - which means lost revenue.

9-12 min.

Overall, airport customers spend over two-thirds of their total time in the airport airside.

Winged Delta

FHWA Down (6-3)

FHWA Standard (M6-3)

FHWA (6-49)

Chevron

Color Detour II

Montreal Expo

Serif

Rounded Crow’s Foot

Color Detour I

Traffic Signal Head

FHWA Down (with extended Shaft)

Some airports, such as Schiphol in Amsterdam, display walking time on signage to alleviate passenger anxiety.

Oversized Baggage

Arrows placed on an angle have the potential to create more confusion for passengers than any other arrow.

Check-in C ounters Angled Co un

check-in monitors

SE CU RI TY

ters After chec king counters su -in, angled btly push passengers towards se curity.

LCD monitors enable airlines to rotate counters based on departure times, allowing for maximum efficiency.

Check-in Ki osks

restroom pictogram 1928 -1965 Gerd Arntz develops this isotype widely considered the ancestor to the restroom sign pictogram.

Tiles angled at 45 degrees guide travelers in the direction of the check-in counters.

Gold Security Wall

The security area of ATL's International Terminal is highlighted by a gold-painted wall which subconsciously pulls passengers in the right direction.

1972 Often attributed to Henry Dreyfuss, the widely-recognized restroom figure was nicknamed “Helvetica Man” by designer Ellen Lupton.

At ATL, passengers without baggage can follow a yellow brick pathway directly to security.

Signs must be visible from “decision points,” where the user has the option of taking different paths.

In an observational study, few customers visited any retail or food service concessions prior to security checkpoint.

Restaurant & Bar

The Abu Dhabi Airport and Dutch design firm Mijksenaar considered dressing “Helvetica man” in a dishdasha (a traditional Middle Eastern robe), but opted in favor of remaining internationally recognizable.

At Germany’s Frankfurt Airport, Mijksenaar was told the skirt on the standard woman symbol was too high.

DEPARTURES

symbol size

In Geneva they were asked to make the woman symbol more shapely.

A user with 20/20 vision can barely resolve sign information at 58 feet away for each inch of letter height.

3”

4”

5”

6”

7”

8”

Distance in feet 0

10

20

30

40

50

58

60

70

80

90

100

Passengers are unlikely to spend more than a few seconds trying to extract information from a sign.

Sources: Zweig, David. Invisibles: The Power of Anonymous Work in an Age of Relentless Self-promotion, (2014); ACI. “Passenger Location-Based Services: Way Finding and Beyond,” (2012); Roman, 99% Invisible. “Episode 126: Walk This Way,” (2014); The TRB’s ACRP. “Report 109: Improving Terminal Design to Increase Revenue Generation Related to Customer Satisfaction,” (2014); DOT and FAA. “Advisory Circular: Airport Signing and Graphics,” (2012); The TRB’s ACRP. “Wayfinding and Signing Guidelines for Airport Terminals and Landside,” (2012). Butt, Mazhar from “Interactive Wayfinding: Navigating a Path to Success at Dubai Airport,” (2014).

Let ideas take flight Helping you create the ultimate in-flight experience Phitek is the world’s leading supplier of electronic innovations in noise cancellation, audio enhancement and other electronic touch points in the aircraft cabin.

Phitek’s proprietary active noise-cancellation technology is now specified by major airlines and sourced by all of the major manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems.

We work closely with our customers to provide turnkey aircraft-certified hardware solutions that offer longevity and ease of serviceability, lowering lifetime operational costs.

Phitek is based in Auckland, New Zealand, with representation in California and the UK.

To discover more, email info@phitek.com or visit phitek.com

Connect Smart Our cost-effective connector solutions open up a whole new world of in-seat connectivity. The Phitek SmartJack™ incorporates noisecancelling electronics, and Phitek’s magnetic jacks mean that expensive pin breakage is a thing of the past.

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Phitek is the leader in premium in-flight noise-cancelling headphones that deliver concertquality sound. Our advanced technology helps create the ultimate in-flight listening experience by eliminating background noise and outperforming the competition on all critical points – clarity, comfort, design, longevity and reliability.

Phitek is developing in-seat power options that anticipate the future directions of power supply and use, such as inductive charging and smart charging. Working with Phitek, airlines will be able to set the level of power delivered, ask for passenger payment and collect information about power usage across a fleet.

Reliability.

On-demand.

PAVES™ On-demand from Rockwell Collins is the industry’s most reliable

Smooth user experience

and versatile in-flight entertainment system. With all content cached at the

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seat, single-point system failures are eliminated. A flexible design offers an overhead broadcast solution, a full on-demand in-seat entertainment solution or any configuration in between. And easy upgradability provides system owners with cost-effective options. Enjoy the performance.

rockwellcollins.com © 2014 Rockwell Collins. All rights reserved.

Easily upgradable True high definition

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Modus Apparatus

apex experience

Entertainment

See more of our favorite travel hacks > apex.aero /inventions

From a multi-purpose travel pillow to a new kind of armrest, here are four inventions that can help make a passenger’s journey a little more enjoyable.

by Jasmin Legatos

the aero-tray Next time the beverage cart rolls around, keep your laptop safe from spills with this nifty bi-level workstation that doubles your seatback tray’s usable space. The bottom tier of the Aero-Tray pulls out to accommodate a beverage and snacks, while the top tier is dedicated exclusively to your tech. Its angled design also tilts to your position, so there’s really no excuse not to finish that PowerPoint presentation.

ostrich pillow light Napping comfortably on an airplane can be challenging. Handcrafted in Spain, this 360-degree pillow, which folds down flat, makes it easier. The oversized headband fits over your eyes and ears, and is stuffed with silicon-coated micro-beads to help reduce noise, block out light and promote a blissful rest. Bonus: It also doubles as a neck warmer in case you forget your scarf at home.

paperclip armrest Keep the peace with this innovative double-decker device, developed by Hong Kong-based industrial designer James Lee. Conceived specifically for high-density seating (hello, coach!), the V-shaped design uses vertical space to create two decks positioned three inches apart, allowing seatmates to harmoniously share the armrest .

Clockwise from top: The Aero-Tray, Ostrich Pillow Light, Butterfly seating unit and Paperclip armrest.

photos: aero-tray; studio banana; paper clip design

butterfly Watch the cabin transform before your very eyes with this novel seating system, which earned top marks in the Premium Class & VIP category at the 2014 Crystal Cabin Awards. Also from James Lee’s Paperclip Design Limited, the two-seat unit converts from a premium economy setup to a private business class suite that includes a 77-inch-long top-to-tip bed. Designed for the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330/340, and for longhaul flights, it’s bound to get both customers and airline top brass talking.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

october - november 2014

37

Connectivity

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Sensory Connections

For more news on connectivity visit > apex.aero /connectivity

by Terri Potratz | Illustration Martín Azambuja

to wait times, nearby lounges, boarding calls and even directions to your gate from your current location.

Air Messenger

iBeacons were rolled out for personalized marketing within retail settings in 2013, but have since been implemented within airports in Asia, Europe and the United States. In June, SITA introduced the Common-use Beacon Registry – which can manage multiple beacons installed by different airlines or companies within a condensed environment – in over 525 airports globally.

BlipTrack is a similar tool that taps into a smartphone’s embedded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals to analyze passenger movement and alert travelers to accurate wait times for check-in, security and customs lines. BlipTrack differs from the iBeacon in that it doesn’t collect data from the owner’s device or deliver personalized content; it simply uses these signals to monitor and manage passenger flow.

At San Francisco International Airport, the indoo.rs/LightHouse Blind and Visually Impaired pilot project has seen the installation of 500 beacon devices that sync with a smartphone app to deliver voice directions to visually impaired travelers.

seat 2b 4:15 pm

Can I buy you a drink? seat 4k 4:15 pm

by Katie Sehl

AeroMexico and China Airlines are two of the most recent airlines to debut in-flight entertainment systems (both opting for Panasonic Avionics’ ex3 IFEC Solution) with an embedded seat chat system that lets passengers send each other seat-toseat messages.

These systems may be modernizing “small talk,” but for those who would rather skip idle pleasantry in favor of mingling within more personalized circles, programs like Malaysia Airlines’ MHBuddy, KLM’s Meet & Seat or South African Airways’ more recent Social Check-In allow travelers to integrate their social networks into the booking process with the goal of finding familiar or suitable seatmates.

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I already have one...

Recent initiatives, like Virgin America’s Here On Biz and Delta Air Lines’ Innovation Class, have been geared towards the business traveler, suggesting a stronger demand for customized networking within this particular demographic.

Airlines and apps continue to facilitate social connections, but demand and response seems to be ambivalent at best. Dan Gellert, co-founder of the app GateGuru reports that when they surveyed users about potential features, including chat, “the consistent response was very limited interest,” noting that business travelers were the least interested in chatting.

seat 2b 4:16 pm

Next one’s on you.

A recent survey conducted by Hipmunk found that 45 percent of millennials want to connect socially with other passengers, while 36 percent of Generation X travelers share the desire. Perhaps the true verdict on in-flight socializing is out until the next generation fully takes flight.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photo: getty images

Apple’s iBeacon uses Bluetooth Low Energy and geofencing to deliver up-to-date information to your smartphone, alerting you

The new math…

+ for Interactive ‘Geotainment’ moving map Want to Elevate your In-flight Experience?

Contact us www.FlightPath3D.com info@FlightPath3D.com

Connectivity

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Moving Maps The geo-entertainment environment is continually changing as new 3-D mapping technologies enter the IFE marketplace.

by Samantha Shankman

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october - november 2014

Neutral Digital created an app that allows passengers to explore an airline’s cabin, fleet and flight path.

What is it about flight-tracking maps that makes them so calming and widely used?

Greg Dicum, co-founder of MondoWindow, which provides engagement and context analytics on moving maps, has spent several years finding out.

“Flight-tracking maps provide two pieces of information that every passenger wants to know: Where are we, and when are we getting there? That information is relevant to every single passenger and it is fundamental to travel: It tracks the passenger’s movement across the globe,” explains Dicum. “Going from one place to another is the reason those people are on the plane – it’s not the movies or the music or the food, it’s the motion.”

Google Street view: The Airport Edition Gatwick Airport, with 34 million passengers annually, was the largest indoor Google Street View project to date in 2013.

Google stitched together 2,000 images to complete the Gatwick project.

Explore Google street viewenabled airports at > apex.aero /streetview

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Photos: neutral DIGiTAL; google street view

Flyers today have the luxury of choosing from thousands of movies, TV shows and albums provided by airlines around the world, but most spend at least a few moments scanning the flight-tracking map. It is the only reliable and easily accessible source for showing where that passenger is in the world at any given moment.

Moving maps have evolved significantly since they were first introduced by Airshow 32 years ago. Today, passengers can zoom in on a destination, identify natural attractions and plug in their social media accounts to see which places their personal contacts have visited.

One of the most interactive moving maps available on the market today is not available on a seatback screen, but on Delta Air Lines’ iPad app. Launched in 2012, the app feature allows flyers to connect their social media accounts to see which friends have visited destinations that they fly over, as well as more general destination information from Wikipedia.

“We noticed customers on Wi-Fi tend to use a lot of social media, which was an indication that there was an opportunity to engage flyers while in flight,” explains Delta spokesperson Paul Skrbec. “The development team came up with the idea of blending social [media] and flight maps to make them something interactive and engaging.”

About 5,000 flyers a week use the Glass Bottom Jet feature on the Delta iPad app, which became so popular that the airline made it available to flyers before and after their actual flight. “If they see that a group of people they know have gone to a particular place,” explains Skrbec, “then that’s additional information for customers making travel plans.”

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apex experience

Connectivity

Betria Interactive’s FlightPath3D map offers destination exploration [TOP], as well as custom graphics that can be tailored to an airline’s needs [BOTTOM].

Mapping Out the Passenger Experience Airborne Interactive furnishes more than 40 airlines around the world with 2-D map applications. Asked why there wasn’t a greater transition towards geo-entertainment within the industry, Airborne’s Ian Walberg explained that content-rich interactive functionality remains “tricky to deploy in the real world,” mainly due to advanced hardware requirements. Walberg continues that the “geotainment” experience can be split into two primary behaviors: Broadcast is a “lean-back” experience which supports the relaxed behavior often seen exhibited by passengers. This model provides overall spatial awareness, which is comforting as the cabin experience can be very disconnected from the actual journey.

In addition to the “are we there yet?” data, a great deal of secondary information can be provided to passengers, either through the seatback or delivered to a second screen where supported.

photos: FlightPath3D

The broadcast map is well-established with very significant passenger viewing statistics and continues to develop additional features that can be implemented within existing systems, although detailed global content can be extremely expensive to create within these offline IFE systems.

Interactive is a “lean-forward” experience that is delivered in 2-D or 3-D and requires the passenger to engage with the content, often through their own personal devices. The capability of PEDs to support interactive maps is changing at an incredible pace, nearly impossible to match on an embedded IFE system.

Interactive models may contain pointof-interest content that either enrich programming or call on the passenger to interact. They are, however, more costly and require advanced hardware systems.

Often these maps are Internet-enabled and deliver up-to-date content directly from the content owner’s servers.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

october - november 2014

41

Psychology

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

The Crying Plane Why do we get so emotional on planes? We examine the physical and emotional confines of the journey cycle, why it affects us on a psychological level, and what airlines are doing to mitigate these effects.

by Jenn Wint | illustration Ricardo Polo

T

he 2003 film Love Actually opens with a series of emotional exchanges at the arrivals gate of Heathrow airport: smiling couples beginning their holiday, families reuniting, and travelers returning home to hugs and happy tears. Over this heartwarming montage, Hugh Grant’s voice tells us that, “Love really is all around us.”

Love may be grand, but it’s not the only emotion playing into air travel.

Anxiety over a delayed flight, fury at a missed connection, nervousness for a

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lengthy security check, sadness about leaving a loved one, reservations about an unfamiliar destination and fear of flying are just a few of the frequent emotions passengers may experience. Crying is a natural response to these situations, and often occurs when we feel overwhelmed or unable to express ourselves through dialogue or action. Once we settle onto the aircraft, our seats become a safe place to let a few tears out, miles above the ground and suspended between time zones. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Psychology

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Psychology

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surrender control Whether for holidays, business trips, relocation or visiting family, travel is often a stressful experience. Getting to the airport on time can be a challenge, and the strain of remembering to pack everything as well as leave instructions for the cat-sitter can result in exhaustion by the time you board the airplane. Many times the full effects of the stress you’ve been under won’t surface until you have some time for yourself. The flight has taken off and there’s finally a minute to relax and reflect, and possibly have a glass of wine. Your phone is switched off, you’re alone with your thoughts and you

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have nothing to do for the next seven hours but sit and wait. The responsibility of the journey lies in the hands of the pilot and crew and temporarily, at least, control is no longer yours. That moment of calm once the seatbelt sign turns off is very often when suppressed emotions surface.

weep warning In 2011 Virgin Atlantic issued Emotional Health Warnings prior to showing films deemed “tear-jerkers” on board their aircrafts. Over half of travelers surveyed by Virgin Atlantic said they had experienced heightened emotions while flying. This

"On a plane, people are in intimate proximity to others, but anonymous.

This allows people to open up without the fear of being judged, or suffering any long-term consequences."

Michelle Birch, Clinical Psychologist

“Weep Warning” served to normalize the idea of crying on the airplane and assure passengers they weren’t alone in getting a bit teary in their seat.

Everyone has a story about crying on an airplane, especially when traveling alone.

There’s a bond between travelers – a shared sense of anonymity combined with an understanding of the vulnerabilities implicit in air travel. But there’s also a feeling of isolation that comes with being in close proximity to hundreds of strangers. Each is in their own bubble, experiencing their own beginning or ending. The isolation that occurs when feeling alone in a highly occupied area can make the urge to cry even more difficult to overcome.

saltwater therapy “When we’re anxious we take short, shallow breaths, which sends a message of fear or panic to our brain. When we are in this state it becomes difficult to access our left brain which is where we store our logic and reasoning,” says clinical counselor Rebecca Turnbull. “Crying can be very therapeutic as it is a natural stress relief, so it’s important not to interrupt that process.” >

What Men and Women Worry About Before they Fly 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Seat Selection

MEN

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WOMEN

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Airport Parking

Getting to the Airport On Time

On-Time Departure

Baggage Check

Airport Security

Boarding Order

Legroom

Overhead Luggage Space

Source: APEX Passenger Insights Survey 2014

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Famous Criers “I get hugely emotional. I don’t know if it is cabin pressure or if it’s the one time that I slow down, look out the window, and contemplate life at 40,000 feet … inevitably there will be tears. I get very existential and always have a good cry.”

Kate Walsh “On planes I always cry.

Something about altitude, the lack of oxygen ... I cried over a St. Bernard movie once on a plane. That was embarrassing.”

“The last movie that probably made me cry was either Despicable Me 2 or Frozen which I watched on a plane …

Both of them made me cry.”

Michael Stipe, REM

Jon Hamm

“I sat on an airplane recently watching the Justin Bieber movie Never Say Never. I cried twice watching that film and want the world to know that!”

Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers

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“I don’t know if it’s that your mortality is right there or what. But yeah, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on an airplane, and I’m trying to hide the tears because the flight attendant is coming down the aisle and I’m embarrassed that I’m crying.”

“Planes are where I’m able to catch up on the latest Adam Sandler or Katherine Heigl or Jason Statham films. Ones I don’t ordinarily see in theaters.

Like family films. I don’t feel guilty watching a movie about dolphins or princesses or things talking that don’t ordinarily talk, at 30,000 feet.

Movies get better the further up in the atmosphere you get.”

James Van Der Beek

Rainn Wilson

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Psychology

apex experience

“Something about airplanes.

It always makes you cry. You could watch any movie on an airplane and all of a sudden you’re in tears.”

James Van Der Beek

caring crew Customer service is a crucial part of the in-flight experience and airlines know this.

The crew wants passengers to enjoy their flights and seeing tears in the cabin indicates the opposite experience. “When I see a passenger in tears I approach them,” shares one flight attendant. “I try to be authentic and reassure the passenger that they’re in good hands. I’ll offer my assistance and a tissue. It’s not the airline’s responsibility, necessarily, to provide emotional support to passengers, but it’s human instinct that as flight attendants we want to do everything we can to ensure passengers have a good flight.”

Xina Feldman, previously with Zoom Airlines, observed, “Air travel is always tiresome and amplifies any stress or emotion a passenger might be feeling. In a pressurized cabin passengers can be uncomfortable, which also makes them sensitive. I’ve often seen grown adults

sucking their thumbs, cocooned into a blanket. People want comfort to ease the stress of traveling and often a few tears will be the outlet that provides relief.”

British Airways’ long-haul flights feature a well-being video advising passengers how to enhance their in-flight comfort.

Sleep channels offer soothing programs to help customers relax. For those especially anxious, British Airways also offers “Flying With Confidence,” a course available on land pre-flight for those who’d like to combat their fear of flying.

sob stories

is forgotten is forgotten. It’s usually during takeoff when I get a moment to reflect on where I’m going, who I’m leaving and what adventures await. There are often a few tears as the plane leaves the runway. I rarely begin a journey feeling relaxed and sometimes tears are what calm me down.”

Getting emotional during flight is common and nothing to worry about. As Virgin Atlantic’s “Weep Warning” advises, keep tissues on hand and press the call button if you need a shoulder to cry on. Otherwise the best advice is to settle in, enjoy the peace and quiet, and let the tears flow.

“I’ve flown to weddings, funerals, bridal showers, holidays, visiting family, moving countries, starting school and I’ve never quite felt organized or ready as I board,” says frequent flyer Nicole Lajeunesse. “As the plane takes off I feel a huge sense of relief that I can’t do anything further. Whatever

Follow the author on Twitter > @Jenn_Wint

tears after takeoff

photos: gettyimages; CNN; AFP

The editorial team dishes on the flicks that have brought them to tears at high altitude.

David Blaine: Real or Magic On a recent flight back to YUL from LAX, I finally caught a glimpse of David Blaine’s show. I was a little caught up in magic at the time of my journey so it seemed an appropriate choice. I shed a few tears when these labels came flashing up on the opening credits: illusionist, seducer, artist, eccentric, believer, traveler… Corny, but it had me thinking about how we identify ourselves in the world and the futility of it all got me a little verklempt. But then the magic started.

Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown: Sicily Maybe it was watching Bourdain undergo an existential crisis while he “fake fished” for dead sea creatures in the Mediterranean, or his ensuing drunken display over dinner. Maybe it was the casual hospitality of the Sicilians – predictably, yet delightfully, underscored by The Godfather theme. I’m really not sure, and neither were the folks beside me.

For whatever reason, I made it rain tears over the Atlantic from my cabin coon in 5A.

Michael Haneke’s Amour If you’ve seen this film and haven’t shed a tear I’d say you’re dead inside, but there was something about flying home with my husband after a dreamy trip to SFO that brought me to intense tears during the final scene. I won’t spoil the ending but let’s just say it’s the kind of movie you should watch in the privacy of your own living room where you’re saved from the embarrassment of your tissue pile and your husband’s ugly cry.

> Terri, Editor

> Katie, Copy Editor

> Jessica, Community Manager

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Q&A

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Many of us had that moment when we fell in love with aviation.

Mine was flying copilot in my grandpa’s little turbo prop when I was a kid.

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> Fast Facts Location:

MKE

Hero:

My Dad Years in Industry:

7

The future of flight will be:

Personal

Greg Cornell Product Manager

eConnect and Cabin Power, EMTEQ Ltd.

An engineer by degree, Greg likes to see the evolution of the product from start to finish – design reviews, installation and customer experience. Growing from engineer to project manager has taught him the importance of the total system solution.

To read Greg’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > apex.aero /gregcornell

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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omething that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?

The love that we all have for this industry.

Many of us had that moment when we fell in love with aviation. Mine was flying copilot in my grandpa’s little turbo prop when I was a kid. Everywhere you go in this industry you’ll meet someone with a unique story on how they got into aviation and you’ll see why we seldom leave.

What’s the most efficient way to pack a carry-on suitcase?

To start, grow up in Wisconsin; your wardrobe will be simple and easy to pack.

Suits and shirts in plastic bags. Wear your dress shoes on the flight. TSA Pre-Check really helps pack for space efficiency vs. ease of access.

The scariest situation you’ve ever been in?

I took a scuba diving class in college, so I booked a diving expedition one spring break.

The dive guide was a retired Navy diver who wasn’t exactly “certified” in the traditional sense. We start the two-mile journey out to the dive site and it starts getting rough.

Rather than turn around, we had on-the-spot training for how to enter rough water from

a boat (definitely not part of the PADI Basic Open Water course). In a nutshell, it involved a deflated buoyancy control device and a perfectly timed shove so you’d sink fast enough to not get hit by the boat on the next swell. Ended up being a great dive, but the beer that night never tasted so good.

One thing you wished people cared more about?

The fine details of the total user experience.

Especially with the environment we’re in today, it is so easy to become enamored with the technology itself that we lose sight of the actual user experience.

The achievement you’re most proud of?

I always love the delivery of a new system to a customer. Reflecting on the late nights in the R&D lab, turning an idea into a product, seeing passengers enjoying your creation, celebrating the success, but always looking ahead to the next great idea.

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Aircraft

apex experience

Riding the Breaks We follow the movements of a single aircraft for one day and track how it’s cleaned, stocked and prepared for passengers, as well as the safety measures that are conducted at each stop.

by Nick Vivion

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T

photos: nick vivion

he passenger’s flight journey usually ends with the plane’s landing, but for an airline ground crew, touchdown is only the beginning of the plane’s next leg. On Thursday, July 17, Delta Air Lines offered us direct access to one of their Airbus A319s – tail number N341NB – during its stop in New Orleans so we could gain some insight into the leg-to-leg operations for one aircraft.

There is a set procedure and process for each of these stops, wherein the various elements of flight management and operations come together to ensure a speedy turnaround. From baggage handling to cleaning to catering, all of the teams converge on the airplane in a concerted effort to expedite the turnaround and meet the scheduled ground time. Of course, random

apex experience

events such as changes in weather and air traffic control holds can adversely affect the scheduled ground time; nonetheless, the teams strive to do their part efficiently so the aircraft is ready to fly on time.

approach Partway through the day, Ship 3141 – known on its fifth leg as Flight 2385 – approaches Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) in New Orleans. Delta’s ground operations manager, John, prints out a load sheet that breaks down how its next leg will be loaded, bin-by-bin. From front to back, the goal is to balance the load so that the airplane’s weight is optimized for fuel efficiency and stability. Weights in all compartments (fuel, baggage, cargo and passenger) are entered

Aircraft

into a load planning system and then rated for balance with a score from zero to 100 on the “aft index” with the higher number being ideal. The team aims for 70 or above.

John then hands the load sheet over to the aircraft load agent, or ALA, who will use it to ensure that each bin is loaded correctly. The crews begin to mobilize as the wheels touch down, with each crew pre-assigned daily.

Each worker can bid for assignments based on seniority, and will generally work with the same colleagues each shift.

Flight 2385 lands perfectly – or “greases it on,” in AV parlance – and the pilots connect with John, who confirms gate number and positioning of the GPU, or the ground power unit, which will power the plane once the engines are disengaged at the gate. >

Groundcrew at Louis Armstrong International Airport prepare Ship 3141 for the next leg of its journey to Detroit

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Aircraft

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RIGHT: Ship 3141 pulls into gate D10.

BELOW: A crew member attaches an external supply hose to the aircraft’s air conditioner valve.

The assigned crew approaches Ship 3141 as it turns towards gate D10. The minimum ground crew is three – two wing walkers to cover the wings and one within visibility of the flight deck to flag – with the average being four to five workers per flight. “It’s organized chaos,” says Harold Anderson, the team’s performance leader, entrusted with keeping everyone motivated for on-time departures for the 20-22 daily flights.

The flagger steps up to the front of the gate and begins with arms wide, a baton in each hand, as the plane approaches. He then crosses his batons to indicate full stop, and the ground crew springs into action: Chocks are wedged under the tires, the baggage compartment doors are unlocked and lifted, and the GPU is attached.

The air conditioning stops once the engines are off, so one crew member attaches the AC hose to maintain the cabin temperature while another at the rear of the aircraft empties the septic tank servicing the toilets.

Meanwhile, the conveyor-belt loaders have been positioned snug against the cargo doors, and contractors begin to arrive at nearly the same time. Delta’s catering 54

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Glossary ADT > Approved Departure Time.

ACARS > Airline Communications Addressing and Reporting System.

ALA > Aircraft Load Agent.

APU > Auxiliary Power Unit.

ATA > Actual Time of Arrival.

Beignets > French term for a donut-like pastry made from deep-fried choux paste.

Callsign > Phrase used in radio transmissions to identify an aircraft, before proceeding to actual instructions.

ETOPS > Extended range Twin-engine Operations. FAA designation for flights conducted over routes that contain points further than one hour flying time from an adequate airport.

GPU > Ground Power Unit.

IROPS > Irregular Operations.

POH > Pilot’s Operating Handbook.

RON > Remains Over Night.

VOR > Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range. Radio frequencies in the 108-118 MHz band, used for navigational aid.

VHF > Very High Frequency. Radio frequencies in the 30-300 MHz band.

Willco > Will comply.

Zulu > Used worldwide for times of flight operations, based on UTC (Co-ordinated Universal Time).

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: nick vivion

at the gate

provider at MSY, Gate Gourmet, pushes up to the rear cabin door and raises its box of supplies via scissor lift while high-octane aircraft fuel is pumped out of a tanker and into the right wing.

The first bags are removed: Priority bags are taken off first, alongside any passenger essentials for deplaning – such as a wheelchair, in this case. The ALA consults the load sheet to determine what’s coming out of each bin, and proceeds to remove the appropriate cargo and baggage.

After ensuring all the identified items have been removed, the crew begins loading the plane according to the load sheet, from back to front. The ALA coordinates with cargo and verifies that the correct bags are all loaded.

While the baggage is still being removed, the line maintenance crew arrives. These are trained aviation mechanics who inspect the plane to spot any potential hazards or maintenance issues. One of the crew members, Rob, checks the wheel wells, engine cowlings, fuselage, wings, tail and other areas for maintenance concerns.

Non-critical maintenance is noted in the log to be performed during Ship 3141’s overnight leg, which will take place later in Boston (BOS). The maintenance crew there will complete five dozen primary items, such as airframe component checks, cabin items (tray tables and seats for example), flight-deck avionics and hydraulic systems checks. >

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The Numbers Game

Aircraft

How are flight, ship, registration and serial numbers determined?

flight number

ship number

registration number

When associated with the name of the airline and the date, the flight number is used to identify a particular flight. This is the aircraft’s callsign, used by pilots and Air Traffic Control.

The ship number is an internal reference that the airline uses, usually found on the nose or the tail of the aircraft. It designates the aircraft type and in some cases the interior configuration so crew know immediately what type of plane they are working with.

The registration number is registered with the authorities and tracked by things like ACARS – also referred to in the US as the N-number or tail number.

Eastbound and northbound flights are traditionally assigned even flight numbers.

manufacturer serial number Only the manufacturer serial number – also known as the construction number (CN) – remains the same throughout the lifespan of a plane and is usually located on the CN plate.

Westbound and southbound flights are often assigned odd numbers.

illustration: Marcelo cáceres Photo: Nick vivion

A line maintenance crew member cools the aircraft’s landing gear and brakes with a gas-powered super fan.

Rob has been working in aviation mechanics for 19 years, with 13 of those in line maintenance, and says that they have a list “too long to count” of the items they must be intimately familiar with. Specific to this region, the summertime often causes brakes to overheat after landing. The rotors aren’t able to sufficiently cool at the gate with the higher ambient temperature, so a golf cart arrives toting two gas-powered super fans, which are directed at both sides of the main landinggear assembly to cool them before takeoff.

The pilot, Captain Tippy, steps onto the apron and visually inspects the plane. “I’m looking for leaks, liquids, anything out of the ordinary.”

While the organized chaos continues below, the action unfolds at an equally rapid pace in the cabin. The cleaning crew swiftly collects the many items left behind by passengers – magazines, napkins, crumbs, empty takeout containers and more. The airplane is quickly cleaned between each flight, and a deep scrub on all surfaces is completed during the overnight stay. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Aircraft

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The pilots check the log book to learn of any reported issues, and then move into loading the flight plan.

The caterers are stocking napkins and swapping out empty in-flight carts for fresh ones, and ensuring a full stock of the beverage and food selection for the flight.

Another worker tends to pillows in first class, removing and placing clean covers over each one.

The flight crew is taking a quick break in Economy Comfort, laughing and catching up with each other. The flight lead, Michelle, checks the manifest to see if there are any individuals who need extra assistance, such as those in wheelchairs or unaccompanied minors, and then does a quick briefing with the flight crew.

Up front, the copilot has just arrived with beignets (this is New Orleans, after all), and after distributing them to the enthusiastic flight crew, begins the thorough standard checklists to prep the plane for takeoff.

Flight information in the ACARS digital datalink system [TOP]; The Aircraft Log Book [ABOVE]; Caterers restock in-flight carts with supplies for the next leg [RIGHT].

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

DLH > MSP > DTW > CLT > DTW > MSY > DTW > BOS ARRIVAL GROUND TIME DEPARTURE DLH: Duluth International Airport

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06:07 09:30 12:03 14:37 16:45 21:00 23:31 00:45

00:45 00:45 00:42 00:43 00:41 00:45 06:44

05:15

06:52

MSP: Minneapolis Saint Paul International/WoldChamberlain Airport

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10:15

DTW: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

12:45 15:20 17:26 21:45

CLT: Charlotte Douglas International Airport

MSY: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

BOS: General Edward Lawrence Logan International

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Aircraft

apex experience

The Plane Journey The complete routing for Ship 3141, as it’s known by Delta internally, on July 17th saw the airplane traverse the central time zone from Duluth to New Orleans to Detroit, and then hop east to overnight in Boston: DLH – MSP – DTW – CLT – DTW – MSY – DTW – BOS. Each leg has its own block time: the amount of time spent in the air, and a differing amount of time on the ground, depending on how the schedule is deployed on a given route by central operations in Delta.

In a 24-hour period, Ship 3141 traveled 8,314 miles (13,362 kilometers) and was serviced at six airports during a total ground time of 10 hours and 20 minutes. The load factor ended up at a healthy 86 percent.

ABOVE: A flight crew member readies the cabin for Detroit-bound passengers.

photos: nick vivion

LEFT: The tug connects to the aircraft via the towbar and begins pushback.

Each move is being recorded via the flight recorder, which requires the captain to verbally affirm that every item on the checklist has been completed. There are many redundancies in place to ensure that any mistakes have several opportunities to be corrected.

The copilot, Paul, and Captain Tippy have over 55 years of flight experience between them, and confidently move through some of the key steps: Check the log book to learn of any reported issues and then move into loading the flight plan. This is loaded into the “computer head” from an analog printout, which ensures that the proper jet routes, or VORs, are loaded into the on-board system.

The transponder is then confirmed and set, alongside the sight-to-sight VOR frequency and the initial altitude.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

The final step is to begin the boarding process, with Michelle running through the pre-flight protocols required by the FAA, and the captain concluding the pre-flight process.

The gate agent, who now pulls back the ramp, shuts the airplane doors with a hearty “goodbye” before stepping off to the next job.

Down below, the tug operator has already attached the arm of his vehicle to Ship 3141’s front wheel and is able to begin pushback at the crew’s discretion. He communicates with the flight deck that the ground crew is “ready for push” and waits for the captain to confirm the release of the brakes.

The tug then begins pushing and the captain obtains clearance to start the engines.

After pushback has been completed and the aircraft is ready for disconnect, the tug

operator checks with the captain that the brakes are set and then disconnects the tug for repositioning at the gate for the next flight.

taxi That concludes the ground operation of Flight 2385, and Ship 3141 is now assigned with a new flight number – Flight 1628 – for the next leg of the journey to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

The captain communicates with the tower for the acceptable routing around the airfield to the designated takeoff runway.

He may be directed to join a “train” of other airplanes waiting for takeoff, or will be cleared by air traffic control for take off from a specific runway.

The airplane takes off and now begins its next leg. At each stop, the crew will run through a nearly identical set of tasks, with some variation depending on the size and regulations of different airports.

The consistency of ground operations is essential, as each crew needs to be certain that their colleagues thousands of miles away did their jobs accurately so that they, too, will be able to deliver the airplane correctly for the safety of passengers and operational success of the airline. It’s a complicated, logistically intense part of the business that is vital to maintaining customer satisfaction. So next time you see the ground crew sweating their way through the job, offer up a smile – it’s a pressure cooker down there! october - november 2014

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Q&A

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“

I’d like to see airlines occasionally have more fun and not take themselves quite so seriously, to think about what the passengers might enjoy rather than just what they need.

”

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> Fast Facts Location:

SYD

Now Reading:

The Husband’s Secret, Liane Moriarty Years in Industry:

40

The future of flight will be:

Unimaginable

Helen Lynch Director, Owner

Stellar Entertainment

photo: Katrina Chavez

Helen co-founded Stellar with Rob Lynch in 1974. A graduate in Interior Design at the famed East Sydney Art School, Helen took that learning to a wider stage, presenting a weekly radio program on interior design.

In 1974, Helen assumed the role of Stellar’s Creative Director, responsible for the company’s look and feel.

Since stepping down from a full time role, Helen remains closely involved with Stellar as a member of the Board.

To read Helen’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > apex.aero /helenlynch

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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hat can the airline industry learn from the entertainment industry, and vice versa?

The airline industry primarily has been about technology and safety and the entertainment industry is traditionally about fun and education. While technology and safety are vitally important, I’d like to see airlines occasionally have more fun and not take themselves quite so seriously, to think about what the passengers might enjoy rather than just what they need.

I think the entertainment industry lags behind the airlines when it comes to technology. For example, airlines are able to provide integrated packages of entertainment: a huge variety of music, documentaries, news, sports, films, TV shows, games, gambling, etcetera – all in a neat package. I still don’t get that on the ground.

Fail proof travel tip?

Take off your watch until you reach your destination and surrender to the schedule of the airline. Eat when they tell you to, sleep when they tell you to and no matter what time you arrive at your destination, don’t go to bed until it’s dark.

The person you can imitate?

The Queen of England. I’ve been able to do

her voice since I was a kid. Don’t ask me why, I’ve never lived in England and I definitely have an Aussie accent.

The achievement you are most proud of?

Raising three children and managing a successful career at the same time. My girls are all adults now with careers, marriages and children of their own. I take some credit in them all being happy, well adjusted and successful people.

The career path you considered but never followed?

I always wanted to be a doctor. My father studied medicine before switching to veterinary science, and my mother and my aunts were all nurses, but for a variety of reasons it wasn’t the path I was able to take.

I love watching documentaries and reading articles about medicine, and I have my grandchildren quite convinced that I was a doctor in a previous life.

First travel memory?

I traveled to New Zealand when I was about nine years old. We went by flying boat from Sydney to Wellington and it was the first and only time I flew in one of those aircraft. I can still remember the incredible sensation when we landed and the plane felt like it was disappearing under an enormous wave. october - november 2014

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Borders

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New Customs If you’ve flown internationally recently then you’re keenly aware that clearing customs at the airport can bookend a journey with a considerable amount of added time.

by Stephanie Gehman Illustration Coca Ruiz

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Borders

S

photos: Finavia, Canada Border Services Agency

ince the introduction of NEXUS in 2006, US and Canadian-based travelers have benefited from reduced wait times and improved border experiences. The binational program, implemented by the US Customs and Border Protection agency and the Canadian Border Services Agency, expedites the clearance process for pre-screened US and Canadian citizens at participating customs facilities equipped with dedicated processing lanes and biometric NEXUS kiosks.

Border crossing for NEXUS members is dramatically simplified through the employment of technologically advanced operations. Once approved for the program, members are issued proximity Radio Frequency Identification enabled cards that can be scanned and processed quickly in dedicated NEXUS Lanes. Additionally, members have their irises scanned at an automated kiosk, supported by biometric technology that is able to recognize and identify the 266 unique patterns in the human iris. The program surpassed one million members in April 2014, and since 2011, applications have increased from 2,500 to 4,500 per month.

Along with NEXUS, US Customs and Border Patrol offers Global Entry, a program that allows US citizens (and other approved

Passengers clear security with speedier technology such as the Automated Passport Contral kiosk (ABOVE) and the iris scanner (RIGHT).

Programs combine advancing technology with improved facility designs in order to improve travelers’ customs experiences.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

groups) to apply for facilitated processing during international travel, and Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), aimed at easing wait times for travel via Mexico. Collectively, these Trusted Traveler programs further enable accelerated screening for pre-approved, low-risk travelers with dedicated lanes and kiosks at the corresponding airports.

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam offers passengers access to Privium, a two-tiered frequent flyer program that provides paying members with expedited border passage.

As of 2009, members with a Dutch passport that travel frequently to North America were given the opportunity to enhance their membership with the transatlantic FLUX add-on, which grants Dutch travelers access to the US Global Entry program at 33 > october - november 2014

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Borders

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Helsinki

Ian Petchenik There’s a reason Helsinki Airport is fast becoming a preferred gateway to Asian destinations, and it’s not just the reindeer pâté. Unlike Heathrow or Frankfurt, where a two-hour connection is still an uncomfortable proposition, Helsinki makes getting through customs hassle-free. If you’re a citizen of the EU, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Japan and South Korea, there’s no need to see a customs officer at all – just breeze through one of the many automated passport control stations. It’s like getting on the subway.

Arriving from elsewhere doesn’t take long to clear customs either; I’ve never waited in line for more than 5 minutes. Another bright spot: US originating passengers do not need to reclear security. The best part of the experience is the uniquely Finnish design of the airport one gets to enjoy while making the short walk to the gate, so stop off for some of that reindeer pâté.

Amsterdam /Schiphol

Laura Stocker I’ve been blessed with Global Entry for the past three years – and Global Entry makes going through customs and immigration at international airports an absolute pleasure! But in the years prior to Global Entry, that same process was often fraught with difficulty: Long lines, scary searches and frustration. My best “worst” experience came in the mid-1990’s on a return trip from Amsterdam/Schiphol – after having my bags searched in Amsterdam AND being randomly selected for a strip search, I was tagged AGAIN upon landing the US – and had my bags hand-searched again! The reason?

The wooden shoes I had purchased in Holland were reading oddly on the scanners!

The same visit I discovered that the tulip bulbs I’d purchased in the Netherlands, although marked “approved for transport to the US” were, in fact, not. Lesson learned: hand-carry your wooden shoes and just ship the bulbs home!

American airports. FLUX members can also benefit from preclearance at two Irish and eight Canadian airports.

Many airports are working on programs that combine advancing technology with improved facility designs in order to improve travelers’ customs experiences. In May 2014, US President Barack Obama signed a memorandum with the goal of improving border-crossing times for international travelers – based on the advancements made at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. DFW’s media relations manager notes that the accolades stem from the airport’s ability to leverage technology with Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks, reducing wait times by nearly 40 percent. Encouraged, the President ordered 66

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the technology to be implemented in the top 25 airports across the country.

Since the implementation of APC kiosks in the fall of 2013, DFW has been able to reduce customer-processing time to just 14 minutes, a time frame they’ve maintained through the summer despite having an increase of 8.5 percent in international travelers. In addition to the kiosks, DFW introduced green-labeled Carry E-Z lines in the international arrivals hall, intended for customers with only carry-on luggage to clear customs more easily and bypass the baggage claim process.

Officials at Miami International Airport (MIA) invested $3.5 million in 36 APC kiosks last November after having found that 69 percent of the customs-related complaints they receive are specifically about long wait

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times. Since then, wait times have been reduced by 40 percent – a result that likely influenced their plans to double the number of kiosks to 72 by the end of the year. In June, MIA became one of the first US airports to make the kiosks available to travelers from the 38 countries participating in the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Waiver Program.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) is piloting the US Customs and Border Protection agency’s new Mobile Passport Control App. Created by Airside Mobile and ACI-NA, the app allows eligible users to cross customs through a dedicated lane after completing an in-app customs declaration questionnaire. At least one more airport will join ATL in trialing the app by the end of the year.

Airlines are also taking steps to expedite the border crossing process for their customers. In addition to the kiosks recently installed at its hubs in Houston and Chicago, in June, United Airlines installed 20 of the APC units in the Terminal C customs hall at its Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) hub. In August, United introduced a feature on their app intended to accelerate the check-in process for international travelers. The app allows users to scan their passport with their smartphones during online check-in, bypassing the need to have their passport verified by a check-in agent in order to receive a boarding pass.

The competitive benefits of expedited border crossing for airports and airlines was recently highlighted by the controversy sparked out of the January 2014 opening of a pre-clearance facility for passengers traveling to the US from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Critics, reportedly including US lawmakers and the Air Line Pilots Association, argued that the preclearance center gave Etihad Airways, the sole airline flying non-stop between Abu Dhabi and the United States, a competitive advantage over US airlines that don’t offer a direct route.

With airlines, airports and government bodies all committed to improving border crossing for passengers, international travelers can remain hopeful that their border experiences are bound to improve.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Going wireless IFE? Unfortunately, everything is not wireless

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Roundtable

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Comfort in the Cabin photos: Recaro Aircraft Seating, Air France, Darren Yasukochi, Mark Jackson, Marlies de Geus Verschoor

With more business travelers and “customers of size� jostling for economy space in higher-density seating layouts, how does comfort factor into the equation?

We assembled a roundtable of experts to weigh in.

by Paul Sillers

> Klaus Steinmeyer Vice-President Business Development

> Fatou Gueye Long-Haul Economy Product Manager

> Patrick McEneany Director, Creative Consulting

RECARO Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG

Air France

BMW Group DesignworksUSA

Airline Passenger Experience Association

> Louisse Raggett Human Factors Specialist, Associate Director

> Marlies Verschoor Aviation Safety and Human Factors Professional

Human Systems Group

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conomy class presents one of the industry’s most formidable challenges: to create comfort for the majority of airline passengers within the stringent confines of cost, weight and space. Cabin ambience, LED lighting, humidity, soundproofing, color schemes, seat fabric texture, jet engine noise, food and entertainment all play supporting roles in the passenger experience. But the core element of comfort is the passenger’s seat – the locus from which all the other elements are appreciated.

new approaches Recaro, a name associated outside the aviation sector with racecar seats, has longstanding expertise in airline seating dating back to 1971, when it started production for Korean Air and Lufthansa. Klaus Steinmeyer,

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VP business development, offers this holistic approach to comfort: “The chief challenge in the economy cabin is to find a way to square the circle – to find a seating solution that provides all customer benefits while trying to use space most efficiently and getting as many passengers on board as possible…

New seats need to offer passengers more comfort and maximized living space – this should be the case for passengers differing in height, weight and size.”

Fatou Gueye, Air France’s long-haul economy product manager, is in the midst of rolling out the airline’s new economy cabin.

She explains that Air France’s strategy and new “Best & Beyond” upmarket positioning are “based on three convictions: comfort, attention to detail and pleasure, [with] the single objective to offer one of the world’s

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best products and make a difference with the service offered.”

BMW Designworks’ director of creative consulting Patrick McEneany draws an analogy between the automotive and aviation industries in describing his firm’s approach to key comfort considerations: “We look to solutions that can express the characters of the brand across all points of service, and simply scale those experiences to be appropriate for the package in each class. It’s very similar to designing across platforms for the BMW-owned brands, where a 7-series solution might be equivalent to a first-class experience, and the economy experience is equivalent to a solution for a Mini. We still have a need to incorporate comfort, convenience and connectivity, but they are manifest in different ways in each class.”

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photo: recaro

Recaro’s lightweight CL3710 long-range economy class seat solution made its world premiere at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2013 in Hamburg.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Roundtable

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“When my son first started drawing cars with me, I didn’t understand the shapes he was creating – it’s because he was drawing the back of the seat.

That was his perspective and that is the real perspective of the economy passenger.”

Patrick McEneany, BMW Group DesignworksUSA

ILLUSTRATION: Marcelo Cáceres

innovation in the cabin The broad spectrum of passenger types in economy has inspired Recaro to build a new seat capable of adjusting to a wider range of sizes. Steinmeyer cites a specific example of how the manufacturer, in its CL3710 seat, considered the ergonomic factors around the passenger’s head, and designed the seat’s patent-pending headrest wings with an exceptionally wide range of adjustment (6 inches) “to easily accommodate passengers of different heights – ideal for children, very small persons and seniors.”

Steinmeyer explains that materials also impact the comfort factor: “Instead of conventional foam, an innovative netting material is integrated into the backrest core to significantly reduce thickness.

Thus, the passenger sitting in the next seat Airline Passenger Experience Association

row has more space in the knee and shin area. The slimmer backrest profile is also much lighter.”

Customer feedback is top of the mind when Air France reassesses seat comfort.

Gueye tells us, “The new, fully revised economy seat has been ergonomically redesigned with and for our customers via several surveys and tests to guarantee optimum comfort. It has more legroom – up to one inch more at knee level – more comfortable headrests with movable wings, retractable armrests, more storage space and a wider tray table for optimum work and dining conditions.”

Approaching design from the passenger perspective is crucial, if not always intuitive for designers. McEneany explains that “as designers, we tend to focus on the first read

as you enter the cabin and approach the seats – what color, stitching and branding we have defined to create an appealing interior. When my son first started drawing cars with me, I didn’t understand the shapes he was creating – it’s because he was drawing the back of the seat. That was his perspective and that is the real perspective of the economy passenger.

“Inverting our thinking is really the first step to designing a strong economy seat.

Making sensible accommodations for the passengers’ electronic devices, whether it’s USB charging at eye level, storage pockets that accommodate tablets and laptops, these are all essential, because anything I can’t fit successfully in the seatback is going to end up on my lap or under my feet, and neither of those are pleasant conditions.” > october - november 2014

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production values Seat manufacturers are now under constant pressure from their airline customers to focus on three key design parameters: lighter seats, increased number of seats abreast with varying widths, and reduced seat pitch. Steinmeyer explains how Recaro reconciled these three factors: “With the BL3520 and CL3710, Recaro introduced seat innovations that help airlines reduce seat pitch and at the same time increase passenger comfort … thanks to the slimmer profile of the backrest.”

Air France’s approach manifests itself through the “more attention to detail” model of its new “Best & Beyond” strategy. Gueye explains that it is not only important to account for each customer and respond by providing appropriate services for each such as unaccompanied minor support and assistance for disabled guests. Young passengers in particular are “at the heart of Air France’s attentions.”

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Marlies de Geus Verschoor, an aviation-industry cognitive psychologist who has worked with Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways across a variety of research and human-factors issues, raises an interesting point that economy-cabin comfort is affected by the behavior of crew and by fellow passengers – the latter being outside the airline’s control. She even ventures that airlines should issue “guidelines for respectful passenger behavior,” citing “sound-emitting devices” as a particular nuisance.

Verschoor says, “With the exception of the large Middle Eastern carriers with their brandnew fleets, passenger comfort in the economy cabin has barely improved over the past 20 years. Good progress has been made in the area of IFE, but we have not seen many revolutionary changes when it comes to seat comfort, cabin climate, cuisine and customer service. Irrespective of the airlines’ efforts, the behavior of fellow passengers will remain a constant factor affecting passenger comfort.” >

Photo:corporate.airfrance.com. Reproduction rights are reserved and strictly limited

Roundtable

Air France’s “Best & Beyond” strategy calls for personalized service.

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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.

airline passenger experience:

MEMBER ACCESS It is the APEX mission to offer members a wide range of opportunities to excel in the airline passenger experience industry by keeping them current with the latest industry news, trends and developments, and providing the means to foster a communicative relationship with clients and colleagues around the world.

APEX EXPO This is the industry’s largest trade show, featuring 250 exhibitors and thousands of the latest in-flight products, systems and services.

MULTIMEDIA MARKET Attend the only global industry event focused specifically on bringing together in-flight content buyers and leading providers of short-subject programming, TV, movies, games, GUIs and apps.

REGIONAL CONFERENCES Participate in interactive sessions around the world, led by industry experts and early adopters as they share their knowledge on issues related to comprehensive, high-interest passenger experience-related topics.

TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCES Join industry leaders in creating quality and compatibility standards.

APEX.AERO The members-only section of the APEX website includes the Member Directory, a virtual “who’s who” of the airline passenger experience industry, as well as educational reference materials, research reports, event transcripts and video presentations.

APEX MEDIA In addition to the bimonthly publication of the magazine, APEX will be refocusing our online media presence in the coming months to provide members with a comprehensive platform on which to connect, interact and contribute.

For association and industry news, follow @theAPEXassoc on Twitter

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

designing longevity It’s one thing to produce a seat that’s comfortable when it’s new, but economy seats must be designed to stay comfortable. Robust construction and the use of high-quality materials are key to preserving the comfort factor for the duration of the seat’s lifespan.

Steinmeyer continues: “[Recaro’s] focus is on ... the entire product life cycle of the seats … We pay close attention to seat reliability and easy maintenance. Our seats undergo an intensive reliability testing program to validate the in-service performance.”

Roundtable

apex experience

Louise Raggett, associate director for Sydney-based Human Systems Group, recently oversaw the human factors issues in the new cabin-design of Qantas Airways’ Airbus A380 fleet. She believes that passenger expectations have changed considerably over the last 20 years and that airlines need reliable passenger data.

“Cheaper flights mean more people are flying, [therefore] there is a greater crosssection of the population to consider. We can no longer rely on out-of-date average percentiles; we need more information

about our own customers in order to meet their specific needs. Larger aircraft mean we are flying greater numbers and for longer distances which has an impact on customer experience and design of shared facilities and vestibules, as well as boarding and disembarking times.”

The passenger-size issue is also in Raggett’s thoughts: “People are getting bigger which impacts on seat design, and technology has changed how people behave.”

Pure passenger data, she says, is complementary to customer-satisfaction surveys in the process of designing a comfortable cabin: “Customer experience is a key determinant in customer choice and satisfaction. Now more than ever airlines need to rely on data from well-designed human-factors studies to optimize design decisions and cost-benefit trade-offs ...

Unfortunately we cannot get a balanced view of optimum cabin design without considering all the humans in the system and all the impacts on human performance.

It is the synthesis of all these humanperformance needs which is the benefit of good human factors/ergonomic data which cannot be gleaned from marketing research or customer-feedback studies.”

no easy fix

Infograph: Marcelo Cáceres

While the complex array of considerations from all perspectives may not point to an obvious solution, two things are sure: Today’s economy passenger is savvier than ever before about the choices out there in the market, and airlines are going to have to make deeper investments in the economy cabin in order to keep the passengers in their comfort zone.

For more on how height factors into comfort, visit > APEX.AERO /CustomersofHeight

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Q&A

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Introducing new technologies into an industry that rightly requires stringent safety performance and reliability standards is always a challenge.

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Q&A

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Follow us @theAPEXassoc

> Fast Facts Location:

AKL

Frequent Flight:

AKL-LAX

Now Watching:

Doctor Who (lifelong fan)

The future of flight will be:

Immersive

Roy Moody CEO

Phitek

Roy originally joined Phitek as director of research and development in 2007. After more than four years as GM, he has led the Phitek team since early 2013.

With a background in engineering, manufacturing and international business, Roy brings significant global experience in product and business development to Phitek.

To read Roy’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > apex.aero /Roymoody

Airline Passenger Experience Association

W

hat are the challenges with being a supplier to airlines? What are some of the highlights?

Being on a plane and seeing Phitek products flying and positive feedback from crew and passengers are certainly highlights.

Introducing new technologies into an industry that rightly requires stringent safety performance and reliability standards is always a challenge, especially when coupled with delivery deadlines. It is a real source of pride for the Phitek team that we can meet these high standards.

If a plane were a time machine, which era would you travel to?

There were some wonderful photos in Wellington Airport of the “Clipper” seaplanes stopping en route to New Zealand in the 1940s and ’50s. One in particular summed up what was a very different travel experience to now. The passengers and crew are picnicking under palm trees on the beach while the plane is refueled in the bay. It looks like a very opulent and relaxed way to travel.

First travel memory?

My family went to Fiji when I was four. I can’t remember anything about getting to Nadi but I remember we had to get to Suva and

whatever transport had been arranged didn’t show up. My father called the person we were meeting who had a fairly senior government position, and the next thing we were escorted to a plane. I can still remember it: It was small, it was blue and it did not bother with taxiing when it took off, it just went straight up.

Two things that you miss most about home when you’re traveling?

I miss sitting on proper seats. I don’t understand why hotel designers think I only want a choice of sitting on the bed or in a desk chair that doesn’t fit the desk. And of course my family. Even with technologies like Skype I find it is the little details of things that happen during the day I miss out on, particularly with my kids.

Did you choose the airline industry or did it choose you?

It chose me. I was looking for opportunities with high-tech companies that had unique technologies and strong growth potential.

Phitek’s world-leading noise-canceling technology caught my attention. Since then we have gone on to broaden [our] expertise to a wide range of in-flight entertainment technologies and receive recognition with technology export and growth awards. october - november 2014

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Wine

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From Grape to Tray Table The next time you’re flying over Washington State, look down. You just might see the sprawling Canoe Ridge Vineyard, which grows grapes for wine specifically made to be enjoyed at 35,000 feet. So how do those grapes make their way from a ridge alongside the middle of the Columbia River to a tray table in the clouds? It’s a process that both starts and ends on an Alaska Airlines flight.

photo: Canoe ridge

by Jason Kessler

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Wine

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T

o make a wine that accommodates the taste loss passengers experience at high altitude, Hal Landvoight, the director of winemaking for Precept Wine (Canoe Ridge’s parent company), realized he couldn’t just guess how the taste of wine would change in the sky. He had to actually go up in the air and do an in-flight test. Ultimately, he let fellow passengers participate in blind tastings and Alaska Airlines chose the Exploration Merlot and Exploration Pinot Gris as the new additions to their coach wine service, beginning in March of this year.

The vineyard itself opened 25 years ago near the sleepy town of Paterson, WA. Today, the property has expanded to over 160 acres of viticultural utopia in the Horse Heaven Hills wine-growing region of South Central Washington, where cool temperatures and low rainfall lead to rich, deep flavor in the grapes grown there.

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Pick varietals with big, aromatic flavor profiles as wine (and food) tends to taste duller in-flight.

Canoe Ridge’s winery and tasting room both sit nearby in the old brick Walla Walla Traction Company engine house, a national historic landmark in Walla Walla, WA. It’s there that the Exploration wines begin their journey towards the airport.

In Walla Walla, the wine is bottled and stored just like the rest of the label’s offerings in traditional 750-milliliter glass

BOTTOM LEFT: Grapes hang ripe for the reaping on the Horse Heaven Hills vineyard, first planted in 1989.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Fermenting red wine is pumped out from the tank.

RIGHT: The majority of Canoe Ridge cooperage is in French oak, adding soft, toasted notes to the wines as they age.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Wine

bottles. While most of the Canoe Ridge bottles are sealed with cork, Alaska Airlines requested that the Exploration bottles that they serve on-board be secured with screw caps in order to make the serving process more efficient for cabin crews. “As you can imagine, carrying corkscrews and having to open corked wine for dozens of passengers would take more time,” said on-board food and beverage director Lisa Luchau. Plus, screw caps are more cost-effective and don’t come with the risk of tainting or “corking” the wine with mold that can sometimes form on cork.

Once Courtney Bradbury, order logistics manager for Precept, gets an order, she ships the wine out via third-party carriers in cardboard cartons filled with twelve bottles each. The majority of the bottles are delivered weekly to Sumner, WA, near Alaska Airlines’ main hub at Sea-Tac, while the rest are transported to other major destinations in Nevada, California, Oregon and Alaska. >

photos: Canoe ridge; illustration: flaticon.com

Wear noise-canceling headphones to improve the taste of food and drink in-flight.

LEFT: Harvested grapes are hauled by the crate and loaded with a forklift for processing. ABOVE: The final product, Canoe Ridge Vineyard’s Exploration wines, made for high altitude.

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Alaska Airlines contracts LSG SkyChefs to take care of the entire process, which involves taking delivery, storing the wine in their warehouses, loading the wine onto catering carts (three bottles per drawer) and, ultimately, delivering the carts to each flight.

The amount of wine carried on board varies significantly based on the route. “As you can imagine, we go through much more wine on a longer flight to Hawaii and back than we would on a flight to San Francisco and back,” says Luchau. In first class, where other Precept wines are served on a rotating quarterly basis, shorter domestic flights

apex experience

Wine

only carry eight bottles while flights to and from Hawaii get 50 percent more with 12 bottles for each round-trip. That said, the airline carries a full 16 bottles of the Canoe Ridge Exploration wines on all of their flights to keep up with the demand in their main cabin.

In total, Canoe Ridge is sending 24,000 cases of their Exploration wines a year to Alaska Airlines flights for a total of almost 300,000 bottles of wine annually, and that only includes the bottles served in coach.

That’s a lot of wine, and the collaboration has definitely been a boon for Precept and

Temperature is crucial to the performance of a wine: Most reds are served too cold, which amplifies their tannic qualities, so allow your glass to warm up before drinking.

Photos: Canoe Ridge; illustration: flaticon.com

Canoe Ridge. “I sometimes think I work for Alaska Airlines half the time!” says Bradbury.

At $7 a glass (and free in the premium cabin), passengers get an excellent value and the Washington-based airline is able to create some revenue and support a local company at the same time. Passengers can expect to see the Exploration wines on Alaska Airlines flights until at least early 2015. Consistent with the airline’s emphasis on sustainability, the last leg of a wine bottle’s journey takes it to a recycling facility where it can be reborn as a new bottle, ready to take the trip all over again.

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Q&A

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“

Learning about new parts of the world and cultures is a real highlight in this truly global market.

�

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Visit us at apex.aero

Q&A

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Follow us @theAPEXassoc

> Fast Facts Location:

GVA

Frequent Flight:

GVA-LHR

Now REading:

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

The future of flight will be:

Connected

Miranda Mills Senior Vice-President, Aviation Inmarsat

photo: Mehran torgoley

Miranda Mills is senior vice-president, Aviation, Inmarsat and is based in Nyon, Switzerland. An Aeronautical Engineering graduate, Miranda was with Airbus for 14 years before transferring to the aerospace and defense subsidiary of Airbus Group, where she held the dual role of Global Sales & Marketing Director and UK National Director for the (ENS) Satellites Division.

To read Miranda’s full Q&A online, please visit us at > apex.aero /mirandamills

Airline Passenger Experience Association

W

hat are the challenges of being a supplier to airlines?

The airline industry is a predominantly low-margin business. Tony Tyler from IATA recently said that on average, around the world, airlines made $6 per passenger per flight. Providing cutting-edge technology and high-quality service, enabling airline customers to be cost-competitive, is a challenge. This is one of the reasons we have offered free flight tracking following MH370.

What are the highlights of being a supplier to airlines?

The people. It’s a business that generates passion in many of those involved and there are some big characters who make life more interesting. Learning about new parts of the world – and cultures – is also a real highlight in this truly global market.

Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?

The pace of change and how many exciting new projects there can be in the industry never ceases to amaze me – who knows what will come up next? During my career I’ve worked on Harrier jump jets, Apache helicopters, Airbus aircraft, the Mars Rover, to name a few – in numerous exotic locations, meeting many interesting people. I’m looking forward to what’s around the corner.

What’s the one item you can’t travel without?

For work, that’s my laptop, phone, international travel adapter… and then I just got some BOSE noise-canceling headphones which fit in your ear – I’d recommend them to any frequent flyer!

Two things that you miss most about home when you’re traveling?

My family and being in the same time zone as much of the company.

The scariest situation you’ve ever been in?

I was in Mumbai for work when a terrorist attack took place. As a UK national staying in a hotel where all of the security staff had run away, and watching live TV reports that the terrorists were moving closer to the hotel, was quite unnerving. Luckily I managed to get on the first flight out which was an Air India flight bound for Frankfurt.

First travel memory?

I remember flying to Spain with my family when I was about three years old to go on holiday. We went from the UK on a pink plane with beds in it – the airline clearly isn’t still going, but it made quite an impression on me!

Describe your next holiday.

I’m bringing my family to California in October this year. It’s very hard to explain to my kids that a trip to Disneyland is really work!

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Seating

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Lightweight Heavyweight Weighing in at just 9 lbs (4 kg), the Expliseat is now the lightest aircraft seat on the market.

s is often the case with innovative design, Expliseat was developed in response to a problem. Jean-Charles Samuelian, executive director of Expliseat, explains: “[Two colleagues and I] were passengers in economy class and we were disappointed by the seats.” That was four years ago, and their experience set off a chain reaction that resulted in this new entrant in the seating industry, delivering its first seats for

installation on a commercial airplane this summer.

The initial disappointment in economy-class seats was based on two different perspectives. From the passenger’s perspective, Samuelian and his collaborators noticed a lack of comfort; as engineers, they didn’t like the technology. They felt that they could make a better, simpler seat that would be more comfortable. >

photo: expliseat

by Brett Snyder

A

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Figuring out the problem was the easy part.

Designing, creating, producing and ultimately selling the seat, however, was daunting, but they remained undeterred.

The three engineers decided to start from scratch. They broke the problem down into two categories: what the passenger needs and what the airline needs.

On the passenger side, comfort was key.

The trio focused on short to medium-haul seating, up to about four or five hours in flight duration. They felt they could do better than what was already on the market by using newer technology.

apex experience

On the airline side, there were two issues to solve. The first was the weight of the seat.

With fuel being so costly, anything that could reduce weight and still meet the strict safety requirements would be a real innovation.

The second issue revolved around seat maintenance. Most seats today have a lot of moving parts, and those parts break.

After defining the scope of the undertaking, Expliseat began on the design.

The best way to simplify was to create a design with fewer parts. And to be able to do that, they began experimenting with different materials to figure out what would provide

Seating

the most efficient solution.

Hundreds of materials were tested in real life but also using computer simulation.

In the end, they came to realize that a mix of composites and titanium would be their best option. While titanium is incredibly strong, composites are better at absorbing shock. These materials can also be formed into shapes that could previously only be made by connecting multiple parts.

While this was happening, Expliseat was also working on the comfort factor.

They collaborated with a leading French ergonomics lab to create a seat that would >

RIGHT: Employees perform the last quality check before delivery to Air Méditerranée.

BELOW: Expliseat is ramping up capacity to comfortably build 30,000 seats per year.

BOTTOM: A peek inside the company’s Toulouse factory.

photos: Expliseat

Anything that could reduce weight and still meet the strict safety requirements would be a real innovation.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Seating

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

LEFT: Expliseat’s innovative design uses a mix of composites and titanium.

Read more on seating at > apex.aero/seats

comfortably hold 95 percent of people and reduce vibration from the aircraft. Simplicity being paramount, the seats were set at a fixed 18-degree recline with no option to adjust.

They tested the seat with hundreds of people in a variety of situations. By the beginning of 2013, they felt they were ready to officially launch. That happened at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in April 2013.

The seat itself has a mere 30 moving parts, whereas most seats today have well over 100, possibly as many as 300. It weighs only nine pounds (four kilograms), half the 18-pound (eight-kilogram) weight of the slimline seats being produced today, while traditional seats weigh between 27-33 pounds (12 and 15 kilograms) each.

The design of the Expliseat means that airlines could fit one or two more rows on a narrow-body airplane without compromising legroom. Samuelian claims that the 28-inch seat pitch on his seat will feel to the customer like the 30-inch pitch on a traditional seat.

In Hamburg, they received “very positive feedback” from the airlines. But getting feedback is easy. Selling the seats is not.

The seat received a tremendous boost three months later when it passed the 16G certification test on its first try. In September, the seat also received TSO C39c authorization from the American Federal Aviation Administration. All of the material testing and modeling had paid off. The rest of the year was spent finishing certification processes.

When the first customer signed at the end of 2013, it was a momentous occasion. Air 90

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Méditerranée opted for one A321 aircraft as a test, with an option for more. This is when the manufacturing process had to kick in.

CEO Benjamin Saada explained that they had designed the process to allow for customers to receive their seats within five months of ordering. In most cases with other manufacturers, it can take well over a year.

To do this, they put together a global supply chain that had all roads lead to France. The partners were larger companies that could produce parts in quantity with great ease. That meant Expliseat would only be held back by the size of its own assembly line. A factory was built in Toulouse that currently employees 60 people. While the location is ideal for potentially working with Airbus, Saada noted that it was really the availability of a talented workforce in that

area that drove the decision to move there.

This summer, the first seats were delivered to Air Méditerranée for installation. More customers have signed (though their names aren’t public yet), so Expliseat is ramping up its capacity. It can comfortably and reliably build 200 shipsets per year. That’s 30,000 seats.

Who will buy all of these seats? Expliseat today says that it has received interest from around the world, but it is working on contracts right now in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It has also had many discussions in Europe and the Americas and predicts more success there as well.

If you have the chance to fly on an aircraft with Expliseat installed, think about how it all started: Three people were uncomfortable and decided to do something about it.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: Expliseat

BELOW: Jean-Charles Samuelian, Expliseat MD; Antoine Ferretti, CEO of Air Méditerranée; and Benjamain Saada, Expliseat CEO, signing Expliseat’s first contract on March 4th.

Complete Overhead Passenger Entertainment System COMPES is THE solution for economical, overhead IFE! LED Retractable Monitors Touchscreen Flight Attendant Interface Highly Reliable & Cost Effective

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Q&A

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Visit us at apex.aero

“

The last few years have been amazing, as Gogo has truly closed the last mile of access and brought the Internet to the sky.

�

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Q&A

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Follow us @theAPEXassoc

> Fast Facts Location:

ORD

Frequent Flight:

ORD-SFO

Years in Industry:

Travel – 15 IFEC – 3

The future of flight will be:

Connected

Brad Jaehn Vice President of Product Gogo

photo: mehran torgoley

Brad Jaehn is responsible for the full commercial product suite at Gogo. Prior to Gogo, Brad founded BonVoyou, a flash sale travel site that was acquired by HauteLook.

He has also previously held management and leadership roles at Sears. com, ShopLocal.com and Orbitz.com, and served as an adjunct faculty member at Roosevelt University. Brad received his BA from Cornell University.

To read Brad’s full Q&A, please visit us online at > apex.aero /BRADJAEHN

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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hat’s the one item you can’t travel without?

It used to be my iPhone charger, but it’s now become a gallon-sized Ziploc bag of chargers, cables, portable batteries and adaptors. Plus headphones.

Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?

I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in the travel industry for the better part of the last 20 years. Nearly all of this time was spent with Internet companies that facilitated some type of transformation to the travel industry, ranging from the early impacts of the global distribution systems on distribution, to the rise of the online travel agencies, and onward to new retail and distribution models. The last few years have been amazing, as Gogo has truly closed the last mile of access and brought the Internet to the sky.

What’s the best seat on the plane?

If you’re in the upper deck on a Lufthansa 747-8, any seat is a good seat.

Album currently on rotation?

It’s a toss-up between The Wall by Pink Floyd and Dirtybird BBQ by Dirtybird Records from San Francisco.

The career path you considered but never followed?

Commercial pilot or high school history teacher.

One thing you wish people cared more about?

Addressing inner-city food deserts, especially access to fresh foods.

Describe your last holiday.

I took a road trip in a convertible from Denver to Vail, Colorado, through Wyoming and ended up in Rapid City, South Dakota to celebrate July 4th in some of most beautiful parts of America.

You wouldn’t be where you are today without: My dad. He spent 39 years at United Airlines and gave me the inspiration to jump into this crazy industry and never look back.

If you had the APEX Editorial team over for dinner, what would you make us?

Not sure about the entrée, but it would end with an upside-down, caramelized apricot tart.

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content on the go

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

Travelogue

apex experience

Ahead of Time Abraham Lincoln once said that the best way to predict the future is to create it, so Cameron Watt imagines what the passenger journey will be like in one, five and 10 year’s time.

by Cameron Watt | Illustration Thomas Danthony

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Travelogue

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

one year from now > 2015 It’s 5 a.m. and I’m on my way to JFK for a transatlantic flight. I’ve checked in online and have my boarding pass on my phone.

I have some work to do at the start of the flight so I’ll be skipping breakfast service and eating closer to arrival. I send a request to the WeFlyYou app to tell them I’ll want coffee after take off and no meal until later.

I receive a response within minutes saying my request has been forwarded to the crew serving my cabin.

Security is still a circus but that’s hardly a surprise. Once airside, I decide to head straight to the gate, assuming I’ll only have five minutes to spare. As I turn away from the lounge escalators and walk towards the gate concourse I get an alert from WeFlyYou. “Hi Cameron, we apologize for the inconvenience but your boarding time has been pushed back to 7:10 a.m. Perhaps you’ll be more comfortable in the lounge?”

This is something I love about flying today.

Normally I would have walked all the way to the gate to discover a crowd of people fighting for a seat or sitting on their carryons. Now I’m spared this frustration and have time to relax.

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71%

of airports plan to sell services to passengers via mobile apps by 2015

90%

of airlines will offer mobile check-in

“Everything that Google Glass can do now will be available on a contact lens.”

Dr. Ian Yeoman, Travel Futurologist and Associate Professor of Tourism Futures at Victoria University of Wellington

89%

of airlines will sell tickets via mobile apps by 2015

Google will ship 6.6 million units a year of Google Glass, the camera-enabled smart glasses, by 2016, moving the technology into the mass market, according to IMS Research

Bag-tag printing kiosks will be available in

82% of airports by 2016

98%

of airports will offer kiosk check-in by the end of 2016

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

Travelogue

apex experience

five years from now > 2019 I’ve been in Hong Kong working for three days and have barely stopped. On the train to the airport I start feeling ill. I send a message to my airline’s concierge service and within minutes I get a detailed response.

“Hi Cameron, we’re sorry you’re not feeling well. We can arrange an airport doctor to assess your immediate needs. We see your train is 10 minutes away. A member of our liaison team will be waiting for you at your exit. We also have some alternatives for you: 1. Your flight is not fully sold. We can block off some seats around you.

2. We can move you to the later flight and reserve a room for you in the lounge.

3. We can book you on the first flight tomorrow and arrange a hotel.

Please let us know if we can do anything else right now. Your liaison will be waiting to assist further.”

Despite this level of service we’ve grown to expect, the thing I love most about traveling today is the airport experience. I couldn’t have imagined five years ago what it would be like to go through a big airport now. The consumer experience has changed immensely with big brands constantly coming up with innovative ways to get our attention. Together with improvements to the passenger experience, this has made many of my favorite airports really exciting places to pass through.

Annual sales of wearable technology such as wristwatches with smartphone functions, including the Sony Smartwatch, Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Gear, will hit

485

million by 2018, according to market research company ABI Research.

“In the 2020s, each of us will have an individual ‘e-agent’ that goes everywhere with us, inside a watch or a small piece of jewelry.”

Daniel Burrus, Global Futurist

In the 2020s,

“Biometric data cards will replace passports, identifying travelers as bonafide low security risks… saving so much time in transit and boarding.”

Dr. Ian Yeoman, Travel Futurologist

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SAVE T HE DAT E FORU M KA RLIN , PRAGUE , C ZE CH RE PUBLIC 20-22 APRIL 20 15

BRINGING AIRLINES TOGETHER WITH TV, MOVIES, GAMES, GUIS AND APPS FORMERLY TV MARKET CONFERENCE W W W. A P E X . A E R O

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Travelogue

10 years from now > 2024 I’m at home winding down after a big week.

Things have been tough lately and I need a break. The thought only crosses my mind for a nanosecond before my virtual personal assistant offers twenty different trip scenarios.

I narrow them down to three and take virtual tours of each that include hotels, restaurants and attractions. After deciding on four nights in Marrakech, everything is booked and taken care of. All my preferences are taken into account. I won’t be seated near children, I prefer to fly on red-eyes and I like my coffee black.

The night before I’m at home packing.

If I decide to take something out or put something in at the last minute I’m prompted with a question: “Are you sure about that, Cameron?

You might want to take a sweater for the evenings.”

The next day I’m running behind schedule.

My virtual personal assistant informs my airline.

Upon arrival at the terminal I’m met curbside by my holographic airline liaison. I miss the personalized feeling of dealing with humans but love the way the hologram can be whatever “In 10 years’ time, a traveler will be able to take a virtual reality walk through the hotel he is planning to book in real time.”

Nik Gupta, Director of Hotels at Skyscanner

According to Margaret RiceJones, chairman of Skyscanner, by 2024, intuitive integration of all travel sites and social media will be developed further to include software capable or reading digital DNA and facial expressions.

Airbus estimates

6.7

I need. If I had time to shop they would be my stylist, and if my day had been really stressful, they might even help me meditate.

“Good evening, Cameron. I hope your journey here was pleasant. You’re running quite late, may I escort you directly to the gate?”

We enter the terminal and I can drop my bag at any number of convenient points throughout. The electronic tag attached to it means it gets to where I’m going and can’t fall into the wrong hands. Security is done from a distance and whole groups of people are scanned at a time. I don’t miss screening points with long lines but it does feel strange that somebody somewhere can see under my clothes! As we pass a string of restaurants I realize how hungry I am. The hologram reads my body language almost instantly: “We have just enough time to stop for a snack, if you like?” my hologram says.

I decline the offer but think how great it is to know exactly how much time I have. My hologram bids me farewell at the aircraft door after a quick five-minute walk from the curb. Arriving at my

seat I find a snack waiting. My liaison must have informed the crew. My seat today is a far different creature to those we knew ten years ago. It remembers me from previous trips. It knows my favorite settings, molds to my body intuitively and has individual climate control.

I can stay connected throughout the flight using all the same technologies available on the ground, while not disturbing anyone around me. The in-flight entertainment system is vastly superior to what we saw ten years ago. 3-D made something of an impact but it’s virtual reality that has really been a hit, especially with nervous flyers who can escape the airplane experience altogether.

I think the only thing I really miss about travel from a decade ago is having a hard copy passport. I used to love looking through it and reminiscing. Having said this, today I can take virtual tours of previous trips and relive my experiences whenever I want.

I suppose that beats looking through a creased old book of stamps any day.

“Thanks to planes flying faster at just short of supersonic levels, what was once a 13-hour journey (from New York – Beijing) has become a sevenhour flight [by 2039].”

Henry Harteveldt travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group

billion people will be flying worldwide by 2032.

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apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Upcoming APEX Events

For the most up-to-date event calendar visit > apex.aero

2. apex tec 6

5 8 2

1. apex asia

conference 18-19 Nov. 2014 Newport Beach, CA USA

conference 3-4 Nov. 2014 Hong Kong

4

3

1 7 9

apex middle east conference 2-3 March 2015 Abu Dhabi, UAE #APEXUAE

4

apex multimedia market 20-22 April 2015 Prague, Czech Republic #APEXMarket

5

apex tec conference 12-13 May 2015 Universal City, CA USA #APEXTEC

7

apex asia conference Nov. 2015 Singapore #APEXAsia

6

apex / ifsa expo 28 Sept. - 1 Oct. 2015 Portland, OR USA #APEXIFSAEXPO

8

apex tec conference 17-18 Nov. 2015 Newport Beach, CA USA #APEXTEC

next up: the architecture issue october – november, 2014

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apex / ifsa expo 24-27 Oct. 2016 Singapore #APEXIFSAEXPO Tweeting from one of our upcoming events? Be sure to use the designated hashtag so other members can join the conversation!

Our 2014 editorial year comes to a close with a very structured look at how the passenger experience comes together. Our first-ever architecture issue will take a look at the way design, engineering and fabrication unite to create environments that delight both passengers and those who serve them. Also don’t miss our in-depth look on something critical to how the passenger experience is designed: weight!

Airline Passenger Experience Association

illustration: freevectormap

3

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

EXPO Coverage

Hot off the Press! Over 3,000 registered attendees made the 2014 APEX/IFSA EXPO a record-breaker. Brand-new attendees met with show-floor regulars to trade ideas (and the occasional swag bag).

Education Day, where busy panel discussions covered topics like closed captioning, music licensing and immersive technology, among many other engaging subjects. This thoughtprovoking day was capped off with the

annual awards ceremony, and on Tuesday the exhibition floor opened up for business with several key media announcements.

photos: mehran torgorley

The 2014 APEX/IFSA EXPO kicked off with a very social welcome reception on the Lanai Deck of the Hilton on Sunday evening, where delegates mixed and mingled with colleagues. Monday delivered a robust

apex experience

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apex experience

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Airlines Win Big at the APEX Awards Ceremony

Follow the Passenger Choice Awards on Twitter > @PASSENGERCHOICE

And the Passenger Choice winners are…

Best Overall Passenger Experience

Virgin America Best in Region: Africa

Ethiopian Airlines Best in Region: Americas

Virgin America Best in Region: Asia and Australasia

Garuda Indonesia Best in Region: Europe

Norwegian Best in Region: Middle East 2

1

Emirates John White Publication Award

Gulf Air Best IFE User Interface

Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications

Norwegian Best Inflight Video

Virgin America Best Cabin Ambience

Virgin America Best Food & Beverage (in conjunction with the International Flight Services Association)

Turkish Airlines Best Ground Experience

Virgin America 3

A big congratulations to the airlines that took home the top prizes at the APEX Awards Ceremony, hosted by BBC World’s Laura Trevelyan! The highlight of every year’s ceremony is the unveiling of the Passenger Choice Awards, which features a cross section of airline winners from around the globe. In addition, APEX recognizes individual members for their lifetime achievements and bestowed the annual best Passenger Achievement prize.

Exciting changes are coming to 2015’s Passenger Choice Awards. See more on page 105.

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Photos: Amy Graves

1. Host Laura Trevelyan with Best Single Achievement Winners, Norwegian 2. Lifetime Achivement Award winner Lee Casey of Lumexis 3. Best Cabin Ambience, Virgin America 4. Lifetime Achievement Award winner Mark Horton of Paramount Pictures

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

apex experience

Committee Spotlight: Membership The APEX Membership Committee has had an incredibly productive year having produced the highly anticipated printed directory. By popular demand, the directory – last printed in 2010 – was updated and distributed at the end of the summer.

The printed version was revived with the goal of helping even more members connect

with one another and to complement the online searchable directory at apex.aero.

The committee also hopes that the attractive printed directory will serve as a tool to market the association itself.

The directory was the culmination of a lot of hard work, but it’s not the only task this very busy committee undertakes.

Read more about APEX Committees at > APEX.AERO

The Membership Committee oversees the following: • Broadening the membership of the association to formally represent a broader group of activities covering the airline passenger experience beyond “entertainment” • Increasing airline membership • Defining the passenger experience marketplace and the involved stakeholders and developing programs to serve those needs • Strengthening the perception of yearround member benefits rather than a single event organization The Membership Committee always seeks active members to assist in the group’s stated goals. APEX members who are interested in joining the Membership Committee are encouraged to contact chair Gloria Chow, of Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd. Current Membership Committee members are listed below:

Membership Committee 2013-2014: Gloria Chow, Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd. Loren Bolstridge, Delta Air Lines Joe Carreira, Touch Inflight Solutions, Inc. Markus Gilges, VT Miltope Joel Joslin, Stellar Entertainment Joan Russell, Global Eagle Entertainment Client Services Dave Sampson, Mezzo Tebogo Selokane, Global Eagle Entertainment Technical Services

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GLIDE IN-SEAT USB POWER

Delight your customers by giving the power back to them Introducing in-seat USB power from the new digEcor Current research shows that an outlet to power a personal device inflight is the number one rising need of airline passengers. To meet this need, GLIDE In-seat USB Power by digEcor provides 5V USB at the lowest cost on the market. It’s lightweight, easy to install and with optional cabin crew outlet control you can even sell power to drive your ancillary revenue.

LIGHT WEIGHT Weighs less than 1 lb (0.45 kg) per passenger

ANCILLARY REVENUE Sell power to your passengers

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

EASY INSTALLATION Fits within existing seat audio provisions

SALES@DIGECOR.COM

Follow us @theAPEXassoc

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MultiMedia Market to Debut in Prague

APEX’s second-largest global event is just a few short months away. The time to start planning to attend the much-anticipated MultiMedia Market is now! The event is scheduled for April 20-22 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The MultiMedia Market is a reinvention of the TV Market Conference, which in recent years

had expanded in scope to be more inclusive and representative of that sector. The new event is now the world’s premiere marketplace for the entire multimedia and content experience – including TV movies, games, GUIs and apps. The floor will be open to a wide range of companies, as opposed to just TV.

Like the TV Market Conference, the appointment-driven MultiMedia Market promises to give airlines, content providers and CSPs prime opportunities to make connections and do business. The event also includes exciting educational sessions, networking opportunities and the popular Annual Great IFE Quiz.

The MultiMedia Market Task Force encourages members to reach out with questions and feedback regarding the new event. Committee members are listed at apex.aero. More information on the 2015 MultiMedia Market will become available over the next few months, so stay tuned!

Photo: Amy Graves

Enhanced Passenger Choice Awards 2015 Cycle Kicks Off in May The Passenger Choice Awards program is evolving, and airlines should be aware of the changes so that they can improve their chances during the 2015 cycle!

As the APEX Awards Task Force outlined this summer, the schedule for the Passenger Choice Awards has been condensed – notably the window during which the survey itself is open. Rather than being open year-round, the survey – at passengerchoiceawards.com – will now be open only during the months of May and June so that airlines can better focus their marketing efforts.

And while passengers will continue to have a large say in the process, their votes will now only select the finalists. The winners themselves will be chosen by APEX member airlines through an online ballot.

Additionally, the wording and organization of the survey itself has been simplified to encourage more passenger participation.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

BCC World’s Laura Trevelyan hosting the 2014 Passenger Choice Awards

Visit apex.aero to access free print and digital ads and messaging, and plan now for your marketing efforts leading up to May! Please contact the Awards Task Force members or APEX staff at info@apex.aero for any additional information. Good luck in 2015!

Learn more about the Passenger Choice Awards at > passengerchoiceawards.com

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IFSA

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

IFSA President’s Letter For those of you who attended the 2014 APEX/IFSA EXPO, I hope you enjoyed yourselves in Anaheim and benefited from the education, networking and inspiration. I always leave more energized and inspired, and this year was no exception. IFSA experienced a record number of attendees, including airline representatives, making the event a huge success.

Additionally, IFSA’s Government Affairs and Education Committee (GAEC) booth experienced a lot of attendee traffic. Anyone who visited the booth received a GAEC sticker with a QR code that linked directly to the World Food Safety Guidelines.

I’m happy to report that we continue to work closely with APEX. Last month, we again hosted an integrated conference by opening the walls between the trade show floors. Feedback during the conference was extremely positive, and it is certainly our intent to continue this alliance. I want to express my gratitude to the IFSA Annual Conference Planning Committee and Committee Chair Jay Cravens of Delta Air Lines for a spectacular line-up of education sessions, trade show and networking events.

I am truly excited about the various opportunities to make

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IFSA even more valuable to the membership in the future. My goal as President is to ensure IFSA continues to strengthen its role as a global forum for innovation, communication and education. As part of the added value to the membership, I’m excited to announce that we will be relaunching IFSA’s website in early 2015. It will feature a new and improved Members Only section and will have a mobile optimized design.

I’d like to take this time to welcome IFSA’s newest Board Members, Chris Kinsella, Gate Gourmet, Sonya Lacore, Southwest Airlines, Dan Mord, Delta Air Lines and Mark O’Sullivan, Michael J. Devine & Associates. Our Board of Directors continues to represent all the segments of our industry and we are working hard to bring exceptional value to our membership.

We want to thank our members for their continued support and we look forward to serving you in the coming year.

“I am truly excited about the various opportunities to make IFSA even more valuable to the membership in the future.”

Best, > Pam Suder-Smith President International Flight Services Association

Airline Passenger Experience Association

IFSA

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Follow us @theAPEXassoc

2014-2015 IFSA Board of Directors president – pam suder-smith Vice President of Sales, The Americas Pourshins Supplair / gategroup vice president – jane bernier-tran Managing Director, Food & Beverage Planning & Design, United Airlines treasurer – paul platamone Global Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Harvey Alpert & Company secretary – denise poole Chief Executive Officer, AMI Inflight chairperson – david loft Vice President, International Catering, dnata

directors CESAR FORNO Vice President, Sales & Service, LSG Sky Chefs

MARCEL LAGNAZ Senior Vice President, Operations, Gourmet Foods, Inc.

STEPHAN S. KINGSLEY Managing Director – Flight Service, Food & Beverage, American Airlines CHRIS KINSELLA Vice President Sales & Services, Gate Gourmet SONYA LACORE Sr. Director Customer Experience, Strategy and International Operations, Southwest Airlines

HIDEO MIYABE Managing Director, Customer Sales and Service, TFK Corporation DAN MORD GM, Menu & Svc Development, Delta Air Lines MARK O’ SULLIVAN President, Michael J. Devine & Associates

Congratulations to 2014 IFSA Foundation Recipients

photo: mehran torgoley

IFSA is pleased to announce that to date, the Foundation has awarded $400K of scholarships. Additionally, Harvey Alpert, HACO, was presented with the IFSA Foundation President’s Award in recognition for his unwavering and dedicated commitment to scholarship growth.

Gourmet Foods

Emma Kautz Mekhrali Khurishanov

Harvey & Laura Alpert

Virgilio Jimenez Elizabeth Sivitos

John Louis Foundation

Grace Gimesky

Oakfield Farms Solutions

Kelly Bucher

WESSCO International

Breana Blackburn

AMI Group

Bianca Rodrigues

King Nut Companies

Mikayla Byfield

John & Ginnie Long

Mandi Roan

The Hoffman Group

Trevor Barton

Elite Airline Services

Andy Pacas

Flying Food Group

Grace Zhang

iFood

Garrett Kiefer

Ken Samara

Gabriella Imeri

IFSA Member Family Scholarship Award

Graham Gill

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Congratulations to 2014 Chef’s Competition Winner Chef Haiko-Michael Schafer, Executive Chef at Emirates Flight Catering, won the title of Best In-Flight Executive Chef at the 2014 IFSA Chef’s Competition on Sept. 16 at the APEX/IFSA EXPO in Anaheim, California. A huge thank you to our sponsors: MARFO, B4 Products, Clearwater Seafoods, Great Western Beef, Flying Food Group, Hacor Inc. Inflight Catering and Hawaiian Airlines.

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APEX DPS Sponsorship Banner.indd 1

ife

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What to look for in the months ahead

Coming Attractions Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day w

Eleven-year-old Alexander experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life, beginning with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom, dad, brother and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

w

Annabelle

i

Director: John Leonetti Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Eric Ladin, Brian Howe Based on the character of Annabelle from The Conjuring.

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Contact: Jeff Crawford

Are You Here

Director: Matthew Weiner Cast: Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler When his off-the-grid best buddy Ben Baker inherits his estranged father’s fortune, womanizing local weatherman Steve Dallas joins forces with him to battle the legal challenge brought by Ben’s formidable sister, in the hilarious big-screen directorial debut from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

As Above, So Below w

Director: John Erick Dowdle Cast: Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, Perdita Weeks Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. The journey reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that haunt us all.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi * excluding china

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

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N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.; ©2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved.; Lionsgate Entertainment; ©2014 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

Director: Miguel Arteta Cast: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Dylan Minnette, Ed Oxenbould, Kerris Dorsey

2014-09-22 3:38 PM

A Walk Among the Tombstones i

photos: ©Tombstones Productions, Inc. and Atsushi Nishijim; ©2014 Relativity Media; ©Millennium Films; ©2014 Relativity Studios; ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved; ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Reel FX Productions II, LLC. All rights reserved.

Director: Scott Frank Cast: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Ruth Wilson, Boyd Holbrook Based on Lawrence Block’s series of mystery novels. Matt Scudder, an ex-cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker hunt down the men who murdered his wife when he learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of crime, nor will it be the last.

Distributor: Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Contact: Peter George * excluding French speaking territories

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Beyond the Lights

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The Best of Me

Director: Michael Hoffman Cast: Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato Two former high school sweethearts find themselves reunited after 20 years apart when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they’ve never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago pose more serious threats today.

Before I Go to Sleep i

Director: Rowan Joffe Cast: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong Before I Go to Sleep is a thriller based on the worldwide best-selling novel about a woman who wakes up every day remembering nothing, the result of a traumatic accident in her past, until one day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her.

Distributor: Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Contact: Peter George

Distributor: Paramount Contact: Mark Horton * US only

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Birdman

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The Book of Life

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Richard Colson Baker, Danny Glover

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu Cast: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone

Director: Jorge Gutierrez Cast: Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Placido Domingo, Kate del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Diego Luna

Noni Jean is a hot new artist who is primed for superstardom, but pressure causes her to nearly fall apart until she meets Kaz Nicol, a young cop who’s been assigned to her detail. Noni and Kaz fall fast and hard, despite the protests of those around them to put their career ambitions ahead of their romance.

Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself.

The Book of Life is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.

Distributor: Paramount Contact: Mark Horton

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin * excluding excluding mainland China, US

* US only

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

october - november 2014

109

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The Breakup Guru

Director: Deng Chao, Yu Baimei Cast: Deng Chao, Yang Mi, Betty Sun

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The Boxtrolls

Director: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi Cast: Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Toni Collette

Boxtrolls are lovable, yet misunderstood oddball monsters who live underneath the charming streets of Cheesebridge. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by a villainous exterminator who is bent on eradicating them, a young orphaned boy must venture above ground to save not only his friends, but the soul of Cheesebridge.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi

Mei Yuangui is a professional “breakup guru” who has invented a reliable and painless breakup method. Having made plenty of cash, he decides to quit, but soon after, he receives a special request from a successful businessman who wishes to separate from his mistress and persuades the “breakup guru” to take on one last job.

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau * excluding China, Mauritius

* excluding Canada

Climbing to Spring

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby

Director: Daisaku Kimura Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Aoi Yu, Kaoru Kobayashi, Fumi Dan

Director: Ned Benson Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, William Hurt, Isabelle Huppert, Viola Davis, Jess Weixler

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When he receives news of his father’s death, Toru Nagamine returns to his childhood home and is welcomed by family, neighbors and an unfamiliar girl. Touched by his father’s wishes, Toru decides to stay in Sumire Cottage and overcome all the difficulties.

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau * excluding japan

Once happily married, Conor and Eleanor suddenly find themselves as strangers longing to understand each other in the wake of tragedy.

The film explores the couple’s story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far-gone.

Distributor: Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Contact: Peter George

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The Drop

Director: Michael Roskam Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz The Drop takes an inside look at organized crime’s use of local New York City bars as money-laundering “drops.” When lonely bartender Bob Saginowski uncovers a drop of a different sort, in the form of a battered pit bull puppy that he rescues from certain death, he meets Nadia, a mysterious woman hiding a dark past.

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

* excluding US

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

110

october - november 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©2014 Universal Studios. All rights reserved; Courtesy of Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited; ©2014 Climbing To Spring Production Committee; ©2014 The Weinstein Company; ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Š 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Coming to Airlines January 2015

Contact: Ruth Walker 818-560-1345 nt.disney.com

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Ek Villain

L’ex de ma vie (Divorce à la Française) w

Director: Mohit Suri Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh When his lover becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, Guru blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge.

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

Director: Dorothée Sebbagh Cast: Géraldine Nakache, Kim Rossi Stuart, Pascal Demolon, Catherine Jacob, Sophie Cattani Ariane and Nino lived happily until their fundamental differences got in the way. When they find out divorce takes three years in Italy, they agree to go to France – where it takes eight days – on the honeymoon they never had…

Distributor: SKEYE Contact: Isabelle Bégin * excluding France, Italy, US

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Foxcatcher

Director: Bennett Miller Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall When an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler is invited by a wealthy heir to form a team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his revered brother.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Contact: Rana Matthes * Bahamas, Bermuda, Botswana, Caribbean Islands, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Scandinavia, Seychelles, South Africa, St. Helena, St. Maarten, Swaziland, U.S.A., Zambia, Zimbabwe, excluding C.I.S., Iceland, Russia, Turks & Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands - but including Moldova

Gone Girl

Director: David Fincher Cast: Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Rosamund Pike On his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

Gone with the Bullets w

Director: Jiang Wen Cast: Jiang Wen, Ge You, Zhou Yun, Shu Qi, Wen Zhang Based on a true story of Ma Zouri (Jiang) and Xiang Feitian (Ge You), who establish a notorious beauty pageant called the “Flowers Competition” in 1920s Shanghai.

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

112

october - november 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

All of the city’s elite attend a beauty pageant called the “Flowers Competition,” but when Wanyan Ying unexpectedly wins, it sets into motion a series of tragic events. Based on a true story of Ma Zouri and Xiang Feitian, who established the notorious pageant in Shanghai in the 1920s.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Contact: Rana Matthes * excluding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: Eros, ©2014 Les films du 24 – TF1 Droits Audiovisuels – Cattleya – Vip Cinéma 1; Scott Garfield, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics; ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved; ©2015 Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia Limited. All rights reserved.

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Jeff Crawford

• jeff.crawford @ warnerbros.com

aNGeLICa McCoY

• angelica.mccoy@warnerbros.com

wbnts.warnerbros.com

© 2014 Warner Bros. Pictures. All rights reserved.

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Good People

photos: ©2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved; ©Millennium Entertainment; Bankside Films; ©2014 Hot Road Film Partners ©Taku Tsumugi / Shueisha Inc; ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Director: Henrik Genz Cast: James Franco, Kate Hudson, Omar Sy, Tom Wilkinson

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The Good Lie

Director: Philippe Falardeau Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll, Thad Lickinbill

They were known simply as “The Lost Boys.”

Orphaned by the brutal Civil war in Sudan that began in 1983, these young victims traveled as many as a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3,600 lost boys and girls to America.

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Contact: Jeff Crawford

Hector and the Search for Happiness i

Director: Peter Chelsom Cast: Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Stellan Skarsgård Hector is a quirky psychiatrist who embarks on a global quest in the hopes of uncovering the elusive secret formula for true happiness. Based on the worldwide best-selling novel of the same name, Hector and the Search for Happiness is a rich, exhilarating and hilarious tale.

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Hot Road

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Edwin Cheung * excluding japan

Director: Paul Hoen Cast: China Anne McClain, Kelli Berglund, Marshall Williams Mae and Gabby are two smart, tech savvy best friends who engineer the perfect boyfriend.

They soon find themselves in over their heads when they realize that the awesome boy they’ve designed happens to be a super soldier they’ve inadvertently brought to life with a top secret government program.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

Airline Passenger Experience Association

How to Build a Better Boy w

A sad and fierce love story between Kazuki Miyaichi, who lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend with whom she does not get along, and Hiroshi Haruyama, a high school drop-out who works part-time and is a member of the motorcycle game “Nights.”

N: North america

Distributor: Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Contact: Peter George * excluding Canada, French-speaking territories

Director: Takahiro Miki Cast: Rena Nônen, Hiroomi Tosaka, Yoshino Kimura, Yukiyoshi Ozawa

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Tom and Anna Reed, a young American couple, fall into severe debt while renovating Anna’s family home in London. As they face the loss of their dream to have a house and start a family, they discover that the tenant in the apartment below them is dead, and he’s left behind a $400,000 stash of cash.

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

october - november 2014

115

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The Hundred-Foot Journey *

Director: Lasse Hallström Cast: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon Hassan Kadam is a culinary ingenue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, he and his family settle in a village in France, the perfect place to open an Indian restaurant. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of a Michelin-starred restaurant located across the street gets wind of it.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

Distributor: Entertainment in Motion Contact: Bill Grant

* w excluding EMEA, India

* I: EMEA

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Interstellar

Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, Wes Bentley Christopher Nolan directs his brother Jonathan’s script for this sci-fi film about a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

Distributor: Paramount Contact: Mark Horton

Visit us at apex.aero

Jimi: All is by my Side i

Director: John Ridley Cast: André Benjamin, Imogen Poots, Hayley Atwell Covering a year in Jimi Hendrix’s life from 196667 as an unknown backup guitarist playing New York’s Cheetah Club, to making his mark in London’s music scene up until his Monterey Pop triumph, the film presents an intimate portrait of the sensitive young musician on the verge of becoming a rock legend.

Distributor: Jaguar Distribution Corp.

Contact: Peter George

* US, Canada

The Judge

Director: David Dobkin Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his estranged father, the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.

Kill the Messenger

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Contact: Jeff Crawford

Director: Michael Cuesta Cast: Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Sheen

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Based on the true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb who exposed the CIA’s role in the US crack epidemic of the 1990s. His intrepid journey takes him from the prisons of California to the villages of Nicaragua to the highest powers in Washington, D.C. Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi i* excluding Canada

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

116

october - november 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©2014 by DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.; ©2014 Paramount Pictures; ©2014 Content Media; ©2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved; ©2014 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

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With journalists in more countries than any other international news broadcaster, we don’t just report a story, we live it.

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photos: ©Bazelevs and ©Film company Lunapark; Eros; ©2014 Life After Beth, LLC. All rights reserved; Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Photo credit: Kevin Horan; ©2014 Brenwood Films, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Lekar Hum Deewana Dil w

Director: Arif Ali Cast: Armaan Jain, Deeksha Seth

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Kiss Them All 2

Director: Zhora Kryzhovnikov Cast: Egor Koreshkov, Sergey Svetlakov, Yan Tsapnik, Yulia Aleksandrova The honeymoon of Natasha and Roman is soon overshadowed by Natasha’s stepfather’s

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Life After Beth

Director: Jeff Baena Cast: Anna Kendrick, Dane DeHaan, Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly After his girlfriend unexpectedly dies, Zach is devastated. However, he gets a second chance at love after she rises from the dead.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski

business troubles. Deeply indebted, he finds what seems to be a perfect solution: faking his own death. But when his old buddy arrives for the funeral, quickly charming the entire family, he feels hurt and requests a grand funeral...

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Edwin Cheung

Dinoo and Karishma decide to marry, and then flee to the interior of the country, fearing Karishma’s parents will try to make other marriage arrangements for her. As life gets tougher, they realize this wasn’t what they had bargained for…

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

* excluding CIS

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Life Itself

Louder Than Words w

Director: Steve James Cast: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Gene Siskel Based on his best-selling memoir, this documentary recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert – a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent and explores his legacy as one of the most influential cultural voices in America.

* Us only Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski

Director: Anthony Fabian Cast: David Duchovny, Hope Davis, Timothy Hutton After the unexpected death of their daughter, a couple work to build a state-of-the-art children’s hospital where families are welcomed into the healing process. It becomes the first acute children’s hospital to bear a child’s name and becomes a staple for all children’s hospitals that follow.

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Edwin Cheung

* excluding Canada, Australia

* excluding US, Canada

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

october - november 2014

119

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Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy w

Director: James Gunn Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade his pursuers, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

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The Maze Runner

Director: Wes Ball Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas BrodieSangster, Patricia Clarkson, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario When Thomas wakes up trapped in a maze with a group of boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with the clues he discovers can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and find a way to escape.

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

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Mr. Turner

Director: Mike Leigh Cast: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson Chronicling the last 25 years of the painter J.M.W Turner who travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski * excluding Canada, France, DOM-TOM, Latin America, Eastern Europe

My Old Lady

Director: Israel Horovitz Cast: Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas A down-and-out New Yorker inherits an apartment in Paris from his estranged father and is stunned to find a refined old lady living there with her protective daughter.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski * US only

No Tears for the Dead w

Director: Lee Jeong-beom Cast: Jang Dong-gun, Kim Min-hee, Brian Tee, Kim Hee-won, Kim Joon-seong

A cold-blooded hit man makes the mistake of killing an innocent young girl. Wracked by guilt, the situation becomes worse when his boss assigns him the job of killing the young girl’s mother, Mo-gyeong, who is completely unaware of her role at the heart of a dangerous conspiracy until she meets a man…

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau * excluding Korea

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

120

october - november 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©2014 Marvel; ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved; Thin Man Films; Photo Credit: Simon Mein; Courtesy of Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited.

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Rudderless

Director: William H. Macy Cast: Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman, Laurence Fishburne, Selena Gomez

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Overheard 3

Director: Alan Mak, Felix Chong Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Zhou Xun

The latest entry of the blockbuster franchise, the story centers on an ex-convict, a surveillance and a single mom. They are committed to take down a ruthless real estate tycoon, who is planning to change the Hong Kong’s land development forever.

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau

Several years after losing his son, a grieving father discovers a box of demo tapes. The revelation of his son’s unknown talent drives him to perform one of the songs at an open-mic night, setting in motion a series of events that ends with him reluctantly agreeing to start a band.

Distributor: Paramount Contact: Mark Horton * US, Canada

* excluding China

The Skeleton Twins w

Director: Craig Johnson Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason After many years of estrangement, twins Maggie and Milo lead separate lives on opposite sides of the country. When both feel that they’re at the end of their ropes, an unexpected reunion forces them to confront how their lives went so wrong.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Contact: Rana Matthes

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october - november 2014

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Step Up: All In

Director: Richard Ramsey Cast: Ali Faulkner, Alan Powell, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas

Director: Trish Sie Cast: Alyson Stoner, Briana Evigan, Ryan Guzman

After reluctantly accepting a gig at a local vineyard harvest festival, Jed is love struck by local beauty named Rose and a romance quickly blooms. Soon after their wedding, Jed writes Rose “The Song,” which becomes a breakout hit. Thrust into a life of stardom, Jed’s life and marriage begin to fall apart.

One of the most popular dance franchises in film history takes competition to astonishing new heights in Step Up: All In. In the next exciting chapter, all-stars from previous installments come together in glittering Las Vegas, battling for a victory that could define their dreams and their careers.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Contact: Rana Matthes

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

122

The Song

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: Courtesy of Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited; ©2014 Paramount Pictures; ©2014 Skeleton Twins LLC. All rights reserved; ©2013-2014 City On A Hill Studios. All rights reserved; Summit Entertainment.

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Still Alice

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Director: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland Cast: Kristen Stewart, Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Alec Baldwin Dr. Alice Howland is a world-renowned professor of neuroscience at Columbia University. A happily married mother of three grown children, she doesn’t really pay attention when things slip from her mind, but getting lost in her own neighborhood makes her realize that something terribly wrong is happening.

Distributor: SKEYE Contact: Isabelle Bégin

Suite Française

Director: Saul Dibb Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sam Riley, Ruth Wilson France, 1940. Lucile Angellier is trapped with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. When a regiment of German soldiers takes up residence in the villagers’ own homes, Lucile and the officer staying with them are drawn together by a powerful love – into the tragedy of war.

Distributor: SKEYE Contact: Isabelle Bégin

Visit us at apex.aero

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Temporary Family

Director: Cheuk Wan Chi Cast: Nick Cheung, Sammi Cheng, Ines Laimins Lung’s girlfriend won’t marry him unless he can buy her an apartment. Charlotte, a recent divorcee, desperately needs a place to live. Hak inherited a small flat from her estranged mother, and Very, works as an intern at Lung’s agency. Hoping to make money through property investment, the four become co-owners of a luxurious penthouse.

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Edwin Cheung * excluding Mainland China

* excluding UK, Germany, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand

* excluding France, Benelux

Therapy for a Vampire w

Director: David Rühm Cast: Tobias Moretti, Jeanette Hain, Cornelia Ivancan, Dominic Oley One fine evening, Sigmund Freud has a new patient on his couch – a mysterious count who can no longer bear his “eternally long” relationship with his vain wife. Unaware of the fact that the count and his wife are vampires, Freud introduces his mysterious patient to a young painter…

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Edwin Cheung

This is Where I Leave You w

Director: Shawn Levy Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Contact: Jeff Crawford

* excluding Germany

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

124

october - november 2014

When their father passes away, four grown siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-havebeens. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotional ways.

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©Splash; ©2013 The Weinstein Company; ©2014 Edko Films Limited, Irresistible Beta Limited, Edko (Beijing) Films Limited, China Film Co., Ltd. All rights reserved; ©Novotny Film / Petro Domenigg Filmstills.At; ©2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved.

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Une autre vie (Another Life) w

Director: Emmanuel Mouret Cast: Joey Starr, Virginie Ledoyen, Jasmine Trinca

Director: Tonie Marshall Cast: Sophie Marceau, Patrick Bruel

Lambert is a recovering sex addict who has just started a new career as a couples’ therapist. When Judith, a recently unemployed nymphomaniac, applies for a job at Lambert’s practice, they are instantly attracted to each other. But the more she tries to seduce him, the more he wants to build a healthy relationship with her.

Distributor: SKEYE Contact: Isabelle Bégin

Distributor: SKEYE Contact: Isabelle Bégin

* excluding France, UK, Germany, Singapore

* excluding France, Benelux, US

Video Games: The Movie n

Director: Jeremy Snead Cast: Sean Astin, Al Alcorn, Peter Armstrong, Zach Braff Narrated by Sean Astin, this feature-length documentary chronicles the meteoric rise of video games from nerd niche to multi-billion dollar industry. Featuring in-depth interviews with creators, designers and geek gurus, the film is a celebration of gaming from Atari to Xbox and an eye-opening look at what lies ahead.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski

*

Aurore is an international concert pianist. One evening, exhausted from touring, she collapses on stage and gives up on music. That’s when she meets Jean, who helps her rediscover her desire to play. But Jean is not exactly single and Dolores, his partner, does not intend to let him live another life...

Whiplash

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The Zero Theorem

Director: Damien Chazelle Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser

Director: Terry Gilliam Cast: Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Thierry, Matt Damon, David Thewlis

An ambitious young musician is struggling to make it as a top jazz drummer when he meets an instructor – known for his teaching talents and for his terrifying methods – who leads the top jazz ensemble in the school.

Qohen Leth is an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst. Living in isolation in a burnt-out church, he obsessively works on a mysterious project personally delegated to him by Management, aimed at discovering the meaning of life – or the lack thereof – once and for all.

Distributor: Paramount Contact: Mark Horton * w excluding US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany

Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing Contact: Rana Matthes * Bahamas, Bermuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. KittsNevis, St. Maarten, US

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

* us only

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

126

october - november 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: ©Luc Roux; ©Pyramide Distribution; 2014 Jeremy Snead DBA Mediajuice Studios; ©2014 Sony Pictures Classics; Voltage Pictures.

Tu veux ou tu veux pas (The Missionaries) w

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Advertiser’s Index Aero Vista Entertainment www.aerovistaent.com > See page 117 Airborne Interactive www.airborne.aero > See page 73

Airbus www.airbus.com > See pages 4 & 5 Arinc (Rockwell Collins) www.rockwellcollins.com > See page 31

Astronics www.astronics.com > See pages 29 and 86

Avid Airline Productions www.avidproducts.com > See page 74

BAE Systems www.baesystems.com > See pages 6 & 7 BBC Worldwide Limited www.bbc.co.uk > See page 117 Betria Interactive LLC www.flightpath3d.com > See page 39 Bose www.bose.com > See page 15

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies www.carlisleit.com > See page 55

Cine Magnetics www.cinemagnetics.com > See page 127

Inflight Entertainment Products www.ifeproducts.com > See page 91

DigEcor www.digecor.com > See page 104

Interact www.interact.aero > See page 27

E-Leather www.eleathergroup.com > See page 47

Emphasis Video www.emphasis-video.net > See page 121

Entertainment In Motion www.skyfilms.com > See page 118

Global Eagle Entertainment www.globaleagleent.com > See pages 2 & 3

Jaguar Distribution Corporation www.jaguardc.com > See page 123

Gogo LLC www.gogoair.com > See page 20

Inflight Canada Inc www.inflightcanada.com > See page 68

Inflight Direct www.inflightdirect.com > See page 64

Inflight Peripherals ltd www.ifpl.com > See page 125

KID Systeme GmbH www.kid-systeme.de > See page 62 Kontron www.kontron.com > See page 121 Linstol www.linstol.com > See page 67 Long Prosper Enterprise Company Ltd www.longprosper.com > See page 82 LSG Sky Chefs www.lsgskychefs.com > See page 78

Lumexis www.lumexis.com > See page 17

Panasonic Avionics Corporation www.panasonic.aero > See page 132

Stellar Entertainment www.stellargroup.com > See page 11

Thales Avionics Inc www.thales-ifc.com > See page 56

Paramount Pictures www.paramount.com > See page 131

Penny Black Media www.pennyblackmedia.com > See page 128

Video Technology Services www.videotechnologyservices. com > See page 88

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures www.ebvnt.disney.com > See page 111

Phitek Systems Limited www.phitek.com > See belly band and insert

Warner Bros www.warnerbros.com > See page 113

Rockwell Collins www.rockwellcollins.com > See page 36

Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation www.sonypicturesinflight.com > See page 114

Zodiac In-Flight Entertainment www.imsco-us.com > See page 9

Soundchip www.soundchip.ch > See page 22

Spafax www.spafax.com > See page 94

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The Abstract Skies of Yore

As the one of the fastest growing airports in the world, Abu Dhabi International Airport currently serves over 93 destinations worldwide. Within the next few years, over 20 million passengers are expected to depart, arrive or transfer from here.

In 1933, Henry Charles Beck (known by most as Harry Beck) revolutionized cartographic aesthetics with his minimalist, electric-circuitinspired rendering of the London Tube, a style that he referred to as “the diagram.” Beck’s map ignored everything above the tunnels except for the Thames River, based on the idea that unnecessary topographical features impeded the map’s legibility.

Shortly after, in 1936, designer László Moholy-Nagy produced the “Imperial Airways Map of Empire & European Air Routes,” evidently inspired by Beck’s unprecedented abstract style. Several other designers followed suit, producing uncluttered linear route maps for TAP Portugal, Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Czech

Check out more of our favorite airline route maps at > APEX.AERO /MinimalistMAPs

Airlines, Sudan Airlines and many others – setting Beck’s minimalism as the standard for airline route maps for several decades.

As Maxwell Roberts, designer, psychology lecturer and map enthusiast explains, “The thing about flights is that there’s no road or rails, so the maps can be as abstract as you like.” Since geographical elements don’t significantly affect flight paths, there’s no need to illustrate them as you would with a road map.

The simplicity of the maps not only assists with minimizing the “cognitive load,” or amount of information readers are required to comprehend; they also convey a straighforwardness and sense of ease for the map reader to associate with flying.

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

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Map: Manuel Córdova

Throwback

Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Earn more, every flight.

Every time an aircraft climbs to 35,000 feet, you have a unique opportunity to engage your passengers and increase your bottom line. At Panasonic Avionics, we are constantly developing new ways to help you maximize revenue. From broadband connectivity to Near Field Communication (NFC), we’re making revenue generation easier than ever.

We’re creating new revenue streams with higher levels of personalization and passenger-specific advertising. We’re enabling real-time credit card transactions so you can offer higher value items from your in-flight shopping catalog.

And we’ve designed our solutions so that you can offer items through both the seatback and your passengers’ own devices.

So if you’re looking to use the power of IFEC to increase your bottom line, look to Panasonic Avionics and visit us online at panasonic.aero.

panasonic.aero © 2014 Panasonic Avionics Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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