LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, C-suite
executives from Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, Xiamen Airlines,
JetBlue, Flybe, LATAM Brasil, Virgin Atlantic, JSX, and
Star Alliance headlined APEX EXPO,
the most comprehensive and exclusive passenger experience
marketplace and thought leadership conference for the airline
industry. Co-located in Los
Angeles 9-12 September with IFSA (International Flight
Services Association) EXPO and AIX (Aircraft Interiors
Expo) Americas, this four-day premier event saw more than 5,000
industry decision-makers from over 125 global airlines.
Celebrating 40 years of APEX EXPO, this year's C-Suite keynotes,
emceed by BBC World News' Aaron Heslehurst, set the industry's
priorities for the next decade in regard to the complete end-to-end
passenger experience:
- Delta Air Lines CEO Ed
Bastian discussed how Delta has made sustainability a
core value, with each of their aircraft reducing their fuel
footprint by 25% while enhancing customer experience.
- JetBlue President & COO Joanna
Geraghty shared the airline's commitment and focus to
elevating travel-related stress with biometric solutions for the
entire traveling public.
- Spirit Airlines CEO & President Ted Christie unveiled two new seating
products: updated Big Front Seats with a 2-2 configuration and
feature an ergonomically designed headrest, memory foam, and new
economy seats that will provide an additional two inches of
passenger knee space within the existing space. In addition,
Spirit's new middle seat will benefit from an extra inch of width
compared to window and aisle seats.
- Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai
Weiss announced their new fleet of Airbus A350s taking
flight this week proudly with the 2020 APEX Five Star Global
Airline rating at the entryway of the aircraft in addition to their
focus on special touches that are reflected in their customer
satisfaction.
- JSX (formally JetSuiteX) CEO Alex
Wilcox proudly shared that JSX is the fastest growing
airline in North America, flying
2,400 flights per month compared to 1,000 flights per month just a
year ago. In addition, he committed to over 4,000 flights per
month by APEX EXPO 2020.
- Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey
Goh focused on the potential of passenger biometric data
interchange between its airlines using single token
biometrics. In addition, he shared that Star Alliance is working to interchange frequent
flyer information more seamlessly for a more rewarding travel
experience.
- Xiamen Airlines Chairman Zhao
Dong highlighted his airline's leadership in advancing
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to drive the
long-term positive development of the aviation industry. Following
the Chairman's keynote it was announced that Etihad Airways,
Ethiopian Airlines, Aeroméxico, LATAM, and Virgin Atlantic would be
the next to collaborate with the UN on the SDGs.
In addition to keynoting APEX EXPO, the CEOs convened for the
APEX/IFSA Board of Governors, chaired by Delta Air Lines CEO
Ed Bastian. This exclusive group of
airline executives unanimously identified sustainability and
biometrics as priorities for the industry.
As part of the 40th Anniversary activities, APEX was proud to
host its first-ever APEX EXPO Women Leaders in Aviation Networking
Lunch, with LATAM Brasil CEO Emeritus Claudia Sender, Oman Air SVP Guest
Experience and Branding Xia Cai, Viasat Senior Vice President
and CFO Shawn Duffy, JetBlue
Airways Director Product Development Mariya Stoyanova, Etihad
Airways Vice President Guest Services and Delivery Linda Celestino,
APEX Executive Director Katie Geraghty
Goshgarian. In what was once a strongly male-dominated
industry, these groundbreaking female executives discussed how they
are shaping aviation through technology and innovation and
leadership.
Attendees of APEX EXPO also took part in world-class thought
leadership seminars that covered topics such as connectivity, cloud
services, biometrics, content, personalization, in-flight
entertainment, and artificial intelligence. APEX EXPO was also
happy to host chief executives from Air Tahiti Nui, Kuwait Airways,
and Air Italy.
"APEX is honored to have served a record number of our global
airlines and key suppliers across APEX EXPO, IFSA EXPO, and AIX
Expo Americas," APEX CEO Dr. Joe
Leader stated. "APEX takes its role in accelerating
the airline industry and advancing passenger experience for the
next decade ahead as our central mission driving the end-to-end
future travel experience."
APEX also celebrated the top airlines and vendors who, over the
last year, have elevated the passenger experience at the inaugural
APEX/IFSA Awards Ceremony. The Points Guy CEO and Founder
Brian Kelly proudly hosted the event
for his third year in a row. The industry's best-of-the-best
received awards in the following categories:
- APEX/IFSA Awards: Airline and vendors who have
successfully implemented new programs and services this year were
honored. Click here for the 2020 winners.
- The Official Airline Ratings™: Four- and Five-star
airlines were recognized as part of the only airline rating program
based solely on verified, validated, and certified passenger
feedback. Click here for the 2020 Four and Five Star
airlines.
- Passenger Choice Awards: Airlines who provide excellence
in seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment,
and Wi-Fi. Click here for the 2020 recipients.
APEX also honored Brinder Bhatia,
a leader from Panasonic Avionics who worked tirelessly to push the
in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) technology industry
forward in building both custom and customizable systems that made
IFEC central to the passenger experience for virtually every
airline.
In addition to its annual global EXPO, APEX hosts multiple
industry gatherings around the world. Click here for a
list of all upcoming events. For more information about APEX,
please visit apex.aero, sign up for the APEX Daily
Experience e-newsletter, or follow APEX
on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
Robin Applebaum
678-303-2980
rapplebaum@apex.aero
About The Airline Passenger Experience Association
(APEX)
APEX encompasses a network of businesses and professionals that
are committed to providing a world-class airline experience for
passengers around the globe. As a non-profit, APEX reinvests
all of its resources to better serve its members. Every day,
APEX members evaluate the passenger experience through an
influential community and are improving every aspect of the airline
experience: from designing, building and installing seating,
entertainment and communications systems on commercial aircraft, to
airport lounges and in-flight dining. APEX works to
strengthen the industry and enable business opportunities through
education, innovation, networking and recognition. For more
information, please visit apex.aero.
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SOURCE APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association)