APEX Experience 8.4 September/October 2018

airline passenger

volume 8, edition 4 | september – october 2018

B O S

All Systems Go!

The aviation industry prepares to take off for EXPO

official publication of the airline passenger experience association

APEX-v8e4-Cover-04.indd 1

2018-08-09 10:01 AM

OUT WITH THE OLD...

IN WITH THE BOLD.

w: westent.com

t: +1 (949) 577-9760

e: info@westent.com

THE GROUND.

WE MAKE IT

FLY

No matter how busy the flight, your passengers will feel like they’re in a world of their own thanks to our beautifully designed Airspace cabins.

HD in-flight entertainment throughout, quieter, and with soothing LED ambient lighting, Airspace delivers first class comfort for every passenger. And not only is it available across our newest widebody fleet, it’s also being rolled out across our single aisle A320 family too.

Tranquility. We make it fly.

AD DIRECTORY

Advertisers’ Directory

volume 8, edition 4 september – october 2018

Ackila ackila.com See page 62

Encore Inflight encoreinflight.com See page 176

Jaguar Distribution jaguardc.com See page 147

Skyline IFE skyline-ife.com See pages 109 and 132

Airborne Interactive airborneinteractive.com See page 126

Entertainment in Motion skyfilms.com See page 167

KID-Systeme kid-systeme.com See page 53

SmartSky Networks smartskynetworks.com See page 47

Airbus airbus.com See pages 6 and 7

Eros Inflight Media erosnow.com See page 175

Kontron kontron.com See page 12

Sony Pictures Releasing sonypicturesinflight.com See page 159

AirFi airfi.aero See page 48

Euronews euronews.com See page 121

LSG Sky Chefs lsgskychefs.com See pages 100 and 101

Spafax spafax.com See pages 76 and 77

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems astronics.com See pages 38, 39, 92 and 137

Global Eagle globaleagle.com See pages 15 and 70

Long Prosper longprosper.com See page 55

TQ Group tqgroup.com See page 86

Global One Media globalonemedia.co.uk See page 36

Lufthansa Systems lhsystems.com See page 24

Twentieth Century Fox Films foxinflight.com See page 157

Guestlogix guestlogix.com See page 35

Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics mcico.com See page 119

Viasat viasat.com See page 56

Astronics Connectivity Systems and Certification astronics-csc.com See pages 73 and 93 Axinom axinom.com See pages 8 and 9 BBC Worldwide bbcstudios.com See page 153 BBC World News bbcstudios.com See page 141 Black Swan Data blackswan.com See page 21 Bluebox Aviation Systems blueboxaviation.com See page 61 Carlisle Interconnect Technologies carlisleit.com See four-page gatefold after page 50 Deutsche Telekom telekom.com See bellyband and page 11 Deutsche Welle dw.de See page 141 Emphasis Video Entertainment emphasis-video.net See IFE sponsorship on pages 126 and 154–174

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HBO hboinflight.com See page 169 IMG Worldwide img.com See pages 99 and 111 Images in Motion iim.com.sg See page 129 Immfly immfly.com See page 23 Inadvia indavia.com See page 41 Inflight Direct inflightdirect.com See page 81 Inflight Canada inflightcanada.com See page 59 Inflight Peripherals ifpl.com See infographic after page 82 and on page 44 Inmarsat inmarsat.com See page 69

NBCUniversal nbcuni.com See page 163 Panasonic Avionics panasonic.aero See outside back cover Paramount Pictures paramount.com See pages 2 and 3 Penny Black Media pennyblackmedia.com See page 173 PictureWorks pictureworksindia.com See page 179 Recaro recaro.com See page 43 Rockwell Collins rockwellcollins.com See page 19 Skeye skeye.tv See page 171 Skycast Solutions skycastsolutions.com See page 79

Warner Bros. warnerbros.com See page 161 West Entertainment westent.com See pages 4 and 5 W.L. Gore and Associates gore.com See page 96 Zodiac Aerospace imsco-us.com See page 65

MORE SIMPLICITY MORE EASE OF USE. MORE REVENUE. MORE THAN JUST WIFI. UPGRADE YOUR PASSENGERS TO IN-FLIGHT CONNECTIVITY BY DEUTSCHE TELEKOM. Offer your passengers the ‘priority lane’ of in-flight connectivity – so they can enjoy in-flight WiFi as easily as on the ground.

It takes as little as one click for passengers to log-on via our app or portal. With our smart Hotspot 2.0 feature, it’s even a seamless zero-click log-on. All of our connectivity options easily integrate with your existing on-board solutions and booking channels for effortless monetization. Increase WiFi take rates by allowing your passengers to buy before flying! We even have a ready-made voucher shop system you can plug straight into your own booking flow. Of course, there is also a state-of-the-art API if you want to carry out your own implementation.

Upgrade your passenger experience to an entirely new level: With Deutsche Telekom’s in-flight services.

To find out all the details, visit inflight.telekom.net

#morethanjustWiFi

ADVANCING THE CONNECTED AIRCRAFT WITH FEATURE RICH IoT DATA DRIVEN SOLUTIONS THAT GO BEYOND IFE&C

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Kontron’s 30-year Avionics experience in 4,000+ commercial and business jet installations worldwide demonstrate our expertise engineering the most advanced, cost effective and certified IFE&C solutions on the market. Reducing complexity and cost with adaptable, scalable COTs open architecture platforms, Kontron’s One Stop Shop IFE&C open platforms and certification services bring advanced computing to the “connected aircraft” delivering your shortest route to deployment. Visit us at APEX Expo 2018, Booth # 151.

REDUCING COMPLEXITY AND COST

WITH ADAPTABLE, SCALABLE OPEN ARCHITECTURE PLATFORMS AIRBORNE SERVERS /MODMAN

WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

GATEWAYS

ACE Flight 4600 / 4608 / 4780

Cab n Connect A100

ACE Flight 1600

AN S&T COMPANY

CONTENTS DIGITAL

Falling Into Place

volume 8, edition 4 september – october 2018

This issue ventures into different corners of the passenger experience industry to uncover developments that are underway. Read about aircraft interior add-ons that play to the five senses, an age-old libation that’s causing a buzz in flight, the SECTION evolving role of the content service provider and as we head to APEX EXPO, Boston’s connection to aviation history.

116

Who Needs a CSP? Emerging trends and tech are disrupting the IFE industry – and the role of CSPs, too.

ILLUSTRATIONS: ROMUALDO FAURA; LALALIMOLA PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO; GETTY IMAGES; LATAM AIRLINES GROUP

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FEATURES

C-SUITE

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Passenger experience you can hear, see, touch, smell and taste.

Wireless IFEC without in-seat power is a real pain point. What are aircraft suppliers doing about it?

The Sensory Experience

Let Them Have Power

94

66 Claudia Sender Vice-President of Customers, LATAM Airlines Group, and CEO, LATAM Brasil

Boston, A City in Ascent

83

Move over Silicon Valley, Beantown’s tech scene is booming, too.

Some Privacy, Please

104

Experts discuss the trade-off of personal data for personalization.

What can airlines learn from space travel?

Lessons From Space

133

Selling Points Predictive analytics can tell you what you want before you even know it.

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CONTENTS DIGITAL

volume 8, edition 4 september – october 2018 STANDBYS

57 Getting Chatty

10 Advertisers’ Directory

58 Do the Shuffle

17 Presidents’ Letters

16 CEO’s Letter

Airlines and passengers could both cash in on seatavailability optimization.

37 APEX Asks

What’s your strategy to survive the fall tradeshow season?

40 Across the Board Air Canada closes the gaps in its lie-flat experience.

42 Overhead Bids

Solutions to get us out of the overhead-bin bind.

46 Toying With Tie-Ins

Amenity kit suppliers are having fun with movie merch.

ViaSat-3 will go ahead – with or without partners.

22 Featured Contributors

50 Flight Monitor

26 APEX EXPO

Imagine a sensorladen cabin that can predetermine… almost anything, really.

Don’t just commit to a seat, see it in 3-D and 360 degrees before you book it.

114 Higher Hospitality

Passenger variants of the 747, and the number of each delivered

52 Airfield Agriculture

Pick your own strawberries while you wait for your connecting flight.

63 Refreshing Defense

54 In Your Face

Sure, facial recognition works, but should we use it?

1,540

total 142 Headlines deliveries

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Travelogue: In a City of Dreams

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102 Janelle Anderson

112 Dan 122 Agnès Distinctions in the DetailsDebains Kerrison

President and CEO, Air Canada

VP Global Marketing, American Airlines

A VP Inflight The prototype 747 – known as Product, flydubai the RA001, for its serial number – is on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.

From Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 by Clive Irving.

** The upper-deck lounge on the RA001 was added after the initial rollout.

First-class lounge

90 Calin Rovinescu

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staircase Infographic: A Golden Anniversary

The 747 prototype was known as the RA001, and it sported the logos of airlines that had ordered the aircraft.

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Throwback: Taking the Airline Online

But when Pan American World Airways’ CEO, Juan Trippe, was shown the mock-up, his response was typically outspoken: “Crew rest area?” he asked. “This is going to be reserved for passengers.”* And so, the first commercial flight on a jumbo jet featured a first-class lounge. The upper deck eventually evolved into a cabin, was stretched in the 747-300 and -400, and enlarged even more in the 747-8i.**

148 APEX News

747-100 747SP Haven’t heard of honey wine? It’s thousands of years old. ce sa

an

Thanks to the elegant curve of the 747-100’s bump, just behind the flight deck, Boeing’s engineers thought this space could be used as a crew rest area.

389

Quench your high-altitude thirst with hydration tablets.

64 Turning Honey Into Wine

How the 747 got its upper-deck lounge

694

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34 APEX in Action

60 Seat-Side Views

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20 Editor’s Letter

49 Solo Flight

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18 Board News

PHOTOS: BUZZ PRODUCTS; 3DSEATMAPVR; AIRBUS; ISTOCKPHOTO; ALASKA AIRLINES; AIR CANADA

Streaming data in chunks could help cut video lag.

Chatbots are more efficient than humans at resolving certain customer service problems.

ILLUSTRATIONS: JORGE DE LA PAZ; MARCELO CÁCERES; OLGA GÜNTER; ROMUALDO FAURA; FELIPE VARGAS

45 Byte Sized

Co-Founder, airfree

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CEO and Founder, Airborne Interactive

45% of the 747s built were the 747-400, the most popular model.

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Many 747s are equipped with crew rest areas, hidden in the fuselage above the passenger seats.

#travelexperience

We live in an era of choice, where options create opportunity.

Find out more at APEX

Stand #155

Airlines demand a reliable IFEC approach that leads to a measurably great passenger experience.

Global Eagle is perfectly positioned to deliver this.

Let us know how we can help: travelexperience@globaleagle.com

globaleagle.com Š All rights reserved. Global Eagle 2018.

CEO’S LETTER

Dear Members, Our partnerships form an incredible way for both APEX and IFSA to accelerate the entire industry. This year, we have a record number of partners with six incredible shows and eight organizations working together to create an unforgettable event!

STRENGTH IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIPS

In our third year of close partnership, Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) Americas, once again, brings the crucial elements of cabin and comfort innovation adjacent to APEX EXPO. And alongside IFSA EXPO, the Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association (WACRA) will host an educational event centered around frontline passenger service, bringing a new pool of attendees from an airline association founded in 1946.

LUFTHANSA FLYINGLAB GOES TO EXPO

En route to EXPO, Lufthansa FlyingLab will start a new annual tradition of “passing the baton” from Germany to EXPO in the United States. All airline, supplier and partner EXPO attendees are welcome to join Flight LH 424 from Munich (MUC) to Boston (BOS) on Saturday, 22 September, for an on-the-ground event followed by a dedicated in-flight laboratory program with incredible keynote speakers. Simply purchase a ticket of any class and you will be registered!

MORE PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

On Monday, 24 September, at the APEX Awards ceremony, The Points Guy, Brian Kelly, will present the Official Airline Ratings and global Passenger Choice Awards. In addition, the prestigious Crystal Cabin Award will be awarded for the first time ever outside of Hamburg, with the category of Best Customer Journey Experience capturing elements from all six shows. In addition, IFSA will award its coveted Compass Awards for the second year.

RECORD NUMBER OF AIRLINES

As always, the highlight of the week will be the APEX EXPO, IFSA EXPO and AIX Americas shows, working together to advance the airline passenger experience industry. We enter EXPO with over 40 new airline members this year.

ALL THANKS TO YOU, OUR MEMBERS

Thanks to our members for being the best part of APEX/IFSA, who work tirelessly to provide a better airline passenger experience and in-flight service. We look forward to a record-breaking EXPO in Boston with you!

Best regards,

MORE AIRLINE EXECUTIVES THAN EVER

Our members asked for more airline executive attendance at EXPO, so this year, we have gone a step above and beyond with a record number of top-level airline speakers. On the Sunday before EXPO, SimpliFlying will host an exclusive innovation lab attracting an additional 28 airline CEOs, CMOs, CDOs, CIOs and CSOs.

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Dr. Joe Leader

Chief Executive Officer APEX/IFSA

PRESIDENTS’ LETTERS

Dear APEX Members,

Dear IFSA Members,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for allowing me the privilege to serve as APEX president for nearly three years. I am very pleased to share some of the achievements and progress we have made during this time:

The 2018 EXPO in Boston is nearly here, and the IFSA committees are ensuring our annual EXPO will be insightful and productive for our members to foster business relationships and opportunities to learn from one another.

EXPO kicks off on Monday, 24 September, at the Boston Convention Center where we will hear five keynote addresses by CEOs from some of the world’s top airlines. On the same evening we will honor our members at the IFSA Compass Awards ceremony, taking place at the welcome reception at the Marriott Copley Place.

The IFSA EXPO floor will be located at the Hynes Convention Center and will be packed with exhibitors showcasing the latest in the onboard industry. An exciting new addition will be the Technology Features, where insightful discussions about strategy, trends and the future of air travel will take place. Our live chef demos are back, too. Join us for food and drinks at the historic Boston Public Library, for our annual networking event, Tuesday, 25 September. There may even be a celebrity sighting or two!

As a members-driven association, IFSA is here to support each of you within the industry, as well as provide a forum for growth through our annual EXPO. To register for 2018 EXPO, visit ifsa.aero/expo. I look forward to seeing everyone soon, in Boston!

• Set record attendance at APEX’s global events • Successfully returned to China with APEX Asia • Attracted the highest caliber of speakers and keynoters, including more than five airline CEOs who will speak at APEX EXPO in September • Strengthened partnerships with shows like AIX and FTE • Gained mainstream recognition as an industry thought leader willing to engage on topics affecting the airline industry • Increased airline membership These successes would not have been possible without the help and support of the APEX board, our CEO, staff and committee members. The camaraderie and leadership of these dedicated individuals sets us apart from other organizations.

At our core, APEX is a tight-knit community that comes together to support each other, even when times are tough. Our membership is comprised of passionate industry experts who will continue to elevate the passenger experience to new heights together.

It has been an honor to serve as APEX president and I look forward to continuing to serve on the board as past president. See you all at APEX EXPO!

Best regards,

Best regards,

Brian Richardson

APEX President American Airlines

Paul Platamone

IFSA President Harvey Alpert & Company

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BOARD NEWS

From Your APEX Board

Brian Richardson President American Airlines

Juha Järvinen Vice-President

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 e-mails regularly to update the membership and to be as transparent as possible.

Finnair

APEX ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AT EXPO

Maura Chacko Secretary Spafax

Joan Filippini Treasurer

Paramount Pictures

Don’t forget to join your board members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at EXPO, 24–27 September, in Boston. The AGM is scheduled for 8:00–8:55 a.m. on Wednesday, 26 September.

This meeting is your opportunity to hear updates from board members and the committees they chair, as well as to ask questions and give feedback on the association.

2018–2019 ELECTIONS

Kevin Bremer Chief Advisor

Andres Castañeda Aeromexico

Boeing (Past President)

Thank you to everyone who nominated individuals for the APEX Board of Directors. The election takes place 10 August–10 September, 2018, and the new board members will assume their roles at the AGM in Boston.

JOIN A COMMITTEE

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

BECOME AN APEX SPONSOR

Michael Childers

Jon Norris

Lufthansa Systems

Panasonic Avionics

Babar Rahman

Anton Vidgen

Qatar Airways

Air Canada

Ingo Wuggetzer Airbus

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

Not sort of connected. Not most of the time connected.

Simply connected.

Our product is yours – the passenger experience.

CABINCONNECT™

To her, the best trip is the least eventful. She doesn’t know

> IFE systems for today and tomorrow

Rockwell Collins technology made her Wi-Fi® experience seamless. And she doesn’t need to know our name. Just yours. When she’s old enough to book a flight. See how simply connected your airline can be.

Visit us at APEX EXPO, booth 321.

rockwellcollins.com/simplyconnected © 2018 Rockwell Collins. All rights reserved.

> Global broadband connectivity > Applications and value-added services

EDITOR’S LETTER

To Space and Back

Contact APEX Media at

EDITOR@APEX.AERO

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for your carry-on (“Overhead Bids,” page 42), cutting video streaming delay (“Byte Sized,” page 45), and optimizing seat availability (“Doing the Shuffle,” page 58) are also on the horizon.

And while the first space voyages may take us as far as the moon, it’s unlikely that their operators will escape the constant challenges experienced by the commercial air travel industry, which has about a hundred years of flying under its wing. In fact, space travel might consider taking a few lessons from air travel: on juggling personal data and privacy, as Jordan Yerman writes in “Some Privacy, Please” (page 83), or how to deliver entertainment on demand in the face of changing technology, as our director, Maryann Simson, asks experts in “Who Needs a CSP?” (page 116).

During EXPO, most of us will be busy running around, manning our booths and refueling with caffeine, but we should also take the time to see what new products and services our peers are showcasing. (What insights can be shared?) And then perhaps we should put our heads together and collaborate for some real out-of-thisworld innovation – that all industries can look up to.

Sincerely,

Caroline Ku

Managing Editor, APEX Media ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO

It wasn’t so long ago that space travel for the average person seemed like a distant reality. Early satellite pictures planted the idea, the moon landing of 1969 burned the image in our minds, and now, private spacecraft carrying passengers (enormously rich ones) are set to take off next year – space travel for the masses is finally near.

It will be light-years before any of us will be recounting stories about a jaunt to Mars over cocktails, but it’s the excitement that’s generated when we think about space travel that we need to channel into what we have access to now – the airline passenger experience – as our deputy editor, Valerie Silva, discovers in “Lessons From Space” (page 104).

And so, in this issue of APEX Experience, we try to capture the spirit of adventure by jetting into different parts of the aerospace industry to uncover developments in aircraft interiors, in-flight entertainment, connectivity and catering – some of which you’ll be able to see for yourself at APEX EXPO, 24–27 September, in Boston.

After you read “The Sensory Experience” (page 71), you’ll be able to pick up on all the sounds, sights, touches, smells and tastes that were designed to appeal to your senses on board an aircraft. In “Selling Points” (page 133), our digital editor, Kristina Velan, shows us the inner workings of the predictive analysis machine, which will soon be able to offer you all the things you never knew you wanted in flight. Efforts to solve perennial air travel problems such as finding a spot

TURN CAPTIVE PASSENGERS INTO CAPTIVATED CUSTOMERS Data-driven passenger experience software solutions We believe data will drive the future of in-flight entertainment and connectivity platforms. Our data-driven, APEX Award winning solution helps airlines create a truly personalised customer experience; one that gives every passenger the choice, control and convenience they crave – whether in the air or on the ground.

Visit us at

www.blackswan.aero Copyright Š 2018 All rights reserved. The above content or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Black Swan Data Limited.

Expo Stand

211

MASTHEAD

Featured Contributors

volume 8, edition 4 september – october 2018

APEX Experience Magazine 575 Anton Blvd, Ste 1020 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 +1 714 363 4900

OLGA GÜNTER is a Belarusian

See Olga’s work on page 52

designer and illustrator based in Germany. One of the passenger experience developments she’s most excited about is the potential to reserve overhead bin space. “Why is this not a standard? You’d never have to crumple your jacket and you’d be sure to have space for your duty-free shopping.”

SANDRA NAVARRO is the illustrator

See Sandra’s work on page 124

behind Lalalimola. When asked which of the five senses she thinks is most important to the passenger experience, she says it’s sound.

“There are many acoustic sensations while flying.” At takeoff, she likes to listen to DeVotchKa’s “We’re Gonna Make It” from the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack.

PAUL SILLERS is a London-based

Read Paul’s work on page 50

aviation and travel writer. For him, sight is the most important sense in the passenger experience because exposure to light influences our circadian rhythms. “When airlines can sync cabin lighting to each passenger’s body clock, then we’ll arrive in better shape.”

TERRY STEINER is the president of

Read Terry’s work on page 138

content distribution company Terry Steiner International. Her favorite Boeing 747 memory is being on one of the first flights into New York City after 9/11. “Air New Zealand flew us home after a conference in Australia.” If she could sit next to anyone on a plane, it would be former US president Barack Obama.

Publisher Al St. Germain al.stgermain@spafax.com COVER BY MAUCO SOSA

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Director

Director of Project Delivery Alain Briard

Maryann Simson maryann.simson@apexmedia.aero Managing Editor Caroline Ku caroline.ku@apexmedia.aero Deputy Editor Valerie Silva valerie.silva@apexmedia.aero Digital Editor Kristina Velan kristina.velan@apexmedia.aero News Editor Ari Magnusson Contributor and Special Projects Manager Stephanie Taylor Research Assistant Ella Ponomarov Contributors Fergus Baird, Harriet Baskas, Marisa Garcia, Jasmin Legatos, Seth Miller, Katie Sehl, Paul Sillers, Howard Slutsken, Terry Steiner, Jordan Yerman

ART Art Director Nicolás Venturelli nicolas.venturelli@apexmedia.aero Graphic Designer Angélica Geisse Contributors Marcelo Cáceres, Jorge De la Paz, Romualdo Faura, Daniel González, Olga Günter, Lalalimola, Mauco Sosa, Felipe Vargas

FSC-FPO

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Production Manager Felipe Batista Nunes Copy Editor Deanna Dority Fact Checkers Tara Dupuis Leah Jane Esau Proofreaders Katie Moore Robert Ronald

ADVERTISING Portfolio Director Steve O’Connor steve.oconnor@apexmedia.aero +44 207 906 2077 Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw mary.shaw@spafax.com Ad Production Coordinator Joanna Forbes joanna.forbes@apexmedia.aero Bookmark Content and Communications, A Spafax Group Company CEO, Bookmark Raymond Girard Senior Vice-President, Product, Bookmark Arjun Basu

Bring the digital world to your aircraft The preferred partner for next-generation airlines A digital boutique that opens infinite outstanding in-flight digital services We connect airlines with their people.

We fill in the in-flight digital gap on the customer journey - and that’s how we enrich the highest travel experience, from the ground to the sky.

Because Immfly Cares: Your happiness is our success.

With you, inspiring tomorrow’s way of travel.

Engaging platform | Scalable model | Major studios with automated software Revenue generator | Endless advertising possibilities | Connectivity ready | HW agnostic

CONTACT US AT (+34) 935 991 913 www.immfly.com - hello@immfly.com Barcelona - London - Berlin - Istanbul

Visit us at APEX 2018 in Boston, booth no 753

Pick and Mix BoardConnect –configure your cabin platform See a movie. In the stratosphere. Listen to music. Check the news. Or go shopping.

A world of digital experiences.

Easy to access. At 450 miles per hour. Satisfy many demands.

With a single platform. Completely flexible.

BoardConnect. Wishes come true.

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG | Marketing & Communications | Am Messeplatz 1 | 65479 Raunheim info@LHsystems.com | www.LHsystems.com

WELCOME

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

Bird’s-eye view of Dubai

Up Next: APEX Middle East and Africa

There’s no place like Dubai when it comes to presenting a futuristic vision of air travel. Dubai International Airport is an early adopter of smart gates and virtual aquarium security tunnels. And on the other side of the city stands Al Maktoum International Airport, which is set to host subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic aircraft and spacecraft. As Dubai makes its mark as a hub in the region and beyond, get a glimpse of the passenger experience of the near future when you arrive for APEX Middle East and Africa, 4–5 November.

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EXPO Highlights SUNDAY 23 SEPTEMBER

MONDAY 24 SEPTEMBER

15:00–18:30

7:30–18:00

APEX Registration 17:30–19:00

APEX Welcome Reception Join us for appetizers and drinks to kick off EXPO. Say hello to old friends, connect with colleagues and make new contacts. You have the rest of the night to continue conversations and enjoy Boston. Located at Outdoor Pavilion, The Westin Boston Waterfront Welcome reception sponsored

by Global Eagle

APEX Registration

10:30–11:00

Networking Break

Sponsored by Encore Inflight 12:00–13:10

Lunch

7:45–8:45

Continental Breakfast 8:45–12:00

General Educational Sessions Education Day begins with keynote addresses from a range of aviation and technology executives all working to improve the passenger experience industry. Located at Boston Convention Center, Ballroom, Level 3 Opening video sponsored

by Global Eagle

13:30–16:15

Breakout Educational Sessions Afternoon sessions are divided into specific tracks enabling attendees to learn more about a certain area of interest.

Located at Boston Convention Center, Rooms 252–253, Level 2 Educational sessions sponsored

by Panasonic Avionics Breaks sponsored by Encore Inflight

Educational sessions sponsored by Panasonic Avionics

17:45–19:15

APEX Awards Ceremony The APEX Awards recognize the best airlines and vendor partners in passenger experience, from ticket purchase to final arrival, and are selected by industry peers and experts. This red-carpet event will include cocktails and light appetizers. Located at Boston Convention Center, Ballroom, Level 3 Awards presentation sponsored

by Global Eagle Awards ceremony bar sponsored

by Terry Steiner International

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Schedule is subject to change.

TUESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER

WEDNESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER

9:00–18:00

EXPO

8:00–18:00 7:30–18:00 PHOTOS: VANCE WALSTRA; BOSTON CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTER

APEX Registration

APEX Registration 8:00–8:55

7:30–8:45

Airline Breakfast Airline members only.

Located in Otis Room, The Westin Boston Waterfront, Lobby Level 9:00–18:00

EXPO

APEX Annual General Meeting The AGM is held each year to introduce the new board of directors, receive annual reports and for the transaction of other association business.

APEX members are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in the interactive discussion about the future of the industry and the organization.

THURSDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 8:00–15:00

19:30–22:30

APEX Networking Event After building relationships and strengthening partnerships on the EXPO floor, meet your industry colleagues at this can’t-miss event. Located at The Headhouse Concourse, Seaport World Trade Center, Plaza Level, Second Floor

APEX Registration 9:00–17:00

EXPO

Sponsored by SmartSky Networks

EXPO 2019 preview video sponsored by Skyline IFE APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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Education Day MONDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 7:45–8:45

Breakfast 8:45–9:00

9:30–10:00

Welcome and Introduction

Keynote Speakers

9:00–9:30

Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO, American Airlines Doug Parker was named chairman and chief executive officer in 2013. He oversees American Airlines Group and American Airlines, its principal subsidiary company. Prior to joining AA, Mr. Parker was chairman and CEO of US Airways where he achieved record revenue growth, operational performance, and profit margins that outpaced most industry peers. Before the merger of US Airways and America West Airlines in 2005, he was chairman, president and CEO of America West. Mr. Parker has been a proponent of airline industry consolidation, providing a more stable and competitive industry for employees, customers, communities and stockholders.

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Stephen Kavanagh, CEO and Executive Director, Aer Lingus Stephen Kavanagh was appointed chief executive officer and executive director of Aer Lingus in 2015.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kavanagh served as chief strategy and planning officer in 2014 and before that as chief commercial officer. Mr. Kavanagh joined Aer Lingus in 1988 to undertake a number of analytical and management roles in fleet scheduling and business planning departments before being appointed operations planning manager in 2003. He joined the senior management team in March 2006 as planning director and was appointed corporate planning director in November 2007. He is a graduate of University College Dublin.

10:00–10:30

Andrés Conesa, CEO, Aeromexico Andrés Conesa was appointed as chief executive officer of Grupo Aeroméxico in 2005. Mr. Conesa has been a

member of the IATA Board of Governors since 2008 and was elected as IATA chairman during the 2015 term. He has served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and the Mexican Directive Council of the National Chamber of Aviation (CANAERO). Mr. Conesa has also been a member of the boards of directors of several public companies including the Mexican Stock Exchange, Genomma Lab International and IEnova.

10:30–11:00

Networking Break

11:00–11:30

Claudia Sender, VP of Customers, LATAM Airlines Group, and CEO of LATAM Brasil Claudia Sender leads marketing, services, customer experience, and digital areas in all the countries where LATAM Airlines Group operates.

Ms. Sender joined the company in 2011 as commercial and marketing vice-president.

In 2012, with the conclusion of the LAN-TAM merger agreement and the creation of LATAM Airlines Group, she became the head of Brazil

Domestic Business Unit, leading TAM’s entire customer service department. She became LATAM Brasil’s CEO in 2013.

11:30–12:00

Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO, Air Canada Calin Rovinescu has served as president and chief executive officer of Air Canada since 2009. Mr. Rovinescu was the executive vice-president of Corporate Development and Strategy, Air Canada, from 2000 to 2004, and also the chief restructuring officer from 2003 to 2004. Prior to joining Air Canada, he practiced corporate law for more than 20 years. From 2012 to 2016 he was chair of Star Alliance Chief Executive Board and served as chair of IATA from 2014 to 2015. In 2016, Mr. Rovinescu was recognized as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year.

Schedule is subject to change.

14:30–15:15

12:00–13:30

Networking Lunch 13:30–16:15

Breakout Sessions

Educational sessions and Wi-Fi sponsored by Panasonic Avionics 13:30–14:15

Breakout Session 1 14:15–14:30

Break

Sponsored by Encore Inflight 14:30–15:15

Breakout Session 2 15:15–15:30

Break PHOTOS: VANCE WALSTRA

Sponsored by Encore Inflight 15:30–16:15

Breakout Session 3

TRACK A – CONTENT Take a look at world-class entertainment options featuring the latest movies, TV shows, games and apps; explore ways to progress relationships with airlines and content service providers; and take an in-depth look into programming for the global audience while considering passenger demand, BYOD, streaming, licensing, demographics and more.

13:30–14:15

A1 – The Future of IFEC: Building a Personalized Experience This session will present report findings that address the future of IFC, IFE and IFE content to give a holistic perspective of the IFEC industry today, where it is heading and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Current data and forecasts will offer an overview of key IFEC trends and illustrate what the competitive environment looks like. Explore how the three areas of IFEC are converging to create true personalization in the cabin to improve the passenger experience.

Presented by: Craig Foster, senior analyst, Valour Consultancy, Daniel Welch, senior analyst, Valour Consultancy

A2 – Five Things to Consider for Your Next-Gen IFE Content Strategy Next-gen AVOD systems and connectivity services with data insights are quickly changing the traditional IFE experience.

However, replicating the content experience on the ground doesn’t always translate to success in the air.

This session will demonstrate why, for example, box-office success does not have a direct correlation to passenger engagement on board and how airlines need to look deeper than weekend totals and IMDb ratings to develop the right content strategy.

Presented by: Andrea Whyte, director of Commercial Content Strategy, Spafax 15:30–16:15

A3 – Content Delivery Methods, Screening and Clearance Hear about the impact that new and existing methods have on workflow processes, timelines and costs, including distributors’ move away from MPEG-1, effects on available recall files, file formats for Wi-Fi streaming solutions, online screeners and streaming content, timeline of release, explanation of hold-backs, impact of digital technologies on global release schedules.

17:45–19:15

APEX Awards Ceremony APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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Education Day TRACK C – PAXEX Airlines and their partners are engaging with passengers at many stages along their journey. What are some ways the industry uses touchpoints to enhance experiences and generate loyalty? Assess the multiple ways organizations are applying predictive analysis, passenger feedback, demographic and economic growth figures and travel trends to improve the passenger experience.

13:30–14:15

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13:30–14:15

B1 – Invest in the Guest: Utilization of Technology to Enhance PaxEx Spirit Airlines will discuss the importance of Wi-Fi and connectivity for low-cost carriers to enhance guest offerings, operational efficiency and Net Promoter Score.

Presented by: Robert Fornaro, CEO, Spirit Airlines 14:30–15:15

B2 – IFE in the Cloud: But Will It Fly? Discover the opportunities of cloud adoption for IFE while addressing security, delivery and efficiency.

15:30–16:15

B3 – Connectivity: Status Update and Highlights This session will offer an overview of the current state of the connectivity market including the APEX Connectivity Working Group’s survey results and defined measurables. The London School of Economics’ Sky High Economics reports will spotlight how connectivity delivers powerful economic benefits and efficiencies to airlines across operations, safety and environmental areas. Discussions will also address revenue generation and passenger demand.

Presented by: Stephan Schulte, chair, Connectivity Working Group, Lufthansa, and Seamless Air Alliance

14:30–15:15

C2 – Connecting Data: Always-On Customer Service There is a new category of technology that is emerging across the world, in which a system does complex work on behalf of its user. Low-level artificial intelligence acts as an agent and delivers on the promises of technology more than ever before.

Additionally, by stitching together disparate data sources into a cohesive whole, AI systems provide personalized recommendations and

PHOTOS: VANCE WALSTRA; BOSTON CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTER

TRACK B – TECHNOLOGY Evaluate the technologies that play a crucial role in bettering the passenger experience, not only for passengers but also for airlines and the multiple vendors involved. In the rapidly changing aviation market, how can investments last for the long haul?

Technical experts will review and discuss special projects of the APEX Technology Committee including specifications and standards for the airline industry focused on applying new technologies to the passenger experience.

C1 – Leveraging the Lounge Experience as Part of the Customer Journey Lounge access offers many benefits to the passenger, but why do airlines invest in the onthe-ground experience to build loyalty, offer rewards or generate brand awareness? Check out some of the world’s best lounges and their relation to the in-theair experience through content, connectivity, catering, amenities, seating and more.

Schedule is subject to change.

return value to the customer.

These systems create business value by providing a new revenue platform with opportunities for targeted advertisements from a detailed customer profile.

This session will explore how disruptive companies across interconnected industries like airlines, financial services and transportation are leveraging AI to optimize each customer interaction in real-time.

15:30 – 16:15

C3 – Cabin Concepts How are the latest consumer lifestyle trends and airlines’ desire to differentiate their inflight offering considered in the development of next-generation aircraft? Take a look at the innovative seating and design options including first classenclosed suites and a growing premium economy product.

13:30–14:15

D1 – Data Driven Revenue Generation Take an extensive review of passenger data including transactional information and social cues, sprinkle in predictive analysis and you have the ingredients to create a tailored in-flight offering. Such customization derived from this data analysis and trendspotting results in superior inventory control and waste reduction, both of which reduce costs and drive revenue. This session features a case study on these

partnering industry players and how their venture meets airline and their own corporate goals.

kitchens. The session will also include current and upcoming regulatory issues within the European Union.

Presented by: Frederico Germani, chief commercial officer, gategroup, Steve King, CEO, Black Swan Data

Presented by: IFSA Government Affairs & Education Committee Members

14:30–15:15

15:30–16:15

D2 – Stay in the Know: Government Affairs and Regulatory Updates Food safety experts will address topics affecting the airline catering industry ranging from FSMA, labeling, preclearance and robotic

D3 – Ancillary Revenue & Passenger Engagement Discuss ancillary revenue methods and means to engage with passengers to encourage and facilitate purchases prior to and during a flight. More than just legroom!

TRACK D – INFLIGHT SERVICES Identifying passenger preferences and providing a personalized offering is key to customer satisfaction. Today’s savvy travellers not only consider taste and quality, but also environmental impact, physiological benefit and often locality. Airlines, caterers, and suppliers collate offerings to provide such experiences while also minimizing waste, achieving ancillary revenue and adhering to regulations from a range of global governing bodies. Explore ways to address these requests and requirements.

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APEX EXPO Exhibitors Accura Scan

Eagle International Communication

Ackila Adaptive Channel Aeroplay Entertainment Aerotek Design Labs Airbus

ECA Group Emphasis Video Entertainment Encore Inflight Ensemble Media Entertainment in Motion

airfree

Envee Inflight Entertainment

Alethea Communications Technologies

Eros International Media Fairdeal Studios

ALOFT AeroArchitects

Flame Distribution

Amphenol Phitek

FORMIA Airline Supplies

APEX Media

France Médias Monde

Applied Avionics

FTS Technologies

APT Worldwide/American Public Television

Gate 23 Entertainment

Astronics AV-Jet International Media Axinom BBC Radio International BBC Studios Betria Interactive BlackSwan Technologies Bloomberg Media Distribution Bluebox Aviation Boeing Captive Entertainment Carlisle Interconnect Technologies CBS Studios International Century Carnival Movie Cultural Communications Company

Global Eagle Global One Media Gogo LLC Guestlogix HBO IFPL Images In Motion IMG Inflight Inflight Canada Inflight Dublin Inflight Media Digital Inflight VR InflightDirect Inmarsat Interactive Mobility

O’Brien International

SITAONAIR

Panasonic Avionics

Skeye

Paramount Pictures

SKYdeals

PBS International

Skylights

Penny Black Media

Skyline IFE

PictureWorks

SmartSky Networks

Pilot Film and TV Productions

Smiths Interconnect

PXCom

Sony Pictures Releasing Spafax

Cinesky Pictures

Intramovies

CMI

Jaguar Distribution

CNBC

KID-Systeme

CoKinetic

Kinai Infotech

Concept Development

Kontron

Contentino Media

Latécoère

CPI Radant Technologies Division

Linstol

QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme

Creative Century Entertainment

Long Prosper

RaiCom

Lufthansa Systems

RebelRoam

Massive

Rockwell Collins

Media Carrier

RT

Mills Textiles

Saint-Gobain

NBCUniversal

SCIS Solutions

NHK Global Media Services

SIE

DDC Electronics (Pascall) Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Welle digEcor Discovery Donica Aviation Engineering

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Stellar Entertainment TEAC Telesat Terry Steiner International Thales The Angelus The Television Syndication Company

PHOTO: VANCE WALSTRA

AirFi

IFSA EXPO Adulce Group

Euro-Goodnight

MillerCoors

AirlineMporium

FORMIA

MV Food & Services

AMI

France Délices

National Food Group

AMKO Group International

Freshbrew Group USA

Optimum Solutions

AUI Fine Foods

Freshorize USA

Orvec International

Bayart Innovations

Galileo Watermark

PepsiCo

Brown-Forman

gategroup

Revere Packaging

Bunzl Distribution

Global C

RMT Global Partners

Buzz Products

Global Inflight Products

Sola Airline Cutlery – The

Cambridge Security Seals

Gourmet Foods

Netherlands

Campione d’Italia Foods

HACO

Stephen Gould

Classic City Bakeries

Intervine

Sunberry

Clip Limited

IPI

Swiss Chalet Fine Foods

Conway Import

ITW Envopak

The Brand Passport/Daelmans

Damascus Bakery

James Calvetti Meats

The Chefs’ Warehouse

Delyse

John Horsfall

Transtars

DFMi

K&W Food Brokerage Services

WESSCO International

Direct Food Service

Leahy-IFP

Wild Garden

Diversey

Malton Inflight

Your Green 2 Go

Eli’s Cheesecake Company

McGuire & Associates

En Route International

Michael J. Devine & Associates

AIX Americas ThinKom Toca Boca Touch Inflight Solutions

Acro Aircraft Seating

Diehl Aviation Laupheim

Perrone Aerospace

Adhetec

Divise Italiane

RCO Engineering

Aeristo

E-Leather

Regent Aerospace

Air Electro

Egret Aviation

San Diego Aircraft Interiors

Aircraft Hardware West

Gerber Scientific

Schneller

Aircraft Interiors International

Gerflor

Schroth Safety Products

TQ-Systems

Aircraft Lighting International

Groth Luftfahrt

SEKISUI SPI

True Blue Power

AkzoNobel Specialty Coatings

Hanse Aerospace

Shanghai Pudong International

Turner Inflight Services

Andrew Muirhead & Son

Hebmüller SRS Technick

Exhibition

Twentieth Century Fox Film/ Fox Networks Group/Fox NonTheatrical

AstroNova

Iacobucci HF Aerospace

Shanghai Xinfan Industrial

Aviointeriors

Isovolta

Southco

BASF – The Chemical

Latitude Aero

SSG Govmark

Company

Lonseal

STG Aerospace

Biskay

Mankiewicz Coatings

STS Aviation Group

Boltaron

Meggitt

SynQor

Bose

Mifa Aluminium

Tajima America

Botany Weaving Mill

NC Carpet and Upholstery

Tapis

Clarendon Specialty Fasteners

Sewing Machines

Techno Aerospace

Cooper Standard Technical

Neotex

Tekspan

Rubber

Patrick Plastics

TSI Aviation Seats

Diab Americas

PAX International

Uniters Aviation

Viasat VT Miltope Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Non-Theatrical Warner Bros. Pictures West Entertainment W.L. Gore and Associates Zodiac Inflight Innovations

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SOCIAL

APEX in Action FIFA Word Cup may have dominated discussions around the watercooler this summer, but APEX TECH and Farnborough also created talk around town.

See more social photos on Facebook > FACEBOOK.COM/ APEX.AERO

1. Congrats to all the winners of the regional Passenger Choice Awards at APEX TECH in June. Alaska Airlines celebrates its wins in the Major Regional airline category: a five-star Official Airline Rating and Best Overall in North America.

1

2. Michael Ohm, Pierre Defour and Youssef Saifullah from Nokia, and friend at APEX TECH.

2

3. Eric Peyrucian, Airbus; Captain Mary McMillan, Inmarsat; Captain Jonathan Lee, Hawaiian Airlines; and Mark Spence, WxOps; discuss the economics of in-flight connectivity at APEX TECH. 4. A memorable moment captured for the first Airbus A380 landing in Pakistan.

5–6. Rockwell Collins Houston shows its team spirit in full-face makeup for FIFA World Cup! 3

7. Boeing donates $5 million to support STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) learning in “Newton Rooms” in nine countries across Europe.

4

8. June is Pride Month! BAE Systems employees in Scotland show their support for the LGBTQ community.

9. Christopher Levy, BuyDRM; Dirk Ottens, Lufthansa Technik; Michael Stattmann, castLabs; Andrew Popov, BuyDRM; at the APEX TECH welcome reception.

6

5

10. Nancy Walker, Paul Sameit and Krishnan Menon from SmartSky Networks at APEX TECH.

7

11. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster (right) pays UTC Aerospace Systems a visit at Farnborough International Airshow.

12. Happy 1st anniversary to Plug and Play Japan!

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10

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PHOTOS: GREG VERVILLE (APEX TECH PHOTOS)

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One platform, countless possibilities Guestlogix keeps you close to your customers throughout their travel journey

Bookings: Flight Hotel Excursions

Travel Inspiration & Offers

Flight Upgrades

Loyalty & Rewards

In-Flight Buys

Location Based Offers

Guestlogix is an airline merchandising platform that bridges all phases of a trip, giving today’s connected travelers a go-to app to enhance their journey, and airlines significant new revenue streams and loyalty opportunities.

Unlock passenger happiness & new revenue streams. Contact : greta@guestlogix.com

guestlogix.com

APEX ASKS

“Prepare, plan and secure well in advance all the meetings you need with your clients.

It will allow you to thoroughly enjoy the time you’ll be spending with them. Also allow yourself some ‘me time’ to explore your surroundings!”

“The secret to any successful tradeshow is preparation.

Linstol plans months in advance to ensure our displays remain at the forefront in terms of innovation and product offering, but tradeshows are really about building relationships. These events provide an important opportunity for our team to spend time with our airline partners as well as meet new customers.”

ANA BASTOS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, BBC RADIO INTERNATIONAL

“September is when we return from holidays, when our kids go back to school and when a lot of tradeshows take place.

For APEX EXPO, we booked a penthouse in Boston where we’ll shoot a promotional video about our company. And after that, we will head off to Cannes for the Tax-Free World Association show, where our goal will be to sell the remaining digital in-flight media spaces. Easy, right?”

MARK RUSSELL, CEO, LINSTOL

“We are currently getting ready for tradeshows in the United States, Middle East and Asia. Preparing for APEX EXPO is no easy task.

However, thanks to the time differences between the US, Asia and our headquarters in France, we can handle the heavy workload by easing the pressure with a glass of wine in the afternoon. All we have to do is choose a time zone, so that it is the afternoon!”

CYRIL JEAN, CEO, PXCOM

“First, make sure you carry a large enough suitcase to bring home all the brochures and giveaways on the last day.

Second, book early for your accommodation and pick a place that is near the venue and where the main action is.

You won’t want to search for your bed after you’ve been to a few parties at night.”

DARREL CHUA, GENERAL MANAGER, FTS TECHNOLOGIES

What’s your strategy to survive the fall tradeshow season?

APEX members share their tips on how to weather the hustle and bustle at upcoming tradeshows.

JEAN-MARC CHEVASSUS, DIGITAL DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, IMM INTERNATIONAL

“As a veteran of APEX EXPO and the busy fall tradeshow season, when asked for my survival strategy, I take one from the book of Survivor.

Stick with your alliances! That is, your alliance to caffeine, H2O and multivitamins.

These are critical to persevering during the season of sleepless networking.”

KRIS SAMUELSON, DIRECTOR, SALES IFEC/INTERIORS, CARLISLE INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES

ILLUSTRATION BY JORGE DE LA PAZ

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Problem?

INTERIORS

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems: U.S. Office +1.425.881.1700 • Europe Office +44.1983.897647

Solved!

Astronics AES SmartTrayŽ PED Table With the revolutionary Astronics SmartTray PED holder, solve the problem of storage for your passengers’ portable electronic devices. With a built-in holder for smartphones and tablets, the SmartTray PED Table is a lightweight, easy-to-install way to regain space, avoid fatigue and improve the in-flight experience. Key options include available wireless charging, and linefit or retrofit availability. So to give your passengers more room and more in-seat convenience, contact us today for details on the SmartTray PED Table.

APEX Expo Booth #343 | www.astronics.com/SmartTray

COMFORT

Across the Board Canada’s flag carrier is making sure passengers get a good night’s sleep – and know that they can count on it, too.

BY ARI MAGNUSSON

“Nobody else offers the same level of service between Canada and the United States.”

ANDREW YIU, AIR CANADA

Air Canada’s Signature Class cabin on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Although Air Canada was already offering lie-flat seats on domestic and US flights, Yiu says, “You’d never know what aircraft you’d be getting until you showed up at the gate.” Now the airline can confirm with travelers, at the booking phase, that they’ll be getting the same level of experience from check-in to the lounge and on board. “We put a lot of thought into consistency,” he adds.

But because the market has converged in terms of cabin products, Yiu says, Air Canada still had to ask itself: “What can we do to separate ourselves from our competitors?” One of the answers arrived at was improved food and beverage.

“Despite all the other distractions on board, people, especially in the premium cabins, want to know what we are going to feed them and what kind of wines we have on board,” he says. “I don’t want to give anyone who has the choice a reason not to connect through Canada.”

PHOTOS: AIR CANADA

Some countries are so big that it can take longer to fly within them than to another continent. Canada is one of them. Business travelers departing from Montreal, in the east of the country, could reach Iceland or Colombia in around the same time it takes to touch down in Vancouver on the Pacific coast.

That’s one of the reasons Air Canada began offering lie-flat seats on some of its busiest domestic and transcontinental routes in June.

“The fact that someone can go to Vancouver, do their business in a day, and have the guarantee that they will be able to sleep on a lie-flat seat going home is of tremendous value,” says Andrew Yiu,

vice-president of Product at Air Canada.

“Nobody else offers the same level of service between Canada and the United States. Nobody else can guarantee and dedicate lie-flat seats on these routes, especially on red-eye flights.”

After conducting trials of the Signature Class service over the past few months, Yiu says Air Canada has been receiving “overwhelmingly positive” feedback.

“We get a lot of customers on these flights connecting to international destinations, so some of them are saying, ‘It’s about time that I’m getting a consistent experience from A to Z.’ It makes it easier for us to market because passengers are getting lie-flat seats across the entire journey.”

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Myth #6:

Premium brands do not invest in programmatic advertising

Programmatic advertising for the online and offline cabin.

Purpose-built for IFEC.

Catch us at APEX in Boston

inadvia.com

COMFORT

New ideas to solve the overhead bin crunch could cut down boarding time.

BY MARISA GARCIA

If you travel with a carry-on, your first priority after boarding is to find a spot in the overhead bins – a free-for-all space, available on a first-come, first-served basis that can result in territorial squabbles as passengers struggle to shuffle, stack and squeeze their belongings into them. But new developments could bring structure and civility to the task of finding a place to park your bag.

Astronics Ballard Technology’s overhead bin sensor solution can detect the size and shape of objects and report on what percentage of the bin is full. On its companion app, a 2-D profile view of the contents can help crew find gaps for coats or other small items. The system has been in development for years as part of a broader exploration of Internet of Things applications in the cabin, and the company is now working toward its installation for an undisclosed customer by the end of the year. “We saw a need on the aircraft to speed the boarding process by providing real-time information to the flight and gate crew on the status 42

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BOOK A SPOT

An app synched to the overhead bin system could enable passengers to book or identify a spot for their carry-on luggage.

of the bins,” says Jon Neal, president of Astronics Ballard Technology.

Zodiac Aerospace is also working on an overhead bin system that uses infrared sensors to scan the volume of luggage.

Binsight uses an indicator light on the bin door to show where space is available, and a crew companion app calculates the number of standard roller bags that can fit on board in real time so agents know when to start checking carry-ons. The system could also be connected to an airline’s reservation system, giving travelers the ability to reserve an overhead-bin spot, prior to their flight.

TU Delft students are exploring a similar idea through Europe’s PASSME project, SLS Optimus, which lets customers scan and size their cabin luggage and book bin space on the airline reservation system using an app.

Interactive lighting and signage direct passengers to their designated spots.

Based on the results of tests conducted in the university’s Aircraft Manufacturing Laboratory, the SLS Optimus can save up to five minutes during the entry and exit process. Multiply this by the cost of airline delays – $64.48 per minute, as estimated

by Airlines for America – and the savings that could be brought by overhead-bin sensors start to add up.

IMAGES: SLS OPTIMUS, FLATICON

Overhead Bids

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EXPERIENCE ADDED VALUE

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ENTERTAINMENT

Byte Sized Cadami is giving airlines a way to cater to passengers’ appetite for entertainment – without the lag.

BY STEPHANIE TAYLOR ILLUSTRATION BY JORGE DE LA PAZ

Remember the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Mike Teavee is “sent by television”? He is teleported, whizzing around above his father’s head in millions of tiny pieces before being put back together to appear as a miniature version of himself on screen.

Coded caching isn’t much different, and it comes with big benefits for airlines.

According to Thomas Kuehn, co-founder of Munich-based company Cadami, which commercialized the technology in the in-flight entertainment (IFE) space, coded caching can reduce an airline’s bandwidth usage by between 50 and 80 percent.

It works by systematically storing content in tiny chunks – between a kilobyte and a few megabytes – at each seatback system throughout the cabin. Depending on who’s watching what, parcels of content are intelligently combined and transmitted over the network. They are decoded together with the cache at each passenger’s seat to unlock a following segment of the film or TV show they are watching.

Coded caching can reduce an airline’s bandwidth usage by between 50 and 80 percent.

“Passenger one and passenger two would receive the same chunk sent over the network, but once combined with the ones in their own cache, they’d each receive a different piece of content,” Kuehn explains, adding that Cadami’s software can perform up to thousands of these transmissions every second.

So while traditional IFE systems can stream between 2,000 and 3,000 movies to approximately 200 users at a time, with Cadami’s coded caching solution, airlines can provide the same to over 500 users – Kuehn calls it “pure mathematics.”

Interestingly, Kuehn says, the technology isn’t new. It was created 30 years ago, but until people started accessing videoon-demand services on different mobile devices, there wasn’t really a use case for it, hence the commercial delay. Three undisclosed IFE hardware suppliers have already signed up for Cadami’s software following successful proof of concept projects, and the company is set for growth in other sectors, too, including the in-flight connectivity (IFC) space.

The company’s first prototype for the IFC market could become available as early as the end of this year, with plans to conquer the cellular network in 2020, at which point, Kuehn believes, it’ll finally be time to say goodbye to the wait cursor – what he calls, “the spinny circle of doom.”

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ENTERTAINMENT

Toying With Tie-Ins Boosting children’s amenity kits with blockbuster star power has been popular, but can airlines turn signature amenity kit characters into stars?

BY KATIE SEHL

Buzz Products has developed an array of kits for kids.

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Buzz Products has made several blockbuster kids kits for airlines, including Disney Tsum Tsum kits for Saudi Arabian Airlines and Star Wars packs for Singapore Airlines. “Curated licensed partnerships can deliver instant recognition and appeal from desirable brands,” says Miranda Hill, Buzz’s kids expert. A little familiarity can go a long way with young flyers who may lose patience on a long trip or be flying for the first time. Affiliation with familyfriendly brands like Disney can also have a halo effect on the airline and help to foster loyalty at an early age.

In the movie category, Star Wars merchandise landed atop the $20.7 billion toy-industry haul in the United States last year. More than one-third of toy sales are tied to entertainment properties, a figure that’s jumped 23 percent over the

last decade, BMO Capital Markets finds.

Buzz’s airline amenity catalog mirrors the upward trend, with up to 40 percent of its kids merchandise linked to movies at one point.

Brand recognition may drive this trend, but the need for brand differentiation could see airlines move in another direction.

“Currently, more of our airline partners are choosing to utilize custom-designed characters building on their own brands,” Hill says. Following the success of Emirates’ Fly With Me Monsters, Buzz developed Fly With Me Animals – a suite of cuddly collectibles with backstories. Introduced last Christmas, Noel the polar bear comes with a card that unlocks a 3-D augmented reality (AR) experience – starring Noel – on the Emirates Kids AR app. And with that, an airline star is born.

PHOTOS: BUZZ PRODUCTS

The cutest onscreen odd couple in flight these days has to be Molang and Piu Piu, a boisterous rabbit and a shy chick whose adventures include everything from camel rides to trips to the moon. Created

by Millimages, Molang, the animated series starring the duo, has skyrocketed to success with a number of airlines, including Air France, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Air Transat.

Merchandise for the series has taken off, too, with Molang-themed stickers, sneakers, toys and more being made available to fans – just not on airlines… yet.

According to Lise Cosentino, international sales manager for the Paris-based studio, the company is in “advanced negotiations with several airlines” regarding the development of kids packs.

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CONNECTIVIT Y

Solo Flight Viasat is keen on delivering terabits of capacity in a highly competitive market – no matter what.

BY SETH MILLER

Partners are useful in the global satellite connectivity market: They can help cover development costs, offer technical insight and orbital slots in highly congested regions and bring local customers and marketing expertise to help fill a new satellite’s capacity.

But as the third of the ViaSat-3 satellites moves into the order phase this year, completing the company’s vision for delivering global Ka-band coverage, Viasat maintains that its “capital plan is not dependent on partner participation to proceed with the ViaSat-3 program.”

PHOTO: SERVICE OPTIQUE CSG | COPYRIGHT: ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE

ViaSat-2 launched from Guiana Space Centre in June 2017.

“We are open to partnerships, but are not depending on any particular one to proceed.”

MARK DANKBERG, VIASAT

The first two satellites, which cover the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, are already in production with Boeing, and will launch in 2020 and six months following, respectively. News about the third, slated to cover the AsiaPacific (APAC) region, will be announced “in the next couple of quarters,” company CEO Mark Dankberg said during a recent earnings call.

And while a partnership would be nice, it is not necessary, Dankberg says: “We are interested in and open to partnerships, but are not depending on any particular partnership to proceed with the AsiaPacific satellite.”

Design work on ViaSat-3 is already underway, with the company looking to overcome geographic and regulatory hurdles. Unlike the first two satellites, which will serve areas in which population distribution and connectivity demand are relatively uniform, ViaSat-3 must contend with greater oceanic coverage and uneven population density, making for a lumpier demand profile. China and India – two huge potential, but heavily regulated markets – present further challenges to satellite providers: Maintaining ground stations in those countries and complying with local content and access rules add a layer of complexity for any global service provider looking to break into the market.

But delivering massive capacity globally in and of itself should help bring down costs and increase demand for Viasat’s huge new satellites. And ultimately, Viasat intends to be a global Ka-band player – partners or not.

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CONNECTIVITY

Flight Monitor Embedded sensor technologies mean the inner workings of aircraft cabins may soon be monitored remotely – and in real time.

BY PAUL SILLERS ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL GONZÁLEZ

“In today’s world, passengers enter the cabin, take their seats and then detect that either the seat’s recline isn’t working, the seat fabric is dirty or the IFE [in-flight entertainment] doesn’t operate – and that means they have to change seats,” says Peter Schetschine, CEO of KID Systeme, explaining that the purpose of iCabin, a recently launched R&D initiative, is to gather data from the cabin systems via sensors to make forecasts for maintenance purposes. “The clear advantage with predictive maintenance is that those things can be managed before the passenger gets on board,” he adds.

KID Systeme, an Airbus subsidiary, is one of the key stakeholders in the iCabin consortium, which pools the combined expertise of Bühler Motor, Diehl, Jeppesen and Zodiac, with associated partners Etihad Airways Engineering, Boeing, Baden-Württemberg university and the Hamburg University of Technology. Each participant brings competencies from their respective portfolios, ranging from actuation for seats, cabin management systems and connectivity to aircraft operations and integration.

“While engines of modern aircraft are equipped with multiple sensors, and enabled for remote health monitoring and predictive maintenance methods,” explains Bernhard Randerath, Etihad’s vice-president of Design, Engineering and Innovation, “the cabin itself is lagging behind this trend. Seat actuators, galley chillers or lavatory mechanisms aren’t monitored and networked in the same way.”

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That’s where iCabin comes in. “iCabin will allow for the exchange of cabin system health and other in-service data between seats, galleys, lavatories and the cabin management system,” Randerath says, adding that doing so will allow for the application of predictive maintenance methods, resulting in operational cost reductions and improved passenger experience.

With the iCabin concept, microsensors would be placed throughout the cabin – each yielding relevant data for airlines.

“You can [embed] microsensors into seat fabrics and determine if the passenger is in the seat or not, or sensors that indicate if seat covers need cleaning. The sensors are so small, they allow you to bring intelligence to fabrics. Or, when the seat belt sign is illuminated, you can check whether the buckle is locked, helping crew supervise,” KID’s Schetschine says.

Sensors can even be embedded into galley chillers, ovens and storage devices. “If you have better warehousing in the galleys, crew have a better idea of what is stored and they can react faster,” he adds.

Having just kicked off this April, and with a timeline stretching until March 2021, it’s still early days for iCabin, but David Voskuhl, vice-president of Communications and PR at Diehl Aviation, says, “You can expect savings of at least 30 percent, maybe even more in the later stage of the implementation. The target is a reduction of total ownership costs by creating a more standardized way of interlinking the involved items in the cabin.”

With major players on board, and a 3.9-million-euro backing from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, airlines worldwide will surely be doing their own monitoring as this ambitious project gets underway.

When Microsensors Meet the Cabin Interior Maintenance and repairs for hardware, such as IFE screens, can be foreseen.

Seat sensors can determine if a seat is occupied or not.

Sensors embedded in the seat fabric can identify a dirty seat in need of cleaning.

By knowing which items need replenishing, crew can keep better stock of the galley.

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Riding the Wave of Innovation The evolution in aircraft is happening all around us.

Almost every component inside the modern aircraft is getting smaller and more powerful.

And it’s not a new trend.

At Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, the evolution of the industries we serve has been continuously changing since we started over 75 years ago.

But as your technology evolves, CarlisleIT evolves with you. Our process — how we Design, Build, Test and Certify your applications — has never been as important as it is today. Why? We do more than just build-to-print. We work hands-on with you from your initial design concept, through development and production so what we engineer and build works the first time, every time.

With our acquisition of Tenencia Aerospace Systems in Coventry, UK, our speedto-market in Europe, as well as the United States, is unmatched, giving you a cleaner path from design to build.

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CarlisleIT has broadened its global capabilities for design certification of commercial aircraft to both EASA and FAA design and production requirements with the acquisition of Tenencia Aerospace Design. We now have expanded capabilities for integration and certification of electrical and avionics systems, cabin systems, internal and external structure, VIP interiors and commercial aerospace applications on a wide range of aircraft.

Global Manufacturing. Local Support. Coventry, UK joins our network of manufacturing centers around the globe, featuring a highly qualified team of nearly 350 engineers who are up to any challenge. Our extensive worldwide manufacturing capabilities, coupled with end-to-end local project management and engineering support, allow us to Design, Build, Test and Certify your product inhouse, saving you the time and hassle of managing multiple vendors.

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INDUSTRY

Fellow Farmers Korean Air, 1971: Began sourcing fruits and vegetables and livestock from its Jeju Island farm for in-flight meals JetBlue, 2015: Opened a 24,000-sq-ft farm made up of 3,000 stacked milk crates planted with blue potatoes, herbs and other produce at JFK Emirates, 2018: Announced it is constructing an indoor vertical farm expected to yield the equivalent of 900 ac of fresh food

Airfield Agriculture To experience Japan Airlines’ newest offering, you won’t need a boarding pass – just some gardening gloves.

BY JORDAN YERMAN ILLUSTRATION BY OLGA GÜNTER

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Japan Airlines (JAL) is getting into the agriculture business, taking the concept of the full-service carrier from the air to the ground – and into the very soil itself. In partnership with Chiba prefecture-based agricultural company Wago, the airline has launched JAL Agriport, a farm near Narita International Airport where visitors can pick strawberries, plant rice and dig for sweet potatoes.

“We’ve been looking for a business model that will contribute toward activating the airport area and wanted

to collaborate on a project with the city of Narita,” Masato Kunezaki, director of Business Creation Strategy at JAL, says.

“Agritourism was one of the concepts that aligned with our goals.” JAL Agriport shows off the city of Narita and Chiba prefecture, which many experience only through the train window on the way to Tokyo from the airport.

If you want to taste the fruits of JAL’s labor, you won’t necessarily have to get your hands dirty: By 2020, JAL hopes to be selling its own produce in shops in Narita, as well as offering it to customers on board and in its airport lounges. And should demand exceed supply, the airline plans to tap Wago’s farming networks.

Wago already had a successful business model in place for the region, so teaming up with the company made sense, Kunezaki says. But that doesn’t mean the airline isn’t looking beyond the horizon: “It depends on the success of the initial Narita business, but we would like to expand this business to other parts of Japan, as well as to an overseas location.”

By 2020, JAL hopes to be selling its own produce in shops as well as offering it to customers on board and in its airport lounges.

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KID-Systeme is a market-leading supplier of electronic cabin systems for passenger and corporate aircraft. More than 80 airlines worldwide rely on our innovative products, which provide passengers with a range of in-seat power, communication, connectivity options and video surveillance.

INDUSTRY

Facial recognition technology is smoothing out the airport experience, but some security experts worry about taking humans out of the picture.

BY HARRIET BASKAS

Proponents of biometric technology say it’s a godsend in the airport setting, saving time and money for travelers, airlines and airport authorities, but others are raising concerns about reliability and privacy, especially when it comes to some of its latest applications.

One such development is the Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real Time (AVATAR) technology, created by a group of researchers from the University of Arizona and funded by the US Department of Homeland Security. With AVATAR, travelers are questioned by a virtual agent, instead of a customs officer, using eye-detection software and motion and pressure sensors to detect dishonesty.

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“I’m a big believer in behavior detection, and automation is a good supplement to human behavior detection, but there are numerous schools of thought on what constitutes suspicious activity,” says Jeffrey Price, an aviation and aerospace professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

And while Aaron Elkins, one of the developers of the system, says AVATAR has a detection success rate of up to 80 percent – better than human agents – Price cautions that, “Until we can get to a point where the technology is fast enough and accurate enough to identify the target audience, it should not roll out on a wide scale.”

“Until the technology can be accurate enough to identify the target audience, it should not roll out on a wide scale.”

JEFFREY PRICE, METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

In Your Face

Homeland Security seems to agree, having not pursued any further trials of AVATAR since one conducted with volunteer travelers at the US–Mexico border in 2012.

Canada and the European Union, however, are still pursuing the technology.

Travelers may have something to say about being called a liar by a machine, but less invasive solutions like biometric bag drop, lounge access and boarding are catching on. “The boarding process we tested is really popular with passengers,” says John Newsome, chief information officer for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. His company operates Orlando International Airport, which will be incorporating SITA’s Smart Path technology at all of its 30 international boarding gates by October, making it the first in the country to require a face scan of passengers on all arriving and departing international flights, including American citizens.

Facial recognition technology also figures in the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) One ID concept, which promises travelers will be able to use a single biometric token for flight booking, security checks, border control and baggage collection. “Dubai, London, Heathrow, Bangalore and Sydney airports are doing their own projects, sharing with us and trying to align with One ID,” says Hemant Mistry, IATA’s director of Global Infrastructure and Fuel. “Other interesting projects and initiatives are taking place in Singapore, Amsterdam and Aruba.” Moving forward, the association is looking to gain the trust of the multitude of stakeholders involved in the air travel ecosystem.

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SERVICES

Getting Chatty Aeromexico’s Aerobot is proving that artificial intelligence and messaging platforms may be the way to good customer service.

BY JASMIN LEGATOS

ILLUSTRATION: FREEPIK

Launched in 2016 on Facebook Messenger and more recently on WhatsApp, Aeromexico’s virtual assistant is like an interactive FAQ. Want to know how much luggage you can bring on your domestic flight? Aerobot has the answer. Interested in flight options from MEX to YUL? Just ask Aerobot. In fact, the chatbot handles more than 90 percent of queries sent by customers through Messenger. (Statistics on its WhatsApp performance were not available at press time, but the airline was one of the first to pilot the app’s enterprise platform.)

The chatbot can also give you flight status updates, help you check in and send your boarding pass to your device. The ability to pay directly from the chat flow is also on the horizon, as is integration with Aeromexico’s crew resource management, says Manuel Nalda Castro, technology manager, Customer Experience.

“In the future, Aerobot will be our best customer and sales agent,” Castro says.

“Our bot will be able to do anything that a human agent can do.” For instance, the airline is planning to have Aerobot “talk” to WorldTracer, so it can help passengers track their lost luggage. Though the bot is able to field most queries (and constantly learn from them), a human agent is always available on request or if the virtual assistant is unable to handle the query. An example of what it can’t do? Tell you how to change your flight.

“Our bot can do anything that a human agent can do.”

MANUEL NALDA CASTRO, AEROMEXICO

The chatbot option makes perfect sense in the Mexican market, where WhatsApp ranks as the top app in the country, with Facebook Messenger falling closely behind. “People in Mexico like to chat,” Castro says. And as Aerobot and other similar machine-learning applications spend more time with customers, they will help drive marketing efforts. “Right now, all the tools are there to execute true one-to-one marketing,” Aeromexico’s former VP Digital Innovation, Brian Gross told news portal AI Business. “But without machine learning, we can’t possibly execute at that level of detail.”

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SERVICES

Do the Shuffle How one company’s repositioning aims to rebalance passenger loads and optimize seat revenues across the skies.

BY KATIE SEHL ILLUSTRATION BY ROMUALDO FAURA

That breakfast is the most important meal of the day likely isn’t lost on Azim Barodawala, CEO of Volantio, an Atlantabased travel and technology startup.

In early 2016, he and his two business partners had already achieved success with SmartAlerts, a dynamic e-mailmarketing system for airlines. But one morning over a latte, poached eggs and some sourdough with former colleague Kevin Ger at the airport Hilton in San Francisco, Barodawala realized that with a little shuffling, things could be even better.

With integration into airline pricing and availability, and a communications platform, SmartAlerts had inadvertently put all the pieces in place to address a much bigger challenge: network capacity optimization. As Ger observed, Barodawala and his team could use their technology to proactively identify flexible travelers on high-demand flights, communicate offers to switch to lowerdemand flights, and automatically rebook them if they accepted.

Volantio’s solution, a web-based platform called Yana that leverages machine-learning algorithms to match flexible travelers with alternative offers, has already gained significant traction.

After seven months in market, they closed a $2.6-million Series B funding round in February, which included investments from JetBlue Technology Ventures, Qantas Ventures and IAG. SunExpress and Scoot are the latest to join a growing tally of Yana-platform adopters, among them Alaska Airlines, Qantas, Iberia, Volaris and IndiGo. Done right, the platform offers a win-win proposition. For tweaking 58

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Rearranging Revenue Can the post-booking segment of the travel journey become one of the most profitable? With Volantio’s Yana platform, it just might.

RECOMMEND FLIGHTS Yana recommends flights for revenue optimization.

Airline PSS Yana integrates directly with an airline’s existing PSS.

ACHIEVE MAXIMUM REVENUE Both flights depart in revenue optimized states.

IDENTIFY FLEXIBLE PASSENGERS Yana queries flight manifests for passengers most likely to be flexible.

TARGET WITH OFFERS Yana targets these passengers with offers to move to alternative flights.

SEND MESSAGE Offers are sent via mobile and passengers accept in real time.

Artificial Intelligence Yana intelligently optimizes offers using a machine-learning algorithm.

RESELL INVENTORY Released inventory is resold to highyielding, last-minute passengers.

their itineraries, flexible travelers score frequent flyer miles, vouchers or upgrades, and the airline can resell the ticket at a higher cost. The automated platform also alleviates the strain put on call centers and operators caused by rebooking demands.

“People will be flexible for the right incentive,” Barodawala says. “We’ve seen situations where customers have been willing to push their reservation by 32 hours in order to get an upgrade.” If that J-class seat was flying empty in the first place, the cost of incentive remains low, while the benefit margin widens.

Eventually, Barodawala says, the plan is to collect enough data to be able to make personalized offers to travelers.

Offers are typically sent to flex travelers on mobile phones, but depending on the

ISSUE COMPENSATION Compensation is automatically e-mailed to passengers.

AUTOMATICALLY REACCOMMODATE Passengers are sent an updated itinerary.

airline or the region, another channel might be used. “In Japan, you need to be on [social network] Line,” Barodawala says.

For Volaris, the team went down to one of the airline’s call centers in Mexico to learn how to communicate with travelers in the right vernacular for the region.

Adaptation and rearrangement has been in Volantio’s DNA since its inception.

Even the company name is the result of a shuffling of letters sorted by a word generator. “We chose letters that could have roots related to aviation or flying, but very broadly,” Barodawala says. As luck would have it, the name they ended up with contains the word “volant,” which fittingly has three meanings: having wings extended, flying or capable of flight, and quick and nimble.

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SERVICES

Customers will soon be able to take their airline seats for virtual test drives – err, flies – and maybe book a few upgrades along the way.

BY KATIE SEHL

As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But, as Airbnb might tell us, a picture is also worth hundreds of dollars a month – or $1,025 to be exact.

When the online home-sharing platform launched in 2008, it had an image problem.

Prospective venture capitalists couldn’t imagine the platform as something more promising than sketchy craigslist-style listings. And early home listers couldn’t book rentals because their Airbnb listings looked like, well, sketchy craigslist listings.

So Airbnb brought in some photographers, and just like that, bookings increased by 250 percent. As these images raked in an average of $1,025 a month, investors and renters started to get the picture.

If a similar photo opportunity existed for the airline industry, airlines didn’t get the memo until April this year, when Renacen’s 3DSeatMapVR solution nabbed the Crystal Cabin Award in the Visionary Concepts category. “Hardly anyone plans to book a 60

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hotel room without first knowing what it’s like,” Diego de Alcalá Cachero Rodríguez, CEO of Renacen, says. “But airlines, despite investing a lot of money in differentiating their cabin interiors, are not using the full potential of technology to showcase their products to all their customers.”

Yes, airlines have long put their photogenic cabins on display throughout the booking process, but the opportunity is in the details – or more precisely, a desired level of seat specificity that has already given rise to sites like SeatGuru, which lays out seat maps by aircraft.

Renacen’s idea, much like Airbnb’s, only more high tech, integrates a visualization

“Airlines, despite investing a lot of money in differentiating their cabin interiors, are not using the full potential of technology to showcase their products to all their customers.”

DIEGO DE ALCALÁ CACHERO RODRÍGUEZ, CEO OF RENACEN

engine into an airline’s website so that customers can scope out a detailed view of their selected air beds before booking.

Without the need for downloads or apps, immersive 360-degree, 3-D renderings showcase just how much legroom and window access is available for each seat. Customers using smartphones can experience virtual reality with lowcost headsets like Google Cardboard.

Emirates was the first airline to sign on, launching a 3-D model of its threeclass-configured Airbus A380 in May. “We expect customers will use the tool to research the Emirates experience at the planning stage and help them determine what the right options are for them when deciding which cabin class or seats to book,” says Alexander Knigge, senior vice-president, Digital, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, Emirates. The airline will roll out 3-D models for the rest of its fleet and incorporate the experience into its booking flow later this year.

If pictures are indeed worth a thousand words, and hundreds of dollars, an immersive VR experience could potentially be worth more, especially if a virtual trip to an A380 lounge bar inspires booking upgrades.

PHOTO: 3DSEATMAPVR

Seat-Side Views

Flight shoppers will be able to see their selected seats in detail before booking.

CATERING

Refreshing Defense The relative humidity on airplanes can reach as low as 10 percent – even lower than in the Sahara Desert.

BY MARISA GARCIA

PHOTOS: PHIZZ, 1ABOVE

Air travel can be hard on the body. In fact, it was his own long-haul air travel experience that inspired Daniel Cray, the co-founder and marketing director of the effervescent tablet maker Phizz, to explore beverage supplements. “My friends and I would regularly fly from Melbourne to Europe and find ourselves repurposing and combining various products to stay hydrated and healthy, and minimize our travel fatigue,” Cray says.

Phizz researchers found passengers can lose as much as two percent of their total water content during a six-hour flight, even while drinking 13.5 fluid ounces of water. Nearly half of this is lost just by breathing, through a combination of the dry cabin air and the low-oxygen environment, which increases the breathing rate.

The company’s founders worked with an Oxford University visiting scholar in neurophysiology and a Swiss laboratory to develop a product containing sodium, glucose and other electrolytes used in oral rehydration therapies as well as essential vitamins and minerals to keep the body healthy during and after a

Phizz (top) and 1Above (left) products are being marketed to help passengers stay hydrated in the air.

High and Dry

“It’s important for the body to have optimal nutrients to adapt to the change in environment.”

Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause some of the following symptoms:

GALINA KOVAL, BEROCCA

1

2

long-haul flight. Phizz recently renewed a contract with Emirates to offer the tablets to first-class passengers and expects to announce another major carrier in the near future.

“It’s important to ensure that the body has optimal nutrient levels to help adapt to this change in environment and support the body’s energy needs and ability to recover,” says Galina Koval, global brand leader of Berocca, a brand of over-the-counter nutritional supplements that offer eight B vitamins, as well as vitamin C, zinc and magnesium to support hydration and immunity.

Also on the market is 1Above, which uses the antioxidant Pycnogenol as an active ingredient to reduce jet lag, boost immunity and promote better circulation.

The company cites a scientific study claiming Pycnogenol “has been proven to reduce the length of jet lag by 53.8 percent and severity by an average of 61.5 percent after 24 hours.” Sarah Anderson, founder of the Aviation Nutritionist, is a backer of 1Above products, recommending them as a way to maintain “the body’s natural salt balance and decrease urine and nutrient loss.”

3

4

1. Headache, dizziness or light-headedness 2. Dry, sticky mouth and thirst 3. Dry skin 4. Constipation, less urination Source: Mayo Clinic

Passengers lose about

2%

of their water weight on a six-hour flight.

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CATERING

Turning Honey Into Wine Bees fly, so why not wine made from their honey?

BY HARRIET BASKAS Mead is a drink made of fermented honey and water.

Beverage carts have been made over with regional craft beers, specialty cocktails, champagne and long menus of sommelier-chosen wines. But you’re not likely to find mead, an alcoholic drink made of fermented honey and water, on many airline drinks lists – other than Ethiopian Airlines, that is.

Referred to by ancient Greeks as the “nectar of the gods,” mead, commonly called honey wine, has been prized by many cultures for centuries, and like cider it retains its own category among alcoholic beverages. “[It] comes in many different variants and is defined by what’s added and how much honey is used,” Fred Minnick, author of Mead: The Libations, Legends, and Lore of History’s Oldest Drink, explains. “In Ethiopia,

Mead for Each Other Dry varieties of honey wines pair well with seafood, including shellfish, sushi and grilled fish, as well as with creamy pasta dishes, honey baked ham, cream starters and dips.

Semisweet honey wines complement cheese and fruit plates, pork or chicken, and work well with spicy Thai entrées, as well as Mexican, Indian and Ethiopian cuisines.

Sweet honey wines can be a dessert on their own or a good match for strong blue cheeses, pastries, and rich chocolate or creamy desserts.

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they make one of the world’s oldest variants, called tej, that uses gesho bark in the fermentation process and yields a magnificent bitter flavor similar to hops.”

Inspired by the tej served in his Ethiopian household, and by his family vineyard in Northern California, in 2014, Ayele Solomon introduced dry (brut) and semisweet (demi-sec) “Bee d’Vine” honey wine made exclusively with California honey and spring water. “I evaluated production in Ethiopia and South Africa,” Solomon says, “but I settled on the worldclass wine region of Sonoma, not far from where I grew up.”

In addition to the unique taste of his honey wine, Solomon says the non-tannic nature of meads makes them a good addition to in-flight beverage menus.

“A significant segment of the population

doesn’t particularly care for the tannins in grape wine,” he says, “and the floral notes from the honey seem to hold up better than grape wine phenolics.”

Ethiopian Airlines has been carrying Bee d’Vine honey wines for two years, and Solomon says he has received interest from several other airlines as well. Carriers looking to add the craft honey wine to their in-flight beverage menus could benefit from being an early adopter, according to Francine Cohen, editor-in-chief and consultant at Inside F&B. “Offering something most other airlines don’t serve can impress passengers and set you apart,” she says. “And if your route takes you to Poland, Nordic countries, Rome, England, Greece or Ethiopia, there’s a great regional story to tell, as each of these places has a rich honey wine history.”

ZODIAC INFLIGHT INNOVATIONS ZODIAC AEROSYSTEMS Connected Cabin Division

PHOTO: LATAM AIRLINES, EDU LOPES

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C-SUITE

Claudia Sender Vice-President of Customers, LATAM Airlines Group, and CEO of LATAM Brasil

A strong emphasis on diversity, innovation and sustainability has propelled LATAM’s Claudia Sender into the international spotlight as Brazil’s first-ever female airline CEO.

BY FERGUS BAIRD

C

laudia Sender has always been unstoppably ambitious. During her childhood in São Paulo, she dreamt of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor. But when it came time to choose a focus in university, she realized she wanted the freedom to apply her talents across multiple fields: “I wanted to work with something more analytical, so I pursued a degree in chemical engineering, as there I saw an opportunity for transformative work in different sectors.”

In 1998, while studying at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, Sender landed a strategic consulting internship at Bain & Company.

This role sharpened her strategic mindset and opened her eyes to the possibilities and challenges of the business world. It was also her first foray into the world of air travel; here, Sender worked on projects for TAM Airlines and other major carriers long before the aviation industry became the main focus of her career.

After two years at Bain, Sender moved to the United States to pursue an MBA at Harvard University, seeking to hone her executive mentality and broaden her perspectives. She credits her swift professional rise to lessons learned at Harvard: It was here that she first recognized the potential of organizational diversity. “[At Harvard,] I witnessed the true power of

diversity and how much better project outcomes are once you bring different perspectives to the table.”

Post-MBA, Sender completed a seven-year stint at Whirlpool Latin America, where she quickly worked her way up to vice-president of Marketing. Her diverse educational background, combined with the results she delivered at Whirlpool, were instrumental in earning her the role of commercial and marketing vice-president at TAM in 2011, one year before the merger of LAN and TAM airlines that would form the LATAM Airlines Group. Just two years later, at the age of 38, Sender became CEO of LATAM Brasil – one of the youngest airline CEOs in the world, and the first woman to lead a Brazilian airline.

As vice-president of Customers, LATAM Airlines Group, and CEO at LATAM Brasil, Sender’s current focus is overcoming the challenges presented by an economic recession. March 2017 marked the end of a 19-month uninterrupted economic downturn in Brazil that led to spikes in fuel costs, increases in airline taxation and an eight-percent drop in demand for domestic flights. Together, these factors resulted in huge financial losses for airlines throughout Latin America. Although the economy is showing signs of recovery, the fight isn’t over: Financial growth is slow, and foreign investments are down in the face of an uncertain presidential election in October. >

Claudia Sender will be speaking at APEX EXPO in Boston.

For more information, visit expo.apex.aero

LATAM Airlines is a winner of APEX’s 2018 regional Passenger Choice Awards, in the category of Best Global airline in South America.

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in the world, LATAM Airlines Group is 10 percent Sender, however, remains confident about economic more efficient than the industry average in fuel recovery: “It’s important to stress Brazil’s immense consumption,” Sender says. “We reduce greenhouse potential and the effort it’s making to face structural gas emissions in a sustainable manner through obstacles, uncertainties and insecurities. Aviation measures such as the LATAM Fuel Program, which has much to contribute to the development of generated savings of 50 million gallons of fuel in 2017.” our economies and infrastructure, given that it’s a Sender is also working to position LATAM as a sector that creates a wide range of jobs and incomeworkplace diversity leader, and has helped instate generating opportunities.” policies aimed at hiring more women for senior roles: This year has already shown improvements for “Gender, with a focus on female empowerment, is one the LATAM group – Q1 operating revenues rose over of the pillars guiding our work on diversity. One of 10 percent from 2017. Sender attributes this growth the ways through which we try to bring more women to a renewed focus on the passenger experience. to senior positions is by guaranteeing that there’s at “Recently, we have intensified our focus on providing least one female professional in the short list for any a more consistent and unique LATAM experience senior vacancy and that we have more women in the through the consolidation of services and products,” interview process.” she explains. “We want our customers to not only Sender has worked hard to have the best network in South build an environment where all America, but also enjoy the “Gender, with a focus on are free to express themselves most benefits through our frequent flyer program, and female empowerment, is without discrimination. She observes that “being diverse have a great experience with one of the pillars guiding means much more than having our teams on board and on the different people on the team. ground.” Under the airline’s our work on diversity.”

Everybody must feel included new sales model, travelers can and comfortable enough unbundle services and only pay to contribute their ideas. Innovative ideas, which for what they’ll use, like checked bags or seats with bring a new way of looking at situations and solving extra legroom. LATAM is also continuing to expand its domestic and global networks: Last year, the airline problems, do not come from equal minds.”

So, what innovations are in store for LATAM launched 13 new international routes, and this year Brasil customers? This year, the airline group is it announced 17 more routes, including flights from São Paulo to Rome or Las Vegas, and Lima to San José launching a retrofit of its Boeing 777 and Boeing 767 fleets. It’s also set to launch in-flight Wi-Fi for (Costa Rica). domestic flights. Finally, the airline group continues Under Sender’s leadership, LATAM continues to to announce new international flight options: “The be a global leader in environmentally sustainable next confirmed new destinations for this year are aviation. It’s the only airline in Latin America (and one Boston (July), Lisbon (September) and Tel Aviv of just three worldwide) to join the Dow Jones World (December),” Sender reveals. “A lot of good news for Sustainability Index for the fourth consecutive year. our customers!”

“With one of the most modern and eco-efficient fleets

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PHOTO: LATAM AIRLINES

This year, LATAM announced 17 new routes, including flights from São Paulo to Rome.

#travelexperience

We live in an era of choice, where options create opportunity.

Find out more at APEX

Stand #155

Airlines demand a reliable IFEC approach that leads to a measurably great passenger experience.

Global Eagle is perfectly positioned to deliver this.

Let us know how we can help: travelexperience@globaleagle.com

globaleagle.com Š All rights reserved. Global Eagle 2018.

SENSES

THE A lot of science goes into what we hear, see, touch, smell and taste in the airplane cabin. Here are new developments that are sure to pique the senses.

SENSORY

PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO

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SENSES

SOUND SoundChip’s zonal noise-canceling system tones down aircraft rumbling, so passengers can get some sleep.

There have been major advances in aviation over the past few decades, but aircraft cabins are still loud places. A result of spinning engine blades, aerodynamic drag and humming air-conditioning units, the constant midair rumbling noise you hear at 35,000 feet might not only be annoying, but could also have an impact on your health.

In a paper published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, a research team, including Joseph G. Allen of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, measured the sound levels on 200 flights across six aircraft types and each flight phase.

The research found that passengers and crew spent 72 percent of their flight time exposed to harmful sound levels higher than 80 decibels.

Research has also shown that shortterm exposure to in-cabin noise can cause acute effects on learning, memory loss, stress hormones and sleep. It’s a challenge airplane makers are working on, but other companies are also finding novel ways to reduce the decibels inside the cabin.

One idea gaining traction is zonal systems, which consist of an array of small speakers embedded into the structure of a first-class seat or the headrest of a business-class seat. The technology works by using microphones that measure ambient noise levels. These sound signals are then processed by silicon chips in such a way that when reintroduced into the environment, the speakers will cancel out the noise levels that are being

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measured, through a principle known as destructive interference.

But how much ambient sound can they realistically cancel out? A pair of noisecanceling headphones can knock out up to 1,500 hertz of frequency, whereas a zonal type application might be able to cancel up to 500 hertz of frequency, according to Mark Donaldson, CEO of SoundChip.

Headphones tend to have much broader noise-canceling capability because of the close proximity between the microphone and the speaker. Zonal applications, in contrast, tend to have a much narrower bandwidth over which they can impart control because of the spatial separation of the speakers.

While a zonal system “It’s enough to wouldn’t block the noise from chatty neighboring passengers, improve your it could cancel out the rumble sleeping comfort from an aircraft’s structural noise. “It’s enough to improve when you’re in a your sleeping comfort by noise field.” removing some of that acoustic excitation that exists when MARK DONALDSON, you’re in a noise field, which has SOUNDCHIP been proven to be extremely fatiguing,” Donaldson says.

But when will zonal systems become a common feature inside aircraft cabins?

“It’s not something that’s coming into the industry in an explosive fashion, say for example, moving from tape deck to video, but it’s something that will invariably end up being mainstream,” Donaldson says.

Keep your ears tuned for further announcements.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

BY ARI MAGNUSSON

SENSES

SIGHT The possibilities of MicroLED displays in the cabin are as large as airlines and advertisers can see with Rockwell Collins’ Secant lighting.

BY JORDAN YERMAN

For the last decade, progression in video-screen technology revolved around some version of “How big can this TV get?” but that has finally changed with the rise of MicroLED displays. One of the main challenges in developing these smaller LED lights lay not in shrinking the individual light-emitting diodes, but in making sure they could maintain enough brightness to be useful. Another issue was shrinking the distance between these tiny lights: It’s easier to build a MicroLED mega-screen for a football stadium than it is to make a smartphone display.

MicroLED is the technology behind projector-less cinema screens, such as the 34-foot behemoth unveiled by Samsung in 2017. At CES 2018 in Las Vegas, the electronics giant introduced a home-theater version, called The Wall, whose screen measures a peripheral-vision-challenging 146 inches. Looking beyond simple video screens, Rockwell Collins uses MicroLEDs to power its Secant cabin lighting solution, capable of transforming curved surfaces into custom ambient environments.

“It took a bit of time before LEDs in the aircraft cabin were fully embraced,” says Stephen Scover, vice-president and general manager of Lighting at Rockwell Collins. “I think MicroLEDs represent an entirely new generation of product, but the difference now is that the widespread acceptance

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of LEDs as an illumination technology is universal. MicroLEDs will springboard off this point of commonality and they will proliferate throughout the aircraft, providing a medium for lighting, advertising, entertainment and custom applications.”

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly moving away from OLED technology (which you currently see on the iPhone X and Apple Watch) toward MicroLED displays, which are 50 percent more efficient and less expensive to produce. This suggests the technology’s suitability for seatback screens is maturing. “MicroLED technology is very well suited for IFE [inflight entertainment] screen technology,” Scover says, “but we do not anticipate working within that market segment.

Our target market leans more toward innovations in lighting technologies to supply an enhanced cabin ambience for our customers.”

Indeed, two of MicroLED’s gamechanging attributes are color fidelity and wider flexibility in viewing angle compared with traditional LCD arrays. This opens new vistas for ambience and interactivity that go far beyond the TV screen. “We have secured two launch customers, and the end use of the Secant product is completely different for each customer,” Scover says.

“We believe this provides the evidence that the applications are endless.”

What Are MicroLED Displays?

As their name suggests, they consist of an array of microscopic LEDs forming pixels smaller than

100 microns (one millionth of a meter).

SENSES

TOUCH Recaro is slated to deploy a set of tactile features in the next couple of years that put well-being front and center.

PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO; RECARO ILLUSTRATION: NICOLÁS VENTURELLI

BY JASMIN LEGATOS

According to a 2017 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sitting for too long can kill you, or at least lead to an early death. While a sedentary 18 hours at 35,000 feet isn’t going to send you to your grave, it might leave you feeling stiff.

Expected to take flight in 2020, Recaro’s massaging chair aims to help with that.

“Our idea is to prevent backaches,” says Jochen Lohrmann, head of Innovation and Advanced Development at the German firm. The massage is delivered via a set of air bladders that can be inflated and deflated, activating the muscles in the back. The movement also helps hydrate the vertebral discs, he explains.

An optional feature on its CL6710 business-class seat, the massage function is part of Recaro’s well-being package, which also includes individually controlled lighting and a heating system to keep you nice and toasty. “Health is a huge trend in different industries,” Lohrmann says. “We investigated this topic, and our research found it is necessary to address several of the human senses to really get a relaxing effect.”

While Recaro looked toward the automotive industry for inspiration, the use cases for passengers in the air are slightly different from those sitting behind the dashboard. “Passengers on an aircraft seat are in different body postures: They eat, they sleep, they watch movies … The functionality is optimized for this.”

Right now, Recaro is focusing on the business-class seat because it’s got the necessary living space needed to implement the pneumatic massage system, which is expected to add about 1.4 kilograms per

seat. Lest the economy-class passenger be forgotten, Recaro is also planning to bring a health innovation to this segment by the end of the year: a hygienic coating on the most-touched parts of its CL3710 long-haul economy offering.

Depending on the component – dress cover, armrests or tray table, for example – a different coating is used, Lohrmann says. The antibacterial aspect is “very effective,” he adds, referring to the results of a study conducted together with the Hohenstein Institute.

We can’t avoid touching different parts of our environment on an airplane, but if we can avoid the sniffles that seem to follow flight, the only ones not benefiting are the germs.

Massage Chair in the Sky An optional feature of Recaro’s CL6710 business-class seat is a built-in pneumatic massage system that can help prevent backaches.

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profile

TM

Make it personal, transform your passenger engagement.

Visit us at APEX Stand 921 to learn more about Spafax Profile’s new features.

spafax.com

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SENSES

If ever there was a reason to breathe through your mouth, a smelly airplane cabin would be it. Panasonic’s nanoe might just be the tech to change that.

BY JASMIN LEGATOS

Smell is perhaps the most subjective of the senses: A rose’s scent may be pleasant to one person, but migraine-inducing for another. But when body odors, the waft of cologne and food aromas combine with an airplane cabin’s recirculated air, most would agree, it can feel downright noxious.

In May, a Transavia flight en route from Las Palmas on the Spanish Canary Islands to Amsterdam was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Faro, Portugal, after passengers reportedly fell ill due to the smell emanating from one of their seatmates. This was not the first time a foul stench prompted pilots to make an emergency landing. The same thing happened on a Transavia flight from Dubai

How nanoe Works Electrostatic atomatized water technology uses high voltage to generate negatively charged water particles that disperse into the air.

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to Amsterdam in mid-February, when a passenger refused to stop passing gas and an altercation ensued. Official numbers around this issue are difficult to pinpoint, but a 2017 Bravo TV JetSet blog post found that odors were behind 34 of the 185 domestic emergency landings made in the United States last year.

Long story short: Smell matters. That’s why Panasonic is looking to bring its nanoe (nah-no-ee) deodorizing technology to an airplane near you. Weighing in at 300 grams, the small, inconspicuous device, which uses water to neutralize smells, can be installed anywhere from the galleys to the bathrooms, says Gary Kaplan, product marketing manager for Panasonic Avionics.

“It creates electrostatic water particles – nanoparticles – that are about 15,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, so they easily penetrate clothes and fabrics. They basically encapsulate the odors and contaminants,” Kaplan explains.

If the smell of french fries, for instance, triggers your gag reflex, nanoe can obliterate it in 90 seconds or less, he says.

Electrostatic Atomized Water Particle Hydroxyl Radical (OH)

Electrons

Water particles contain reactive elements that can inhibit odor molecules as well as virus and bacteria.

Electrostatic atomized water technology is already used in other Panasonic products in the health and beauty industry in Japan and the United States, and in the luxury car market, so the commercial viability is well established. And nanoe’s deodorizing effect is only one of its benefits. It also reduces airborne and surface viruses, bacteria, molds and pollen allergens, and benefits hair and skin – a perfect antidote for those who find themselves with the sniffles and dehydrated epidermis after a long flight. While the aviation application for the nanoe is still in the R&D phase, Kaplan says it could help provide airline passengers with a more comfortable travel experience – one that smells like nothing in particular at all.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO ILLUSTRATION: NICOLÁS VENTURELLI

SMELL

Skycast Solutions Is Pioneering the Tablet Friendly Cabin From powerful portable IFE Tablets, to innovative tablet holders, nobody knows personal devices like Skycast Solutions

TrayVu9

™

• Sophisticated user-interface including multi-tasking.

• Seamless Wi-Fi integration with onboard server or internet connection.

• Early window movies, TV, Xbox® games, music, maps, and much more.

• Complete program management available.

• Aluminum security shell can be customized for any airline branding.

Since 2011, Skycast Solutions has been innovating portable IFE and tablet holder solutions which allow an airline to create the “tablet-friendly cabinTM.” With over 10,000 Windows IFE tablets flying successfully every day, Skycast's latest 9" custom portable IFE tablet sets the new standard in low cost portable IFE.

Skycast offers a wide range of TabCaddyTM PED holders, including the “Clip” product line that accommodates coach and premium class seats with folding meal trays.

TabCaddy™ Clip

• Lowest cost fixed tablet holder available.

• Fast and easy installation.

• Customized for specific tray tables.

• Supports phones and tablets of all sizes securely.

• New branding and advertising platform.

TabCaddy™ ClipFC

• Lowest Cost folding meal tray holder option.

• Fast and easy 'stick on' installation.

• Frees entire meal tray for use.

• Supports phones and tablets of all sizes securely.

www.SkycastSolutions.com | 1-855-487-2988 © Skycast Solu ons, Inc. TabCaddy™ product line is exclusively distributed by Skycast Solu ons, Inc. Patents Pending. All other trademarks are the property of their respec ve owners.

SENSES

TASTE Would a sprinkle of veggie powder to an in-flight meal make all the difference? Food scientist Charles Spence thinks so.

BY VALERIE SILVA

of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Although seemingly trending today, mushroom powder has in fact been around for ages in Asian kitchens as a natural flavor booster; like tomatoes, mushrooms are rich in the naturally occurring glutamate responsible for umami flavor.

The effect is so pleasing that when Kikunae Ikeda, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, discovered the fifth taste in 1908, he decided to patent a synthetic version: monosodium glutamate (MSG).

MSG still has a bad rap among some, even though most scientists today agree that anecdotes of the flavor enhancer causing sickness in humans are unfounded. Among them is Spence, who thinks adding MSG sachets to passengers’ food trays could improve the in-air culinary experience. “However, I suspect the problem is that people still remember ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,’ and hence may have a negative association with MSG if supplied on airplanes,” he says.

“It is better to go with natural vegetable powders instead.”

Apart from assuaging passengers’ fears about added flavor enhancers, tomato and mushroom powders also offer greater convenience than their whole-food counterparts. They have less water content and a longer shelf life, and are especially useful when not in season. And according to Spence, replacing the soft-textured vegetables with powdered versions could free up some space on the tray table for greater variety, too.

CHARLES SPENCE, FOOD SCIENTIST AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGIST

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

When United Airlines decided to cut tomato juice from its in-flight menu in May, it was met with outrage on social media from the beverage’s most devout drinkers. Although the carrier maintains that low demand for the canned beverage was what spurred the decision (it cut Sprite Zero from its beverage cart for the same reason), it responded to the rallying cries, and ultimately reversed the decision.

United’s customers seemed to care more about the tomato juice than the Sprite, and that’s likely because the drink, with its savory flavor, is one of the few that tastes better in the air than on the ground.

As Charles Spence, a food scientist and experimental psychologist, explains, most other foods and drinks need 20 to 30 percent more sugar and salt to maintain the same level of taste that they have on the ground.

It was the beverage’s popularity in flight that gave Spence the idea to incorporate tomato powder into the menu he developed for now defunct Monarch Airlines in 2017. “If people are ‘selfmedicating’ by picking a drink that stands up well in the air because of umami, it would seem like an obvious next step to see whether one can change the design of the food as well to use more of those tastes that work better in the air.”

A caramelized nut bar that Spence had sprinkled with tomato powder was also given a dusting of mushroom powder, which seems to be making its way into everything from lattes and protein shakes to morning beauty routines these days – thanks to its concentrated level

“The next step is to see whether one can change the design of food or use more tastes that work better in the air.”

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Nicknamed “Queen of the Skies,” the 747 rolled out 50 years ago, on September 30, 1968, and has left a lasting impression on the billions of passengers it has flown. Here’s what makes it special.

BY HOWARD SLUTSKEN | ILLUSTRATION BY MARCELO CÁCERES

3

PLU G I N Airlines

INNOVATE INSPIRE DELIVER

PO W E R O N • Launch advert • Display promotion

4

SPONSORED BY

T:+44 (0)1983 555900

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E:innovate@ifpl.com

A Golden Anniversary

50 Years of the 747

At its debut, the Boeing 747 made its mark in aviation history with its jumbo jet status and signature bump. Fifty years later, the "Queen of the Skies" has earned its status as aviation royalty.

September 30 First 747, the RA001, rolls out of the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington.

1968

1970

BY HOWARD SLUTSKEN | ILLUSTRATION BY MARCELO CÁCERES

Passenger variants of the 747, and the number of each delivered

How the 747 got its upper-deck lounge

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From Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 by Clive Irving.

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The 747 prototype was known as the RA001, and it sported the logos of airlines that had ordered the aircraft.

2010

February 8 “Third Generation” 747-8 takes flight for the first time.

January 26 Delivery of the first 747-400 to Northwest Airlines

January 22 First 747 enters service with Pan Am, on a flight from New York to London.

June 28 The 1,500th 747 is delivered to Lufthansa.

2010

1989

1970

2014

November 14 The 747-8 program is launched with an order of 18 freighters.

March 1 First delivery of the 747-300, featuring an extended upper deck

February 9 First 747 flight

But when Pan American World Airways’ CEO, Juan Trippe, was shown the mock-up, his response was typically outspoken: “Crew rest area?” he asked. “This is going to be reserved for passengers.”* And so, the first commercial flight on a jumbo jet featured a first-class lounge. The upper deck eventually evolved into a cabin, was stretched in the 747-300 and -400, and enlarged even more in the 747-8i.**

total deliveries

1980

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1969

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B

45% of the 747s built were the 747-400, the most popular model.

C Many 747s are equipped with crew rest areas, hidden in the fuselage above the passenger seats.

D The inboard main gear of every 747 is steerable, making it easier for pilots to maneuver the aircraft.

E At just over 250 ft in length, the 747-8 is the world’s longest passenger airliner.

F Maximum takeoff weight comparison (pounds)

735,000 747-100

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The engine nacelles of the 747-8 have a “sawtooth” design to reduce noise.

747-100

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Each of the 747-8’s four General Electric GEnx-B2 engines produce 66,500 lb of thrust, a more than 50% increase in power from the early 747s.

UPCOMING

EVENTS

4-5

NOV 2018

Dubai, UAE

Los Angeles, USA

Hear from regional experts in one of the largest aviation markets in the world as they present on the latest passenger experience trends in luxury, cabin design, content, and innovations.

Gain valuable insights from industry leaders and technical experts on the technology issues, opportunities, and trends currently affecting airline passenger experience.

REGISTER NOW at mea.apex.aero

LEARN MORE at tech.apex.aero

DUBAI, UAE 5-6 NOVEMBER 2017 Creating the PaxEx MAP of Maximizing Airline Profits

#APEXMEA

15-17

APR 2019

JUN 2019

Shanghai, China

This event connects airlines and content providers for the industry’s most intimate and productive setting for all airline content needs. See the best content in the world and conduct a year’s worth of content buying over a few days.

Learn and discuss the various trends and opportunities affecting the rapidly-growing Asian airline industry. Attend this event that attracts leading Asian airlines and top suppliers.

LEARN MORE at mmm.apex.aero

LEARN MORE at asia.apex.aero

12-13

MAR 2019

#APEXASIA

Los Angeles, USA

Los Angeles, USA

Meet with industry leaders and technical experts on the latest technology issues, opportunities, and trends affecting passenger experience.

APEX’s premier event attracts 5,000+ attendees and 300+ exhibiting companies.

The event will be co-located with the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) EXPO and Airline Interiors Expo.

#APEXTECH

2019

#APEXTECH

Dublin, Ireland

#APEXMMM

JAN

#APEXEXPO

APEX.AERO/EVENTS

9-12

SEP 2019

PERSONAL DATA

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Who you gonna trust?

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PHOTOS: UNSPLASH MATTHEW KERSLAKE

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Gathering personal data to tailor the passenger experience creates a valuable but fragile relationship between brand and customer.

We’ve gathered industry experts to discuss how IT, design and empathy can pave the way toward a more secure future.

BY JORDAN YERMAN | ILLUSTRATION BY NICOLÁS VENTURELLI

APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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PERSONAL DATA

T

he personal information being shared online nearly every second of every day is a prized commodity. And as the Internet’s role in its users’ lives increases, so does their data’s value – when acted upon internally by a company or when sold to (or stolen by) a third party.

Even if the specter of a customer data breach isn’t looming large in the minds of every C-suite, the threat of massive fines for violating Europe’s freshly implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be. Given Europe’s huge population and global interconnectivity, non-European companies are scrambling to cover their bases, too, driving tangible data-protection action across the board.

Customers are still usually willing to give away their private data in exchange for free online services, but they’d prefer maintaining some degree of control and knowing how that data is being used.

“An airline can make targeted offers as long as it has the positive consent of the passenger,” says Ann Cavoukian, distinguished expert-in-residence at Toronto’s Ryerson University Privacy

by Design Centre of Excellence, whose work directly informed elements of the GDPR. “Privacy by Design doesn’t say no to marketing or targeting – it’s pro choice.

Privacy is all about personal control over the use of your personal information.”

“Data privacy and cybersecurity are intersecting circles; that’s how we think of it.”

FRED SCHREINER, THALES AVIONICS

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“When negative incidents occur, the brand takes an instant hit.”

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MIGUEL LEITMANN, VISION-BOX

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PHOTOS: UNSPLASH ANNIE SPRATT; JEREMY DORROUGH

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Cavoukian and her team worked closely with Vision-Box as it developed its Orchestra platform for multi-source data management in analyzing passenger flow. “They … were with us throughout the entire process, making certain that Orchestra’s development process occurred according to best-practice standards respecting the principles of personal data privacy,” Vision-Box CEO Miguel Leitmann says. “The need for enhanced biometric security and personal information protection don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Our mission, as an innovative and human-centric company, is to develop technology that respects both needs and achieves symmetry between them.”

If you want to trade private data for better ticket prices or more personalized services, that should be up to you, Cavoukian says; what’s wrong, on the other hand, is when a company just appropriates your private information for purposes beyond what you initially agreed upon.

Implementing a meaningful cybersecurity strategy is like running a marathon, says Brennan Wall, director of Legal and Contracts, Thales Avionics: “Doing it takes more than mere desire.”

Pointing to his close working relationship with the company’s chief technology officer, Fred Schreiner, Wall says, “I can talk about it all day long, but without Fred backing me up, there’s not a lot there!”

Schreiner adds that Thales stakes its reputation on how seriously it takes data

privacy: “Data privacy and cybersecurity are intersecting circles; that’s how we think of it.”

Recent high-profile data breaches will light a fire under most companies’ hindquarters, Cavoukian says, pointing to data encryption as the logical first step – the harder your data is to use by a hacker, the less attractive a target it makes. She adds that companies should let their customers know that as soon as their data is received, it gets encrypted. There’s been a lot of work on data privacy in the industry, Schreiner notes, but the GDPR put an exclamation point on it.

The spate of hacks in recent years has provided screeching wake-up calls to airline industry players and travelers alike, and at the end of the line are some teaching points. “Among the things that the aviation industry can learn is that, regrettably, nobody is immune,” Wall says. “If nobody’s immune, we should be thinking of ways to prepare for these unfortunate incidents.”

Schreiner adds that monitoring other industries is key to keeping up with the ever-changing threatscape, as is working with vendors that have the ability to morph their resources to match the threats that do arise.

“Your customers will be driven away by hacks,” Cavoukian says. “In this day and age of massive cyberattacks, if you don’t have a strong foundation of security from end to end, with full life-cycle protection, you won’t have privacy. You have to strengthen security as much as you can, and that’s what every airline should be doing to resist hacks.”

In the event of a data breach where personal information is exposed, word spreads like wildfire, Leitmann says.

“When negative incidents occur, the brand takes an instant hit,” he explains.

Wall adds that you have to make sure your customers know that you’re taking data protection seriously: “Good privacy management is transparent.” >

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Limits?

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We give you the decisive edge in your industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with our experience and certified electronic solutions for aviation.

Dedicated to creating the products of the future with you.

Visit us at:

APEX EXPO 2018 | Boston BCEC | Hall C | Booth 169 www.tq-group.com/aviation

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Recent Hacks That Raised Hackles Here are just a handful of the high-profile hacks that drove privacy awareness to where it is today.

2013

2014

2015

2016

Yahoo was hacked to the tune of all three billion user accounts, but the web giant hid the news for nearly four years. The damage to its brand, which was already on the ropes in the social media era, proved irrecoverable.

The Ashley Madison hack not only exposed the private data of users, but also revealed how few women were using the dating site.

2016

The accounts of some 57 million Uber customers were snagged in a hack, along with those of 600,000 drivers. Uber then paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and keep quiet about it, which worked for around a year. This only compounded the existing trust issues that the ride-share giant has engendered of late.

2017

Equifax got hacked, losing control of data belonging to 145 million Americans, and dragged its heels in admitting the extent of the data compromise. As this was a credit-scoring company, hackers may have walked away with readymade identity-theft kits.

Hackers obtained login credentials of eBay employees and ran amok through the auction site’s servers between late February and early March.

Around 145 million users’ data was compromised.

Adult Friend Finder lost control of 20 years’ worth of data, affecting more than 412 million users of adult sites under its umbrella.

The number of difficult partner conversations triggered by this and the Ashley Madison hack will never be fully quantified.

2016–2017

Orbitz’s legacy travel-booking platform was hacked, exposing the credit card info of 880,000 users.

2018

UK electronics retailer Dixons Carphone (owner of the Carphone Warehouse brand) lost control of 5.9 million customer bank card records, including personal data on 1.2 million customers. Should this breach have happened only a week later, the fines related to a GDPR violation would have been astronomical.

Schreiner points to the recent Equifax hack as a particularly noteworthy learning opportunity. His own team’s plan is rapid detection, immediate threat containment and communication – as opposed to the near month it took Equifax to tell senior management that anything went wrong – and mobilization of the appropriate incident response plan. As Wall puts it, “Let’s hope for the best, but let’s prepare for the worst.”

There are reasons, though, to approach the issue of data privacy as the carrot, too, and not just the stick. “Carriers should recognize that privacy is not just a regulatory requirement, but rather it’s an opportunity for competitive differentiation,” Wall says, “because a key aspect of privacy is a fundamental respect for people, and airlines are in the people business.” To this end, he suggests airlines actively partner with their suppliers to make sure that data privacy is being diligently pursued.

“Passengers should be the center of all operations, a key stakeholder involved in the decision-making process,” Leitmann says. “They have some simple and fair needs: to feel in control, respected and rewarded for the value they generate. This includes having control of their journey, but also deciding what services they want to benefit from.” >

“Tell your customers the lengths you’re going to to protect their privacy.

Don’t keep quiet about it! Shout it from the rooftops!”

ANN CAVOUKIAN, RYERSON UNIVERSITY PRIVACY BY DESIGN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

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being used for the purpose of enhancing the experience: “Something that’s curated or more personalized can create additional value, but give the user the option to opt in or out. That’s all in the spirit of transparency.”

“Fundamentally, it’s their data,” Wall says. “That means good privacy notices that, and explains what we’re collecting, why we’re collecting it, what their rights are and how they can contact us.” Quoting from the theme song of Ghostbusters, he adds, “‘Who you gonna call?’ What that really means is, Who you gonna trust?”

Government regulation, agreed-upon best practices and customer revolt in the event of a breach can all influence how seriously the airline industry takes privacy management. Schreiner says that government regulations tend to be more generic, since those wheels grind more slowly than the pace of threat evolution.

You’re going to see the continued evolution of regulations in this area, but that’s not the end of it, Wall says. If carriers or suppliers don’t treat personal data with the care it deserves, he adds, “there’s going to be a backlash against that. Which carriers are viewed as the carriers that care about people?”

“Among the things the aviation industry can learn is that, regrettably, nobody is immune.”

BRENNAN WALL, THALES AVIONICS

* < Data secured >

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

Cavoukian says that responsible data management can actively enhance an airline’s brand: “Tell your customers the lengths you’re going to to protect their privacy, how much you respect them. Don’t keep quiet about it! Shout it from the rooftops!” She found that when customers trust a company, they’re more inclined to share their data. “It’s when [companies] don’t engage their customers, that’s when the walls go up,” she says. With more than 20 years’ experience in the privacy game, Cavoukian is seeing privacy concerns reaching an all-time high. “Ninety to 92 percent of people are concerned with privacy – that’s what all the publicopinion polls are coming in at.”

So, what does good passenger data look and feel like? Vision-Box approached the Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence, Cavoukian says, because Privacy by Design is incorporated into the GDPR. It was her first time working with an airline-industry client, and she was pleased with Vision-Box’s approach. “I’m hoping that others in the travel industry will look at their operations and do the same thing,” she says.

Schreiner says that it’s important to make passengers aware of any data that is

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Q&A

APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

PHOTO: AIR CANADA

Along with being bestowed the award, which is given to an airline CEO whose impact on the passenger experience exceeds the scope of their own airline, Calin will be delivering a keynote speech at APEX EXPO in Boston this year.

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Q&A

Calin Rovinescu

LOCATION:

YUL

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:

20

PRESIDENT AND CEO AIR CANADA

PASSPORT STAMP YOU WISH YOU HAD: Vietnam THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT WILL BE:

Calin has served as the president and chief executive officer of Air Canada since 2009. His previous roles with the airline include executive vice-president, Corporate Development and Strategy, and chief restructuring officer.

What does winning the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award mean to you?

It means the Air Canada team has made me look good over the last 10 years.

What kind of leader are you?

One who spends more time listening than instructing.

The award recognizes the span of your entire career, but would you say there was a defining moment?

The burning platform on April 1, 2009. My first day on the job as CEO was a defining moment for me; Air Canada was facing major liquidity, labor and commercial challenges. Since that day, Air Canada has greatly strengthened its balance sheet, struck long-term labor agreements and out-performed in the stock market all while winning industry awards for our passenger experience.

“The immigrant mindset – optimistic and curious, yet hopeful – has instructed my thinking.”

During your tenure at Air Canada, you’ve overcome everything from a global financial crisis to major labor issues. What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned from these hurdles?

Out of adversity comes great strength, especially when you have excellent people.

What have you learned about yourself during these difficult times?

I can be more patient than I thought.

Who were some of your earliest professional role models?

Some of the senior partners at Stikeman Elliott – the law firm where I worked for 20 years.

How do you stay inspired and motivated after all these years in the industry?

The industry presents new twists and turns and opportunities every year. It’s only 100 years old!

You fled Romania for Canada with your family at just six years old. How has that experience informed your worldview and your professional drive?

The immigrant mindset – optimistic and curious, yet hopeful – has instructed my thinking.

Air Canada has consistently been named the Best Airline in North America by Skytrax under your leadership. What is your strategy for maintaining a competitive edge?

Looking at the best in the world and aiming high.

Pure pleasure

FAVORITE SOCIAL NETWORK:

AC Life, Air Canada’s employee mobile app

You’ve also served as a chairman of Star Alliance and IATA. How important are these additional engagements in the arc of your career?

Great at keeping us at the forefront of all issues that are important to the alliance and industry generally, from safety to marketing.

You’ve been at the helm of Air Canada since 2009. How has the airline industry evolved in the past decade?

Consolidation and new low-cost competition have made us better.

What changes do you hope to see made to the airline industry at large?

That it becomes more of a business than a utility and that governments treat it with the respect it deserves for its contribution to economies globally.

What exciting new developments can travelers expect from Air Canada in the years to come?

Best in breed for our premium experience as exemplified by our recently introduced Air Canada Signature Service.

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TECH

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BY VALERIE SILVA PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, LATINSTOCK

Boston, A City in Ascent

The flow of thinkers out of one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smartest cities has made countless contributions to the airline industry, regarding everything from aircraft engineering to travel booking.

TECH

1. Boston Convention Center 2. Boston University 3. Freebird 4. Google 5. Harvard University 6. Hopper 7. Kayak 8. Boston Logan International Airport 9. Lola 10. Lumo 11. Microsoft New England R&D Center 12. MIT 13. Northeastern University 14. Pegasystems 15. TripAdvisor 16. Tufts University

I

n January 1910, Los Angeles hosted the first-ever air show in the United States, drawing more than 200,000 spectators who gathered to see aerial showmen straddle the line between life and death.

In September of that year, a second show of the kind was held at what was christened the Harvard Aviation Field in Squantum, Massachusetts, organized by a group of university faculty, alumni and students who joined to form the Harvard Aeronautical Society.

Bostonians raised some $50,000 for the 1910 Harvard-Boston Aero Meet, including more than $40,000 in prize money for contests in speed, distance, flight duration, altitude and accuracy in landing. The show is estimated to have attracted an audience of one million, many of whom were witnessing heavier-than-air machines take off for the first time.

“The list of people who came to the show – as either a flyer or a spectator – was just incredible,” says Frederick R. Morin, coauthor of Massachusetts Aviation and past president of the Massachusetts Aviation Historical Society. “Everyone was excited because it was the first time in history that a Wright brother [Wilbur], Glenn Curtiss and Starling Burgess were all in the same place at the same time. It was just incredible historically.”

Onlookers included President William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt (at the time, a New York state representative) and Boston Mayor John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald flew in an airplane for the first time at the show, alongside British pilot Claude Grahame-White, after which he was recorded having said, “It struck me that in a way, aeroplaning is safer than automobiling, for if anything had happened, there seemed to be very much turf for one to glide down to and alight upon safely. It is my opinion that aeroplanes will shortly be so perfected as to be safer than autos.”

The Harvard Aeronautical Society went on to organize a second meet in 1911, which drew another famous English pilot, Thomas Sopwith, creator of the World War I fighter, as well as Earle L. Ovington, a Boston native who would become the country’s first airmail pilot. The following year, William A.P. Willard, who had helped manage the previous meets, organized a third air show – the first in the US in which female aviators competed.

But Harvard wasn’t the only Massachusetts academic institution to drive aviation forward at the time, Morin says: “MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] was really the key to a lot of the technology and so much of the early work in the aviation industry. I couldn’t even begin to catalog what they’ve done.”

But he does point to one key figure, Jerome C. Hunsaker, who in 1909 enrolled to study naval construction at MIT, where he developed a deep fascination in aeronautics. After graduating in 1912 and completing a two-year tour of Europe, he returned to the institute to initiate the first course in aeronautics engineering at an American university.

Hunsaker went on to build, with his assistant Donald Douglas, the first effective wind tunnel for the study of aerodynamics in the country; design the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean; and found one of the first departments for aeronautical engineering in the US. “The total effect of our graduates on the airplane industry cannot be estimated,” Hunsaker said.

“But it is of interest to note that MIT graduates include the chief engineers or engineering directors of Curtiss-Wright, Glenn L. Martin, Pratt & Whitney, Vought, Hamilton Standard, Lockheed, Stearman, and Douglas, as well as the engineer officers of the Naval Aircraft Factory and of Wright Field.” >

Harvard-Boston Aero Meet in September 1910

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TECH

PHOTOS: AMADEUS; UNSPLASH, MERIC DAGLI

A NEW AGE

If the Harvard-Boston Aero Meet presented the possibility of heavierthan-air flying machines to the general public and nearby universities made them an increasingly viable mode of transportation, then it was in large part the efforts of software experts based in the Boston area that would go on to make them universally accessible.

Travel tech took off in Boston in 1996 when a group of computer scientists from MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory founded ITA Software, whose algorithms were a major impetus behind the move away from mainframes and ended up forming the basis of travel website Orbitz, and at one point powered 65 percent of airline flights searched in the country.

ITA landed its first deal in 1998, with leading global distribution system (GDS) Amadeus, giving it some initial exposure.

Although today a division of Google, which bought it out for $700 million in 2010, ITA still operates out of Cambridge – just 10 miles from where Amadeus established its North American headquarters and 56,000-square-foot research and development center in 2015, in Waltham, almost at the midpoint of Route 128, Boston’s so-called tech corridor.

MIT’s computer science and artificial intelligence laboratories merged with the construction of this new building in 2003.

Rashesh Jethi, SVP of Engineering for North America, and global head of Innovation for Airlines, Amadeus

The Amadeus office, designed by Boston architect firm Visnick & Caulfield, accommodates some 400 employees, the majority of whom work on the R&D side. “When we heard that Boston would become an innovation hub, we took advantage of designing the space around the way we wanted to work,” says Karen Fultz, director of R&D Business Operations and Planning at Amadeus in North America, referring to the agile workspace design she helped implement at the office. “We put a bunch of different people with different skill sets together in collaboration spaces we call neighborhoods to deliver small amounts of value quicker.”

Rashesh Jethi, senior vice-president of Engineering for North America and global head of Innovation for Airlines, Amadeus, also based at the Boston office, adds that innovation, however, doesn’t just come from the inside, which is why the company is actively involved in the Boston ecosystem via hackathon sponsorships, university affiliations, local hiring, internship programs and conference attendance. “We are using our domain knowledge, but are integrating into the local ecosystem, including the startup and academic scene, to bring in new ideas and projects.”

Having spent 15 years in Silicon Valley, where he worked with three startups, Jethi admits Boston doesn’t quite measure up to the Bay Area hub when it comes to attracting engineers with bright ideas and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. “It’s not just hype. It’s really how people are and how they think. When Elon Musk says he wants to send people to Mars, people think it’s a publicity stunt, but it isn’t. He really means it,” Jethi says. “I’m not doing PR for the city. There actually is an incredible wealth of capital and tolerance for wild, wacky, crazy ideas that you don’t have anywhere else in the world.”

The Bay Area may have the capital, but with only Stanford and Berkeley in its backyard, it doesn’t have the same mass of students anchored by fellowships and scholarships, spending their days solving problems that have never been solved before, Jethi says, adding, “Boston’s academic slant truly brings a love for ideas and thinking differently.”

New APEX member Pegasystems, whose corporate headquarters is located just over a mile away from MIT, has benefitted from the proximity to academic powerhouses when it comes to talent acquisition and fostering innovations, says Elaine Fearnley, the company’s director and industry principal, Manufacturing. > APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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TECH

Founded in 1983, the company only started working in the air travel sector three decades later, but this side of the business has grown rapidly, Fearnley says.

“Our airline clients are leveraging Pega’s artificial intelligence to better understand their customers and in turn provide a superior passenger experience across the entire journey.”

A FLYING START

Boston may lag when it comes to venture capital (VC), but it isn’t too far off. San Francisco and Silicon Valley together account for nearly 45 percent of total VC investment in the US, according to data from PitchBook. Coming in just below New York City’s 16 percent, Boston comes in third, accounting for 11.5 percent of the country’s VC investment, a large portion of which is going to the city’s booming biotech scene.

But Beantown is also home to a number of thriving travel tech startups, several of which are operating in the B2B space.

“The distinction I’ve heard from venture capitalists is that Boston is better for B2Bs. A lot of the B2C stuff is coming out of Silicon Valley, but Boston is good at identifying the core B2B technologies,” says Bala Chandran, CEO of Boston-based Lumo, a flight-delay forecasting startup 98

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whose objective is to create “a single source of information all the way from booking to takeoff – whether it be for the passenger, the airline or the airport.”

Another travel tech startup making a B2B play in the city is Lola, started by Boston native and the co-founder of travel search engine Kayak, Paul English. Lola is based in Fort Point, adjacent to Boston’s Seaport District, a South Boston area revitalized throughout Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s 20 years in office. Since the time

APEX EXPO: Right Place, Right Time “As our industry continues to evolve with new technologies, being in a major US city with strong ties to the tech industry was key in the decision,” Katie Goshgarian, executive director, APEX, says, referring to the association’s decision to host the upcoming APEX EXPO, September 24–27, in Boston. And according to Maura Chacko, APEX secretary and chair of the EXPO planning committee, “The fact that the city has great convention facilities that can accommodate APEX EXPO’s growth – with the event continuing to co-locate with IFSA EXPO and Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas – was a factor, as was Boston being a beautiful, historic city.”

he took office in 1993, Menino transformed the waterfront area into what he called an “innovation district,” including plenty of restaurants and apartments, buzzing tech office spaces and the $800-million Boston Convention Center, where this year’s APEX EXPO is being held.

The area is now home to General Electric’s new headquarters, and, as announced in May, an eventual 2,000 tech professionals working for Amazon in the fields of machine learning, speech science, cloud computing and robotics engineering. “Menino said the community should develop the thousands of acres in the Seaport to create a hub for knowledge workers and creative jobs, and I really do think that was a cornerstone for furthering the Boston tech community,” says Krista Pappas, Lola’s vice-president. “The development in the Seaport is really in overdrive, and that’s exciting.”

Even as software analytics and machine learning experts proliferate in Boston, the area’s rich history in aircraft innovation lives on in its universities’ aeronautics labs (MIT AstroAero lab is currently working on replacing its Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel with one that would be the most advanced in the nation), as well as with the arrival of new aerospace players.

Last year, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced plans for an EmbraerX innovation outpost in Boston, and Spike Aerospace, founded in 2012, has an 18-person capacity supersonic jet under development, with a proposed 2023 go-to-market date. “A lot of people were disappointed to see the Concorde taken out of service with no replacement for now over 15 years,” the company’s president and CEO, Vik Kachoria, says. “I think folks expected that, like computers, aircraft would get faster and faster. They haven’t for a lot of good reasons, but it is going to happen in the next 10 years.” And perhaps then we’ll all be meeting in Boston for the country’s first Supersonic Aero Meet.

PHOTO: LOLA

View from the Lola office, overlooking Boston’s Seaport District.

Connecting Experts. Creating Experiences.

PHOTO: AMERICAN AIRLINES

Q&A

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Q&A

Janelle Anderson

VICE-PRESIDENT, GLOBAL MARKETING AMERICAN AIRLINES

LOCATION:

DFW

NOW WATCHING:

Billions

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:

Less than 1

Janelle leads all of American Airlines’ marketing efforts across advertising, brand, product development, promotions and sponsorships.

Prior to joining the airline in March of this year, Anderson served as the vice-president of Shopper Marketing at PepsiCo, where she accrued 15 years of experience overseeing the cross-divisional marketing team for Frito-Lay, Pepsi Beverages and Quaker.

What’s your first travel memory?

My first travel memory is of my grandparents traveling all over the world, bringing me back dolls from vastly different cultures. I was so intrigued; I could not wait to begin traveling myself.

“I believe in leading from every seat, that the best ideas can come from anyone on the team.”

PASSPORT STAMP YOU WISH YOU HAD:

Argentina

THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT WILL BE:

Magical

leadership model with high expectations that the best ideas can come from anyone on the team.

What lessons are you bringing to American Airlines from your experiences at PepsiCo? I am hopeful that I can bring a number of lessons from brand positioning to innovative, growth-driven thinking, and discipline in tracking and measuring results. Maybe most importantly, I hope my leadership training will inspire the team to be high-performing.

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

After 15 years in CPG [Consumer Packaged Goods] with PepsiCo, the airline industry presented a wonderful new challenge, with an exciting, complex product. American Airlines offers an iconic brand to work with, along with a strong commitment to the front line, customer service and connecting people to the things that matter most to them.

things increase costs, and while customers would love innovation, they don’t necessarily see the direct connection when they purchase a ticket.

What’s something that never ceases to amaze you about the industry?

The magic of getting on an airplane for a few hours or many hours and being able to get off and be immersed in a completely different culture.

What do you think is the most overlooked aspect of the passenger experience?

Personalization. We have a tremendous amount of data on each customer, but we do not personalize the experience or service to the level we could.

What’s something that only a frequent flyer would understand?

Delays happen, but you always treat the front line politely. We all know it’s not their fault that the weather is bad.

What are some of the roadblocks to innovation and how can they be overcome?

Cost will continue to be an issue as we push to innovate. Because of the massive scale of American Airlines, even simple

What leadership model will you adopt in your new role?

I believe in leading from every seat, empowering both my team and the front line. My goal as a leader is to remove obstacles for the team. It is a servant

If you could sit next to anyone on a plane, who would it be?

My nine-year-old daughter, Maya. It is so much fun to watch her experience travel, and I get very direct feedback about things that could change!

Do you have any crazy ideas to improve the passenger experience?

Many, but since I am so new, they are truly that – just crazy.

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NEW FRONTIER

BY VALERIE SILVA

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PHOTOS: NASA; ALAMY

The expanse beyond Earth has inspired visionaries for centuries, and now plans for space tourism are bringing new ideas into rotation for airlines, too.

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American businessman Dennis Tito became the first orbital space tourist when he completed a historic flight to the ISS (below) in 2001.

T

hat curiosity in the cosmos is an inexorably human trait – or a “genetically encoded force,” as one Neil deGrasse Tyson put it – is being put to the test by Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others looking to democratize space exploration. Once regarded a topic broached only by NASA and the likes of Douglas Adams and Arthur C. Clarke, outer space has now entered the realm of possibility for the traveling public, and with it a new idea of what the passenger experience could look like.

As billionaires busy themselves with the task of getting their first space tourists off the ground, airlines must still contend with the now thankless job of transporting large groups of people across the Earth as quickly, efficiently and economically as possible. But experts working at the seams of space and aviation say that looking to the stars could teach airlines a thing or two about travel on Earth, too.

LESSON ONE: BRING BACK THE GLAMOUR Before the long queues and flight delays, air travel marked the apogee of adventure and allure. In the early 1900s, newspaper and magazine articles chronicling unprecedented aerial feats were circulated widely and air shows drawing international crowds became a major spectator sport. “The pioneers of the first flights were seen as glamorous – heroes even. And then flying was for the rich, an exclusive club. It evolved until it eventually lost its glamour,” says Paul Priestman, chairman of PriestmanGoode, a design consultancy that counts Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, World View Enterprises and a number of international airlines among its clients. Space tourism may someday meet the same fate, he says, but until then, airlines better watch and learn from entrants in the sector on how to channel some of that romance.

One way, Priestman says, is for carriers to focus on the segment of the journey where some of that thrill still exists: the moment right after travelers’ book their flight. “It’s a really interesting psychological moment that brands need to mine because, often, the anticipation is better than the experience. You haven’t had all the problems at the airport or the bad experience at the hotel yet. It’s a utopian holiday in your mind when you press that button,” he observes. “Space travel can teach us about that anticipation, but it’s up to us to apply it to our world-based travel.”

LESSON TWO: BUT REMEMBER, NOTHING FEELS QUITE LIKE HOME For all the newness that space travel conjures, those who’ve already been blasted into the cosmos emphasize the

importance of feeling connected to what they’ve left behind. For European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, currently completing a six-month stint at the International Space Station (ISS) for the Horizons mission, that meant stocking up on some nostalgia-inducing dishes from Germany’s southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, where Gerst is from, says Jörg Hofmann, director of Culinary Excellence at LSG Group. The airline catering firm ventured into the space sector for the first time when it was tasked with developing “bonus foods” (specific items chosen by crewmembers that are in addition to the standard space menu) for the astronaut. “One of the foods we created for Alexander was a traditional dish called kaese spaetzle. Gerst said, ‘I would love to have this on board with me because it reminds me of someone.’”>

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THE COMMeRCiAL SPACE RACE Who will bring the traveling public to where only a few have ever gone before?

RSC Energia

Space Adventures

Blue Origin

FOuNDer: Sergei Korolev estaBlisheD: 1946 Craft: Soyuz TiCkEt PriCE: $100 million experieNCE: Five or six

FOuNDers: Eric C. Anderson

FOuNDer: Jeff Bezos estaBlisheD: 2000 Craft: New Shepard TiCkEt PriCE: Estimated

Zero 2 Infinity

SpaceX

FOuNDer: José Mariano

López-Urdiales

estaBlisheD: 2009 Craft: Bloon TiCkEt PriCE: Over $100,000 experieNCE: Passengers will

be carried in pods to an altitude of 120,000 feet – three times as high as airplanes, in trips lasting around four hours. eTA: TBD

Orion Span FOuNDer: Frank Bunger estaBlisheD: 2017 Craft: TBD TiCkEt PriCE: $9.5 million for

stay (plus unconfirmed price for rocket ride) experieNCE: A 12-day stay with five other guests in a luxury low-Earth-orbit space hotel called the Aurora Station. eTA: 2022

Virgin Galactic FOuNDer: Richard Branson estaBlisheD: 2004 Craft: VSS Unity TiCkEt PriCE: $250,000 experieNCE: Transported in a

jet-like craft, passengers will float in zero gravity for several minutes before coming back to Earth, in a journey of about two hours. eTA: 2019

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$200,000 to $300,000 experieNCE: Six tourists will be brought to 325,000 feet, where they will spend 10 minutes in zero gravity before returning back to Earth, in a trip totaling just 40 minutes. eTA: 2019

FOuNDer: Elon Musk estaBlisheD: 2002 Craft: Crew Dragon TiCkEt PriCE: $300 million experieNCE: Two passengers

will go to the moon and back in a week-long trip. eTA: 2019

World View FOuNDers: Jane Poynter,

Axiom Space FOuNDer: Michael Suffredini

and Kam Ghaffarian

estaBlisheD: 2016 Craft: Likely SpaceX or Boeing TiCkEt PriCE: $55 million experieNCE: Axiom has plans

to eventually build its own orbital hotel, but in the nearer future it will be offering a 10-day stay at the ISS, including a 15-week training program on Earth. eTA: 2020

Taber MacCallum, Mark Kelly and Alan Stern estaBlisheD: 2012 Craft: Voyager TiCkEt PriCE: $75,000 experieNCE: A crew of eight will float up to the stratosphere in a capsule with a bar, bathroom and Wi-Fi, in a flight lasting five to six hours. eTA: TBD

ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO

tourists a year will be taken on a trip around the moon lasting up to 10 days. eTA: 2019

and Peter Diamandis estaBlisheD: 1998 Craft: Soyuz TiCkEt PriCE: $175 million for a trip to the moon experieNCE: The space travel agency offers a variety of programs, including flights to the ISS and missions around the moon. eTA: Space Adventures has already completed eight successful missions to the ISS, and plans to send tourists around the moon by 2020.

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Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity completed its third test flight in July, reaching higher in the atmosphere than it had ever before (left). LSG team members developing “bonus food” for the ESA (below).

architectures are approved with only a little science to back them up.”

Carrie McEwan, senior human factors specialist at Teague, maintains that the issue with human factors research in aviation isn’t the frequency of its application, but instead the widespread belief that it isn’t already embraced by the industry. “We do extensive human factors research on every product we introduce into an airplane, including new cabin products and passenger experiences that will be flying in the near future, [but] it plays a more visible role in space right now because space travel is currently limited to those who are highly trained.”

Whichever the case, with space tourism soon within reach of the general public – and the whole world monitoring its development, there will likely be a renewed focus on the study of human factors, and, as a result, airline passengers stand to benefit. >

PHOTOS: VIRGIN GALACTIC; LSG

According to Hofmann, this level of personalization isn’t too far off for airlines, pointing to initiatives like LSG’s FlyYourVeda, which gives flyers the option of either an activating or relaxing meal.

“Personalization is going to play a bigger and bigger role,” he says. “And in first class, where we are talking about just eight people, the same level of personalization that we see for astronauts should be possible.” In the meantime, Lufthansa business-class passengers flying long-haul from Germany this past summer were able to dine like an astronaut, sampling Gerst’s bonus food – albeit at some one million feet closer to Earth.

LESSON THREE: RECONSIDER THE HUMAN FACTORS The study of human factors – how humans relate psychologically and physiologically to a given product or

environment – has been mission critical to space science, prompted by the challenge of working in zero gravity. Not always so in aviation, says Rick Fraker, industrial designer and CEO of design consultancy Doodle Corps, who has worked on interior architectures in the aerospace sector for the past 30 years, citing flight deck requirements and flight crew needs as notable exceptions.

“Commercial aircraft interior designers rarely integrate true human factors skill sets into baseline interior architectures.

Too often, solid analysis is bypassed in favor of qualitative research techniques.”

Part of the solution lies in manufacturers rethinking human factors as an asset, rather than a hurdle: “A misconception human factors professionals too often deal with in large-scale production cycles is that their investigations slow what is considered ‘normal’ product development schedules,” he says. “As a fallout, most interior

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LESSON FOUR: VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF FLIGHT

LESSON FIVE: PROXIMITY BREEDS CAMARADERIE

Sitting is the new smoking, Priestman says, as he discusses some of the drawbacks in airlines’ aspirations for record-breaking air times. On October 12, Singapore Airlines will operate its first flight with the freshly minted Airbus A350-900 Ultra Long-Range jet, ushering in the return of the world’s longest commercial flight, from Singapore to Newark, clocking in at just under 19 hours. “Obviously, it will be a bit better for people in business and first [class], but for people sitting in economy for 19 hours, the seats will need to be adapted,” he says.

Though airline passengers may never be able to somersault at will (as long as gravity is in the picture), something as small as being able to shift to the left or right in their seats – as opposed to just backward or forward with the recline mechanism – could help vary the experience, Priestman says. Making it easier for passengers to get up and wash their hands and brush their teeth would also be appreciated, he adds.

As flights get longer, perhaps someday even reaching the 24-hour mark, airlines may have to consider different ways to accommodate passengers’ daily psychological needs. After all, even in the ISS, where residents witness a sunrise every 90 minutes, a 24-hour schedule composed of work time, sleep time and down time is observed. In his memoir, Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery, astronaut Scott Kelly, for example, writes about how being tasked with growing lettuce and zinnias on the ISS – to test the feasibility of fresh produce for future travelers to Mars – nourished a psychological need. “I care about the flowers much more than I was expecting to, partly because I’ve been missing the beauty and fragility of living things,” he writes.

The main module on the Apollo spacecraft measured some 210 cubic feet. On the Soyuz rocket that brought Gerst and two other astronauts to the ISS in June, it was closer to 140. NASA’s latest craft designed for deep-space exploration, the Orion, can accommodate 316 cubic feet of habitable space – larger yes, but still about the size of a cramped office space, due to severe weight restrictions (the heavier the craft, the more thrust required of the rocket motor to propel the vehicle into space).

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Back in 1988, Teague was tasked with designing a concept interior for the ISS Habitat Module.

It won’t be much different for the next generation of people movers, says Christopher Pirie, senior director of Business Development at Teague, a design firm that began working in the space sector in the late 1980s when it collaborated with NASA and Boeing on the design of the Habitat Module for the ISS: “All materials and touchpoints need to earn their way into the vehicle; this becomes hyper-relevant when lifting tons of equipment and people into space.” Today, Teague is working with a number of unnamed clients “on every aspect of the space travel passenger experience,” Pirie says. >

PHOTO: TEAGUE

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But close proximity and prolonged confinement may be the very reasons astronauts report such high levels of camaraderie, Fraker says. “The same may soon be true for space tourists. Can airlines borrow this idea and apply it to their cabin designs?” he asks.

Operators of ultra-long-haul flights could harness the bonding power of physical proximity if they find a way to veer away from the current cabin configurations, Priestman says. “When you are in a smaller compartment, like a train carriage, you’re more likely to speak to people because you are a part of a small community. But when you are in a bigger space, like a 200-plus economy cabin, you are less likely to,” he explains.

With flight times getting longer, airlines are going to have to look at how to create shared, memorable experiences predicated on meaningful interactions, rather than isolation. “Because of the length of flight, putting on your eyeshades and getting to sleep won’t be enough. It’s going to have to be different psychologically,” Priestman adds.

LESSON SIX: DON’T CONCEAL THE JOURNEY Despite the exorbitant price tag attached, space tourism continues to fascinate because, thanks to the view – “the glory of the world below and the universe beyond,”

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as Pirie describes it – the journey is as captivating as the destination itself. And as such, he asks, “How does one create an environment that feels safe, secure and at home while celebrating the brave new world of space exploration?”

Priestman points to his firm’s work on the interior and exterior of World View’s Voyager balloon capsule with its immersive dual-pane glass windows, as one possible approach. “Airline passengers are going to want bigger windows, too.

Airlines can achieve this digitally if they want, screening what cameras are seeing outside the aircraft or maybe with skylights down the center of the aircraft.

But they are going to have to respond,”

he says. “The idea of falling asleep and being able to look at the stars – that’ll help passengers enjoy the moment.”

Pirie likewise suggests that instead of “looking for opportunities to distract passengers from the monotony and discomfort of long-haul travel via food service, entertainment and shopping,” airlines gain inspiration from the natural scenery beyond the window.

Teague’s own efforts in bringing the outside in began with its work on the Boeing 787. “The size of the Dreamliner windows paired with advanced dynamic lighting, expansive architecture and material layering brought back the magic of flight, and offered every passenger a unique and deeply personal view of the world,” Pirie says. Teague has since brought that rationale to Emirates, which offers “vaulted ceilings and a starry night sky overhead,” tapping into that same sense of wonder, Pirie says.

But as the distance between Earth and the expanse beyond shrinks with the prospect of commercial space travel, the very meaning and feelings associated with nature may change. The moon’s surface, for example, is craterous and it’s lighting harsh, and combined with reduced depth perception, it’s anyone’s guess whether design inspired by the lunar environment will inspire awe, fear or a completely new feeling in between.

PHOTOS: WORLD VIEW; NICOLÁS VENTURELLI

World View will take passengers to the edge of space, where they’ll be able to see the curvature of the Earth (left). Windows on the Boeing Dreamliner are 65% larger than the standard, giving passengers a better view of their surroundings (below).

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PHOTO: FLYDUBAI

Q&A

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Q&A

Dan Kerrison

FREQUENT FLIGHT:

DXB–PRG

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:

VICE-PRESIDENT, INFLIGHT PRODUCT FLYDUBAI

19

FAVORITE AIRPORT:

Dan leads the strategic development of flydubai’s in-flight experience.

His responsibilities include the evolution of the cabin interiors, management of the in-flight entertainment and connectivity products, and retail and catering on board. Most recently, he led the redesign of flydubai’s in-flight experience that culminated in the 2017 unveiling of the airline’s all-new Boeing 737 MAX.

What’s a common misconception about the airline industry in the Middle East?

Industry suppliers have the perception that the region has unlimited resources.

As reported by IATA, the profit margins of airlines in the Middle East are among the lowest in the world. We are committed to offering our customers the best possible product choices while maintaining a strong focus on cost – we count on our suppliers to recognize that.

However, there are tremendous growth and unique opportunities in our region with mutual benefits for the airline and the supplier.

“I have reservations about virtual reality’s role in the context of in-flight entertainment, but behind the scenes, it will be a powerful tool for airlines.”

What challenge is flydubai facing that’s specific to the region?

One of the most enjoyable challenges we face is to develop a consistent product that meets the needs of a remarkably diverse passenger mix. We cater to more than 2.5 billion people, which is more than one-third of the world’s population.

By allowing our customers to choose from as many as 16 different meal choices at the time of booking, for example, we ensure that everyone who wants to eat on a flight can do so, and those who don’t want to eat don’t have to pay for a meal in the price of their ticket.

What trends do you have your eye on right now?

We cannot underestimate the potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality. There are many use cases for our industry, and the technology is just in its infancy. I have reservations about VR’s role in the context of in-flight entertainment, but behind the scenes, it will be a powerful tool for airlines, with applications for crew training, aircraft inspection and maintenance, cabin design visualization and seat prototyping, to name a few. We have only just scratched the surface with this technology.

OOL

SEATBACK OR PED?

Both. Seatback to watch, PED to connect.

PASSPORT STAMP YOU WISH YOU HAD:

Madagascar

Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours?

I get to design the cabin interiors for billions of dollars’ worth of airplanes; make sure our customers can sleep soundly while being thrust through the sky; deliver countless choices of food and beverage options and access to hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters; and enable them to stay connected throughout their journey.

Describe the airline passenger experience of the near future.

In January, Amazon opened a brick-andmortar grocery store in Seattle, where there are no check-out counters: You walk in, take what you want from the shelves and walk out. Imagine an airport that employs the same type of technology. There would be no need to stop or engage with anyone. Your ticket, boarding pass, passport, visa, lounge invitation and baggage receipts would all be stored in an app on your phone (which can stay in your pocket) and a combination of facial recognition, biometrics and Bluetooth beacon technology would take care of the rest. It will happen.

If you could sit next to anyone on a plane who would it be?

Roger Federer, of course. He’s the greatest tennis player of all time: humble and gracious.

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TRENDS

READY-FOR-TAKEOFF TRENDS FROM AIRLINES, AMENITY KIT SUPPLIERS AND CATERING COMPANIES

INSIDE: THE AMERICAN STORIES BEHIND NEW IN-FLIGHT PRODUCTS, ACTIVITY KITS FOR KIDS AND THE MOVEMENT TOWARD FOOD-LABELING REGULATIONS THAT WORK FOR THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY

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TRENDS

Woops, looks like your copy of the in-flight services trends guide, Higher Hospitality, is missing!

Luckily, you can also find it online at apex.aero/higher-hospitality.

HIGHER HOSPITALITY READY-FOR-TAKEOFF TRENDS FROM AIRLINES, AMENITY KIT SUPPLIERS AND CATERING COMPANIES

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CONTENT SERVICES

e

H

dR

llo

WHO NEEDS A CSP? Widely considered the middlemen of the IFE industry, CSPs are evolving to embrace new and diverging technologies, keep pace with consumer tendencies and ensure that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get squeezed out.

BY MARYANN SIMSON | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROMUALDO FAURA

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CONTENT SERVICES

T The content service provider (CSP), as we know it today, came to maturity when airlines realized they were going to struggle to get across the technical complexities of delivering content in the correct format (and with the necessary languages, subtitles, edits and metadata) to an assortment of in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, across large fleets of mixed aircraft. And as IFE hardware got more advanced – and capable of storing vast libraries of content on demand – the business of sourcing, screening and curating all that content, plus negotiating prices and rights, introduced yet another complexity airlines weren’t ready for.

CSPs opened labs, investing heavily in equipment and talent to handle an increasing deluge of technical work. They built teams of experts to source local and international content, reduce pricing and negotiate rights with content owners. By leveraging the volume across multiple airline customers, they were able to achieve economies of scale and add value for airlines and studios. And by working with brands and advertisers, they found ways to monetize IFE – or at least offset the cost – for airlines that wished to do so.

But in recent years, the number of active players in this field has declined, due largely to consolidation.

Enter developments like onboard streaming, pre-download, in-flight connectivity and the concept of the seamless passenger journey, in which airlines seek to optimize every possible touchpoint from booking to the final destination – and today’s CSPs are left with all their primary tasks, and so much more.

Can they stay relevant, or even get ahead, in an era where pre-roll advertising doesn’t cut it for brands,

where YouTubers have more fans than A-listers and broadband in the cabin is opening the door for a player like Netflix to walk in like it owns the place?

THE CHALLENGE: COMPLEXITY

“At the moment, our role as a CSP is the most complex it has ever been,” says Henry Gummer, vice-president of Entertainment, Spafax, in reference to the technology and delivery ecosystem for airline content. “Airlines look to CSPs to drill down into the process on a regular basis to see if improvements can be made. Because while we do manage extraordinary complexity on an ongoing basis, we cannot expect airlines to continue to fund that without showing that we are fully invested in reducing that complexity.”

Kate Groth, vice-president of Everything at West Entertainment, agrees. “The CSP today invests a lot of time into operational metadata and integration logistics,” she

says. “Depending on the airline fleet makeup, delivering to multiple systems, with multiple software updates and tight deadlines, requires the utmost attention to detail working across all our partners.”

Automation is the holy grail. And to that end, Spafax recently held its first hackathon, where the CSP investigated how artificial intelligence could help tag and categorize content, or even flag issues for editing, such as controversial images or language, thus assisting in the metadata process.

West Entertainment, on the other hand, developed its WE by West platform to simplify airline servicing needs, offering a more transparent and central marketplace for airlines to manage, select and track all their needs. West built automation on the backend to offer greater customization for each airline profile, hardware system and configuration. “In a more streamlined environment, we can then refocus on brand, brand alliance and overall customer personalization,” says Groth. >

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CONTENT SERVICES

THE CHALLENGE: CONNECTIVITY

Having invested millions of dollars in shiny new Wi-Fi, airlines seem to no longer require the CSP, now having the option to offer Netflix or another subscription streaming platform instead. But nearly every CSP out there is making the case for how and where it can add value to the connected in-flight experience.

“We’re investing in the infrastructure of the connected aircraft, as you’ve seen from our recently announced Telesat LEO [low Earth orbit] constellation partnership,” says Duncan Abell, Global Eagle’s vicepresident of Creative. “There are just more and more opportunities to deliver entertainment to those aircraft. Whether ‘content service provider’ is the right term for that, we don’t know. But in terms of growth we see the market increasing.”

Gummer believes the CSP will be instrumental in driving passenger engagement with connectivity portals, bringing in new types of brand alliances to subsidize the service and possibly reducing data over-consumption by integrating attractive cached content with the connected experience.

“Understandably, many airlines are focused on delivering the basic connected service without concentrating on how connectivity can improve the experience for customers,” he says. “Who better to turn to than a CSP to come up with new ways to best drive engagement from an 118

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Differing Perspectives AIRLINE #1: “Airlines would be keen to work more directly with studios to get latest productions … CSPs really need to show that they add value to the chain.

Airlines are investing more in their own in-flight entertainment teams and are becoming more critical of content quality – just like our passengers.”

AIRLINE #2: “Our CSP is innovative and responsive to our requests. We’re not looking for them to be our strategic advisor, but we do appreciate them bringing forward ideas and concepts, and being flexible when we come forward with crazy ideas … There is significant value in airlines working directly with studios and having that personal relationship, in addition to working with a CSP.” STUDIO: “The CSP has economies of scale, given they work with several airlines, so the ecosystem is necessary.

However, there is always room for improvement: Transparency being the biggest factor. Airlines need to be encouraged to contact distributors directly. The CSPs in the airline world are all very different: some more creative or innovative than others and some just filling a contractual requirement. Airlines do need CSPs, and airlines who perform their due diligence – researching all avenues during the tender process – will find a good balance.” *These airline and studio comments are from C-suite executives who have been offered anonymity in return for their candid opinions.

audience they’ve been entertaining for 25 years? We know the content landscape better than anyone else and we’re well-versed in driving brand partnerships, which will be key to this new model.”

Speaking of new models, Netflix has been bullish on the IFE market and made inroads with several international carriers.

Having developed technology that encodes content to use a third less bandwidth, Netflix is hopeful airlines will build “a sustainable model” around low-cost or free in-flight Wi-Fi. Even with this new tech, Gummer warns bandwidth constraint issues are likely to persist. There’s also the airline brand to consider. “If you just replace your entertainment with Netflix, it ends there – you have no brand engagement. You’re not providing a curated experience for passengers. You don’t have an opportunity to advertise around it and you can’t control it or understand how people are using it,” he says.

Abell suggests that the industry is going through a bit of a phase with these streaming-based platforms. At the end of the day, he’s not convinced they’ll be able to make a proposition robust enough, or tailored enough, for discerning airlines.

“Once the spike goes, the airlines will probably come back and say: Can I have the widest curation of the best content available?

And find themselves back in the same position of needing what we provide.” >

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CONTENT SERVICES

THE CHALLENGE: DARK FLIGHTS

For many smaller airlines and charter-based operations, IFE hasn’t traditionally been a big consideration. It’s pretty difficult to put content on a plane without IFE hardware in place, and that’s why many CSPs are either selling low-cost IFE solutions, or partnering closely with system manufacturers to open up this market.

Inflight Dublin is among the CSPs offering a turnkey solution. “We have two clear units in our business,” explains CEO John White.

“One is content services, the traditional CSP type work, and the second is software – mainly wireless software, but also the other services that can grow out of it.”

Hardware from Astronics forms the backbone of Inflight Dublin’s Everhub offering, but the company is also looking ahead, software wise, to develop new areas that will continue to evolve with the industry. “Of course, the engineers have to be happy with the hardware … [But] airlines don’t buy hardware, they buy

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a service, and the hardware is a means to that end,” says White. “Hardware is becoming commoditized with the cost of servers and WAPs [wireless access points] and everything else dropping.

We’re in the service business; we look to enhance the passenger experience and add more potential revenue channels for all the stakeholders.”

Global Eagle has likewise found cause to “hardware up,” launching the Airconnect Go portable IFE solution (also supported by hardware from Astronics) earlier this year at Aircraft Interiors Expo.

“Airlines don’t buy hardware, they buy a service and the hardware is a means to that end.”

JOHN WHITE, INFLIGHT DUBLIN

Speaking to APEX Media at the launch, Michael Pigott, the company’s senior vice-president of Product and Portfolio, said, “Customers can rapidly receive our services while we’re doing our work to get full wireless IFE on board.”

Global Eagle says the system will roll out to its first customers by the end of this year, and that it will offer “mini-premium” options, whereby customers can subscribe to a content package and select some additional local content. “We are probably not going to get into embedded seats or compete with Thales and Panasonic, but you’ll see us expanding into more wireless IFE products. We’re also exploring alternative wireless IFE systems that can bridge the gap between our fully portable and premium experiences,” Pigott says.

West Entertainment has racked up 16 airline customers through its partnership with AirFi. “It’s a great solution,” says Groth of the portable streaming box from AirFi. “And that’s a stepping-stone to that next level of advertising, brand partnerships, pay-toplay and personalization.”

MOVING FORWARD: SERVICE AT ALL COSTS

So, what does the future look like for CSPs? It’s impossible to say definitively, but these innovators are certainly working all the angles. According to White, a big clue to that answer can be found right in the job title.

“We are a service provider,” he says.

“We are in the business of service. To do that, you need to be very responsive, very agile, very flexible. If you’re that kind of business, then I think you’ll always succeed. The ability to change and adapt is inherent in the service business, and no matter what shape the industry takes, there will always be a place for that.”

IN CHALLENGING TIMES, TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE Being the most trusted global media*, we deliver our TV and digital news and content in 12 bespoke editions created for our audiences in their native languages. In doing so, we shed light on current affairs while making sure all voices are heard and understood. We do journalism without judgement, so that everywhere you go, you feel reassured that you know the world around you better.

*Source: Ipsos Affluent Europe 2017 – engagement-base monthly brand reach

euronews is available worldwide in 10 TV editions and 12 digital editions

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Jenny Delcambre +33 1 53 96 92 74 jenny.delcambre@euronews.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF AGNÃ&#x2C6;S DEBAINS

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Q&A

Agnès Debains CO-FOUNDER AIRFREE

What makes the in-flight marketplace particularly challenging?

The challenge to efficiently operate e-commerce on board is the quality and cost of connectivity on most aircraft today. Despite the huge progress made year over year in the satellite bandwidth available for passengers, it remains limited compared to what customers are used to on the ground, making navigation on

LISTENING TO:

Magic System’s “Magic in the Air” (the World Cup French fans’ song) FAVORITE AIRCRAFT:

Agnès is an advocate for the digitalization of the duty-free and travel service industries, and their roles in value creation for airlines and passengers. Before co-founding airfree, Agnès worked as a digital and e-commerce director for French cosmetics brands.

What’s wrong with the current in-flight duty-free business model, and what does airfree aim to do differently?

The duty-free shopping experience in flight isn’t adapted to the level expected by consumers. Ground duty-free retailers are becoming luxury malls, whereas in flight, passengers are still reading through the duty-free magazine that’s in the seat pocket. That experience is disappointing and can be improved.

From an airline perspective, there are lots of constraints: complicated logistics, transportation costs for the often useless weight of products on heavy trolleys and painful tasks for the cabin crew. Airfree has introduced Marketplace of the Sky, making airport retailers’ products available digitally in the air, in an aim to solve a lot of these issues.

LOCATION:

CDG

“The duty-free industry today looks like the high-end retail market from more than 10 years ago.”

a regular website very fussy. That’s why airfree has developed a solution, based on the minimal and smart use of bandwidth, specifically adapted for in-flight browsing.

Describe a career-defining moment.

When I decided to quit my job and embark on the startup adventure! After 12 years in marketing and digital, I thought it was a good moment for a change, with enough experience to bring real added value to my own project. So when I had the opportunity to partner with Valéry [Méary], with his business development background, and Étienne [de Verdelhan], our technical expert, to create airfree, I didn’t hesitate.

A380

BRAND OF SUITCASE:

Lipault

SEATBACK OR PED?

PED

You used to work for L’Occitane en Provence. What lessons did you bring from your experience there that were applied to the airline passenger experience industry?

The duty-free industry today looks like the high-end retail market from more than 10 years ago. Sales are almost exclusively brick and mortar; retailers realize the opportunity to boost sales via digital but don’t know how. We had a lot of the same issues at L’Occitane, and decided to create a very aggressive omnichannel strategy.

Turns out that was the right decision, as e-commerce is now one of its key pillars of growth. The same scheme could apply to travel retail – and we are now seeing big duty-free players ready to move in that direction.

Do you have a go-to duty-free item that you tend to buy? What’s the last duty-free product you purchased in flight?

I like to buy my cosmetics and fragrances in duty-free – particularly because my favorite fragrance is not sold on the French market anymore. Every time I find it in duty-free abroad I stock up.

Unfortunately, with the limited offers and frequent inventory issues in flight, I rarely find interesting items to purchase.

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CABIN SYSTEMS

LET THEM HAVE POWER

Offering wireless in-flight entertainment or Wi-Fi without in-seat power is like gifting a nifty electronic gadget without the batteries. Yet, deciding on a power system can be daunting.

BY CAROLINE KU ILLUSTRATIONS BY LALALIMOLA

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CABIN SYSTEMS

T

here are 29 minutes left of the film you’re streaming from the wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) portal onto your phone. But it’s dying and there’s no power outlet. You’re forced to decide: Finish the film or save the last bit of juice to hail a rideshare on the ground?

For airlines whose revenue model depends on passengers paying for entertainment or connectivity, the lack of an electrical outlet is a missed opportunity, says David Withers, CEO, digEcor. “Your uptake will be significantly higher if you provide power. Passengers with fully charged devices are quite happy to use them on

board. But if you need your device when you arrive to call home to say you’ve landed, use a map to get to a hotel or check your e-mails, then you’re reluctant to use your battery in flight.”

In-seat power used to be a perk for premium passengers flying on wide-body aircraft, but Withers says that’s changed.

“We’ve gone from an environment where most airlines would install laptop power in first and business class – maybe the first few rows of economy – to having USB power installed throughout the entire economy cabin and it’s a standard feature.” These aircraft are often narrow-bodies fitted with wireless IFE systems that rely on

“Your uptake [of IFEC] will be significantly higher if you provide power.”

DAVID WITHERS, DIGECOR

travelers to bring their own devices. They operate on longer routes, giving more reason to keep passengers’ laptops, tablets and smartphones running for the entirety of their flights. It’s easy to understand the need for in-seat power, but choosing a system can be complicated.

“One of the biggest challenges we encounter is the system selection process,” says Mark Peabody, president, Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems. “Airlines need to be confident of the total cost of ownership, reliability, support and longevity of the systems installed.” It’s for this reason there is such a wide range of in-seat power solutions on the market, from the standby 110-volt AC sockets, high-power USB to wireless charging, and any combination of ports for hybrid solutions. “Our role is to have in-seat power systems that meet the needs of each individual airline customer. This is why we continually innovate and integrate the latest consumer trends into our in-seat power offerings,” Peabody says.

GETTING FROM USB-A TO C

That feeling when there’s in-seat power on the aircraft.

If the arrival of Apple’s touchscreen devices was any indication of where the next wave of technology would carry us, then you can bet that USB-C is imminent.

On the iPhone 7, Apple has removed all hints of an alternative to USB-C by offering only one port – even the 3.5-mm audio jack has vanished. >

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Application development specialists for in-flight entertainment and communications systems.

Our software is installed on hundreds of aircraft and used by thousands of passengers every day in every corner of the world all in their own languages.

Applications we have developed allow passengers to view their location on the map, watch on-demand video & audio, play games, go shopping, reserve a hotel, car or just browse for information all from 30,000ft.

Established in 1998 with development facilities in Chichester, UK and Lake Forest, CA and a team of over 40 experienced developers we provide unrivalled expertise in the IFEC industry.

Apex 1-2 Hor.indd 1

2014-09-22 4:47 PM

CABIN SYSTEMS

The potential of Type C, however, isn’t in the shape or size of its symmetrical connector, it’s that it’s associated with the latest generation of USB technology.

Paired with USB 3.1, a Type C connector can provide up to 100 watts of power – more than enough to charge a laptop. (To minimize weight and keep the existing outlet unit form factor seat suppliers are accustomed to, in-seat power providers would actually rein in the power to 60 watts – still enough to charge a laptop.)

“Airlines need to be positive of the total cost of ownership, reliability, support and longevity of the systems installed.”

MARK PEABODY, ASTRONICS AES

“Being able to carry a single USB-C cable – and not the large, bulky power adapter – on an aircraft with USB-C outlets creates a positive experience,” Peabody says. He adds that almost all the major airframers are looking into offerability, and anticipates there will be a rigorous vetting process among suppliers once that’s on the table. “As more Type C-enabled devices enter the market, travelers will carry them on board and expect the ability to take advantage of the quick and highpower charging of this new technology,” he says.

“The issue with USB-C today is that there really aren’t many devices that are running on it,” Withers says. But in the world of aircraft interiors, a decision made today can take 12 to 24 months to implement. “What will the uptake of USB-C be in that time? In 24 months, there will be a much higher adoption

Yoga in your seat: Downward dive in search of a power outlet.

of USB-C,” says David Thomas, vicepresident, Business Development, IFPL. “And then all of a sudden there will be a rush to upgrade.”

But in-seat power providers believe USB-A will be relevant for some time – provided there is an action plan for the in-between period. “Airlines are really looking for a simple upgrade path from what they are investing in today to ensure they’ve got a smooth transition to USB-C. A key element for an airline would be building a road map from one to the other,” Withers says.

The USB-A port at the end of the armrest of the Hawk slimline seats debuting on AirAsia’s Airbus A320 and

A330 aircraft was designed by IFPL in conjunction with Mirus Aircraft Seating with this very projection. It uses the same form factor and electrical characteristics as the USB-C so that the outlet can be easily upgraded when required, in about two or three years’ time. “We have also developed a USB-A and USB-C combination outlet. The aim is that at some point, you’ll be able to swap out the USB-A for the USB-C to become a double USB-C outlet,” Thomas says. “We’re thinking about that with all our products.

You won’t have to change the [entire] power system. You won’t get USB power delivery with that 60 watts, but you will get USB-C default power with 15 watts.” >

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CABIN SYSTEMS

SYNERGY BOLT

In-seat power providers are working closely with seating manufacturers to achieve better integration for seat comfort and ergonomics. To get in-seat power on slimline seats that facilitate cabin densification, the outlet is separated from the converter so the latter can be mounted inside the seat arm, back or pan, enabling the outlet to be much smaller and better suited for integration with leaner profiles.

Astronics has been working with aircraft seating companies to incorporate their feedback into its designs. “The goal is to provide in-seat power products that easily integrate into their seating and to increase power-supply efficiency, to provide installation flexibility,” Peabody says.

Networking in flight: Linked in and charging.

“The aim is that at some point, you’ll be able to swap out the USB-A for the USB-C outlet.”

DAVID THOMAS, IFPL

When the only active power plug on an aircraft is in the lavatory.

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Collaboration can lead to other efficiencies.

Together, the teams might be able to shave off a few grams or more of plastic from a shroud or utilize the seat structure as a heat sink, for example. On one seat, this might mean a few grams, but multiply that by 300, and it could add up to a few kilos. “All of these incremental improvements make a difference both for the environment in terms of fuel burn and for the cost of ownership,” Thomas says.

The retrofit market is also benefitting from closer partnerships. Airlines whose aircraft had not been equipped with in-seat power are now looking to upgrade

those seats with USB outlets. DigEcor has modification kits to quickly install USB for specific aircraft seat models, including economy series seats from HAECO, Avioninterors and Acro.

STILL GOING

Peabody points out that if airlines are trying to own more of the end-to-end journey, they should consider the journey of their digital and connected products, too: Electronic boarding passes, flight updates, messaging, as well as the potential to generate ancillary revenue all depend on passengers’ devices maintaining their charge. “Airlines recognize that [travelers] are selecting carriers that provide this much-required amenity,” he says. “Just walk through a cabin mid-flight and observe the high takeup rate of passengers using in-seat power.

Would they rebook on a carrier with no power when in-seat power is available with another carrier?” In short, airlines need to empower passengers to follow the trail that the Energizer bunny has blazed: to keep going and going and going.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF IAN WALBERG

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Q&A

Ian Walberg

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY:

25+

FREQUENT FLIGHT:

CEO, FOUNDER AND OWNER AIRBORNE INTERACTIVE

Los Angeles– London (around 200 round trips!)

Before starting embedded software development company Airborne Interactive in 1998, Ian worked with GEC-Marconi, Virgin Atlantic, Inflight Productions and Interactive Entertainment on everything from the launch of the Boeing 777 to developing gaming software for airlines. Based in Orange County, California, and with a development center in the UK, Airborne has been enabling applications and services on IFEC systems for the past 20 years.

BRAND OF SUITCASE:

TravelPro

FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM:

Virgin Atlantic Gold and British Airways/ OneWorld Gold

PASSPORT STAMP YOU WISH YOU HAD:

Outer space and the moon

Airborne Interactive is celebrating its 20th anniversary! How has your business evolved in that time?

Surprisingly little. The technology changes often, but understanding what the passenger needs and what the airline wants to offer, and how the current in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) platform can support that, has always been the problem we have been asked to solve.

What’s one thing you’ve found to be a constant in that time?

Airlines believing IFEC suppliers’ overoptimistic promises and then being disappointed with what can be supported.

This comes down to suppliers saying that systems fitted to aircraft can be close to consumer devices, but there are enough differences to make development and deployment more difficult than pushing out a new title or update to ground-based users.

What are some pain points in airline software that you see regularly and how can we get better at this?

The current systems are, in practice, proprietary closed platforms, which makes application development difficult. Moving to an open-style development environment would make a huge difference. This also needs to be accompanied by a clear separation of the hardware and software platforms and development support agreements.

“APEX has been an excellent source of industry contacts, sales leads and friends, as well as allowing me to visit some interesting cities around the world.”

How has connectivity affected what you do?

Positively – it has expanded the systems and solutions we have been asked to work on. It can also enable functionality that was not possible when aircraft weren’t online. It has also helped me personally: I do not miss the result of the Formula 1 while traveling.

Best career advice you’ve ever received?

Nothing ever happens as quickly as you would hope. This is of course the optimism of youth rather than specific career advice. However, it is especially true for the IFEC systems, where there are many hurdles to get applications/content in front of airline passengers.

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you love to be doing?

A travel guide: It’s always a pleasure helping people learn about new destinations and giving them the confidence to explore.

How long has Airborne Interactive been part of APEX and how has the association benefited you?

Twenty years, and it has been an excellent source of industry contacts, sales leads and friends, as well as allowing me to visit some interesting cities around the world.

I was an APEX board member for two years, and my first APEX (WAEA) EXPO was in Montreal in 1994.

What will the IFEC system of the future look like?

I believe in the future we will see seatback, overhead and bulkhead displays as well as personal electronic devices (PEDs) on all aircraft. As cost and weight continue to reduce, the seatback, overhead and bulkhead displays will become standard, functioning as an information platform for airlines to communicate with passengers.

Video content and the moving map will still be used by passengers, but PEDs will hold their personal details.

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APEX #630

APEX #630 Imagination takes flight.

AVAILABLE NOW

BERGMAN SEASON

To celebrate the 100th Birthday of Cannes Palme des Palmes winner Ingmar Bergman, Skyline presents a season of films and a new documentary to entertain and educate your passengers about the man considered to be the greatest director in the history of Word Cinema.

Wild Strawberries Golden Bear, Golden Globe 1957

The Seventh Seal A Classic Masterpiece 1957

Fanny & Alexander Oscar, Best FF 1984

Bergman - A Year in a Life. Cannes Classics 2018 “One of the most honest and overflowing portraits of a film artist that I can remember seeing.” - VARIETY SKYLINE IFE www.skyline-ife.com +44 1449 711011 DENA BLAKEMAN dena.blakeman@skyline-ife.com

LORRAINE LEECH lorraine.leech@skyline-ife.com

RICHARD BARSBY richard.barsby@skyline-ife.com

INTELLIGENCE

Selling

POINTS

Airline retailers are following in the footsteps of brands like Amazon and Target by using predictive analytics to offer a better customer experience â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while making food fly off the galley shelves.

BY KRISTINA VELAN ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELICA GEISSE

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Target, the department store, knew a teenager was pregnant before her father did by analyzing patterns in her purchasing behavior. The retail giant had hired statistician Andrew Pole to be its director of Guest Data Management to ramp up its predictive analytics department in 2002. Over the next eight years, Target’s revenues grew from $44 billion to $67 billion due, in part, to the “heightened focus on items and categories that appeal to specific guest segments, such as mom and baby,” according to the company’s former CEO, Gregg Steinhafel.

The retail industry has been using data in sophisticated ways to predict and influence consumer behavior for decades.

Now companies like Black Swan Data, gateretail and Guestlogix are applying a similar strategy to help airlines generate

ancillary revenue and provide a more personalized experience for passengers.

“Let’s say every time you finish a sad movie, you drink a certain soda,” suggests Patrick Prefontaine, Black Swan’s chief commercial officer of Avionics. “The platform will recognize that you’ve started watching a sad movie. When it finishes, there should be a button that pops up offering you that specific beverage. This isn’t reinventing the wheel – it’s been done

by Amazon, but now we can start bringing this into the in-flight environment.”

PERSONA DATA

Prefontaine is referring to Black Swan’s Connected Traveler Solutions, which enables airlines to understand consumer behavior patterns based on data that is captured during passenger transactions.

“It could be selecting a certain film, or the way they’re exploring the content,” says Gary Townsend, Black Swan’s chief technology officer. “Anytime a passenger interacts with the system, we’re starting to learn a little bit more about their behavior and mapping that to a persona.”

The platform is being developed in partnership with in-flight retailer gateretail and its parent company, gategroup. It can track passenger

interactions with the graphical user interface on seatback screens and with applications on travelers’ personal devices.

While travelers could choose to log in to receive a fully individualized experience, they can also be filed into a persona based on their behavior without being identified. “You can imagine a plane on a particular route having 15 to 20 different personas on board,” Townsend says. “One is a wine connoisseur who enjoys sharp cheddar cheese and action-based movies, while another loves diet cola, turkey sandwiches and comedies.” The idea is that a passenger’s in-flight experience is shaped by the persona that’s assigned based on that individual’s behavior.

REV UP THE REVENUE

“THIS ISN’T REINVENTING THE WHEEL – IT’S BEEN DONE BY AMAZON, BUT NOW WE CAN START BRINGING THIS INTO THE IN-FLIGHT ENVIRONMENT.” PATRICK PREFONTAINE, BLACK SWAN DATA

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“Without visibility into what passengers are actually doing during the day of their journey, airlines are essentially selling merchandise and hoping that passengers happen to like the catalog,” says Jamie Dinsmore, senior vice-president of Global Sales for Guestlogix. “Airlines already have the data; they just need the retail analytics side to put their data to productive use.”

Guestlogix’s airline commerce platform, which consists of a management console, a flight attendant point-of-sale system and a passenger application, is currently flying on various airlines, including Swoop.

The management console includes a retail

INTELLIGENCE

analytics engine for mobile ordering, which launched in April; it’s what enables personalized, data-driven campaigns based on machine learning.

During the product research phase of building the platform, Guestlogix found that 94 percent of airline professionals were confident the new system would improve passenger experience and 86 percent believed it would increase ancillary revenue.

“The platform allows airlines to put their passengers at the heart of every decision, and to utilize their data to

A visualization of data left behind by passenger activity, which Black Swan calls Passenger DNA.

become true retailers across the entire journey, not just in the sky,” Dinsmore says. “Passengers can revise their meal order, for example, while waiting in line for the lavatory.”

When luxury brand Burberry started using in-store tablets a few years ago, retail sales shot up 15 percent year-on-year, and orders taken on iPads in-store accounted for more than one-quarter of digital sales made during the period.

“With tablets, retail associates have visibility into information such as online inventory, who’s walking into the store, what customers have bought in the past, what they recently searched for and whether they are a loyalty program member,” Dinsmore explains. “Imagine what tablets could do for flight attendants.”

“ANYTIME A PASSENGER INTERACTS WITH THE SYSTEM, WE’RE STARTING TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR AND MAPPING THAT TO A PERSONA.” GARY TOWNSEND, BLACK SWAN DATA

OPERATIONAL OPTIMIZATION

A recent article published in Harvard Business Review extolled Amazon’s ability to anticipate what customers want, calling Amazon Prime “the gold standard for one-to-one customer marketing at scale, thanks to innovations in machine learning.” Part of the e-commerce innovator’s strategy is exploring how to apply data to create operational efficiencies.

In December 2013, Amazon obtained a patent for anticipatory shipping – a delivery method that begins before customers complete a purchase. It allows the online giant to predict purchases based on factors like previous orders, product searches, shopping cart contents and length of time the cursor hovers over an item. According to the patent, the packages wait at hubs or on trucks until the order is completed. > APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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INTELLIGENCE

THE CONNECTED TRAVELER SOLUTIONS VISION Artificial Intelligence Demystified

Define Objective

ON THE GROUND

Monitor

ON BOARD

Collect Data

Social Conversations

• Twitter • YouTube • Facebook feeds • News • Blogs Forms •

Machine Learning Evaluate Train Model

Product and Services and beverages • Food goods • Duty-free services • Destination Ride shares • Quality of life services • Affiliates and sponsors • Ancillaries •

In addition to surprising and delighting passengers by forecasting their future purchases, machine-learning algorithms can simultaneously help airlines stock inventory more efficiently. According to Steve King, CEO of Black Swan Data, the goal of its partnership with gategroup is twofold: enable an expanded product offering that is better aligned with passenger expectations and reduce waste through advanced demand forecasting.

“The solution leverages large data sets and advanced analytics to give customers choices that create a unique experience without increasing wastage or fuel use through overloading,” says Simon de Montfort Walker, gategroup’s chief technology officer and president of eGate Solutions. “[We] integrate these real-time optimizations into our catering units and our supply chain.”

TREND BETTING

By analyzing social and historical data, Black Swan has informed product development at multinational companies

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DATA PIPELINE

Systems of Record

system • Ticketing • CRM Flight and airport information • Sales and transactions • Inventory • Crowdsourced data • Click streams and passenger usage statistics • Net Promoter Score •

Prepare Data

Publish

Feedback

Develop Model Want to book a taxi in London?

Interested in a camping supplies store at LHR?

Published Models

of Predictive Consumer Behavior • Personas Recommendations • Prescriptive Demand Forecasting • Range Optimization • Food Wastage •

AI Knowledge

Flight 1234 LAX > LHR

“WITHOUT VISIBILITY INTO WHAT PASSENGERS ARE ACTUALLY DOING DURING THE DAY OF JOURNEY, AIRLINES ARE ESSENTIALLY SELLING MERCHANDISE AND HOPING THAT PASSENGERS HAPPEN TO LIKE THE CATALOG.” JAMIE DINSMORE, GUESTLOGIX

Would you like to order a soda with your salty pretzels?

DIAGNOSE, PREDICT AND PRESCRIBE

like PepsiCo. The data company’s Trendscope tool identifies popular ingredients and predicts which ones will scale in the next six to 12 months. The algorithm is trained on seven years of data and is able to make predictions with 90 percent accuracy up to six months ahead, according to Townsend.

“We can forecast six months out what kind of products people will want to buy,” Townsend says. “Airlines would benefit significantly by knowing and understanding what kind of food and duty-free products they will need to stock their aircraft with months ahead of time.”

PepsiCo used Trendscope to develop new flavors of Sensations chips. The products have yet to launch, but received exceptionally high scores when tested with a group of consumers, according to James Howarth, former strategic insights director at PepsiCo. Perhaps passengers ordering a soda after a sad movie could do with some chips, too… Just a suggestion.

The Choice is Yours Astronics AES EMPOWER® In-Seat Power Systems Power all your passenger and crew devices with the expanding menu of innovative options from Astronics. Wireless, USB, and zonal charging systems are ready to futureproof your cabin, built from the reliable technology of the industry’s most proven power solutions.

We invite you to see why all major airline manufacturers plus over 230 airlines rely on certified cabin, flight deck, and galley power solutions from Astronics.

APEX Expo Booth #343 | www.astronics.com/EmPower

POWER SOLUTIONS

Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems: U.S. Office +1.425.881.1700 • Europe Office +44.1983.897647

TRAVELOGUE

Main Headline

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TRAVELOGUE

In the City of Dreams Terry Steiner asks herself, “Can it really be 25 years ago that I started my own film distribution company?”

AS TOLD BY TERRY STEINER TO CAROLINE KU ILLUSTRATION BY FELIPE VARGAS

A

s someone who represents film companies and places their movies on airlines all over the world, I’m on the phone constantly. But there is one particular call I remember fondly. It was a 7:30 a.m. wake-up from my then boss at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer/United Artists (MGM UA): “Steiner, get yourself down here,” he said. By the tone of his voice, I thought I’d done something wrong. I rushed down to the hotel restaurant to meet him.

And there he was, having breakfast with James Bond – from Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. We were in LA to discuss the release of The Great Train Robbery, but I had been called down to meet Sean Connery, who was starring in the film!

Having been raised in the film business, I feel very comfortable around film people – behind and in front of the camera. My father was an entertainment lawyer who represented Sophia Loren, David Lean, Omar Sharif and Jacques Cousteau. It wasn’t uncommon to see these people visiting our house in the suburbs of New York City where I grew up. And having worked in the entertainment and media industry myself, I’ve also met many celebrities. However, having breakfast with Sean Connery was very cool.

Growing up, I hadn’t any idea what I wanted to do. In college, the common first-job coup was to be accepted into a bank-training program, and so I applied.

And even though I wasn’t very good at math, I got accepted into the program at Bankers Trust. I clearly remember the first day when they assigned us to different departments and I was assigned agricultural banking. Agricultural banking!

I headed straight to the bathroom, got sick and never went back.

Having been raised in the film business, I feel very comfortable around film people – behind and in front of the camera.

I then got a job as the traffic manager of the Entertainment and Leisure Division at Grey Advertising and that was where I felt my career was finally taking off. I loved that job. It was a lot of responsibility. I knew nothing about how to do it and had no one to teach me, but I showed myself the ropes and climbed the ladder and became an account executive. After that, I was hired

by MGM UA as a media director. It was another unfamiliar role, yet I had 20 people reporting to me, as well as local ad agencies around the country, and handled all of the company’s media planning and placement.

When the company moved to LA, I moved to Paramount Pictures in New York and did the same work.

One day, I got a call from the head of Sales at Orion Pictures, whom I had worked with at MGM UA. He said he had an opening to run the non-theatrical division of Orion. It was an interesting offer, but again, I knew nothing about it and hesitated. A mentor of mine said, “Terry, if you don’t take this job, you’re crazy. It’s so much more fun to be in sales than in media. You’re actually making money for the company rather than spending it.” So, I took the job at Orion and it was there that I found true happiness at work.

But Orion as a company wasn’t doing so well, and I was frustrated with constant changes in management and the possibility of a relocation to Los Angeles hanging over me. I wanted to take my life into my own hands and I wanted to stay in New York. I had this feeling in my gut that I should start my own business. I thought, if I don’t do it now, when am I going to do it? And so, I took the plunge.

Our first office was a shared space at Rockefeller Center, where we stayed for two years before moving to our current location on 57th Street (Tony Bennett was a neighbor!). Most of the entertainment industry is in LA, but here in Midtown Manhattan, next to Carnegie Hall and Central Park, I feel as if I’m in my own world. I start the day with a little “Terry Time”: I may hit the gym or indulge in the New York Post at the local coffee shop. > APEX.AERO | V8 E4 |

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TRAVELOGUE

Terry Steiner in her office on 57th Street in New York City.

If it’s a Monday, I’ll stop by the florist to pick up three single-stem flowers for my desk. From there, it’s a short walk to the office and I’m usually in by 10 a.m.

I have an illustration in my office of Eloise at the Plaza with her pet turtle and dog dancing around her. When I’m at work, I feel like Eloise in this drawing – happy in my life, doing what I love, surrounded by my team whom I treasure.

When I’m not watching movies or TV shows or traveling, I’m yacking on the phone, calling clients, making business deals. At lunch, you’ll find me at Trattoria Dell’Arte or the media-chic Michaels.

Sometimes I’ll go to Bergdorf’s and have a salad. But Elaine’s, which is now closed, was the entertainment hangout we all went to.

Once, I was bidding against a major competitor on a Robert Altman film. The distributor called to say they wanted me to handle the film; however, I had to come in with a higher estimate than the competitor had given them. I told them I could beat that number, but on one condition: The film had to be edited.

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Robert Altman was a most prestigious and serious director, so the thought of him letting someone like me edit one of his films was a bit presumptuous. Still, I put together an edit list and sent it to the distributor. That night, my husband and I went to Elaine’s, and there, having dinner, was Robert Altman with his wife Kathryn, whom my husband knew. I glanced over at my husband and said, “Whatever you do, don’t say anything about the film because business is business, and Elaine’s is Elaine’s.”

As we’re leaving the restaurant, my husband walks over to Altman’s table, introduces me and tells him I’m interested in working on his film. And he said, “I hope you’re not the idiot who sent that edit list.” And I said, “Yes, that was me.”

I ended up sitting down and talking to him for 20 minutes. “Look, it’s a business decision,” I reasoned. “You can either make a little amount of money or you can make a lot.” And the next day, I got the green light to edit the film. We turned the five-figure estimate into a seven-figure number on the film. And from then on,

Altman let me do whatever was needed to edit his films. He just trusted me. And there are more stories like that.

Having a difficult film and overcoming the odds to do more than anyone ever expects is a great feeling. What I love is the rare occasion when the airline sales out-gross the theatrical sales. Miss Potter is one of those films. Also exciting is when a distributor thinks it’s impossible to make a sale and we do. The Piano was one of our first – an award-winning film that was sexually charged with frontal nudity. Director Jane Campion’s sales company was shocked and delighted with the news that it would be in flight. Every time we do something a little unusual like that, it solidifies our relationship with our filmmakers.

When I started my company 25 years ago, in 1993, my dad was very nervous about it all. He saw me as his little girl, not a businessperson, basically. Once he got over the fact that I was determined to do this, he was excited, too. He gave me some excellent, excellent advice – rules that I still live by. Don’t ask me what they are, but in terms of my deal-making, he made me promise that I would do certain things, which have been lifesaving to me.

He also came up with the name for my company: On my first day of being on 57th Street, I was walking down 6th Avenue and he happened to be walking up 6th Avenue. Our eyes met, and it was just one of those beautiful moments: He threw open his arms and shouted, “Terry Steiner International!”

A few years ago, I decided to add my company name and logo to the opening credits of the films we placed on airlines.

It’s a wonderful feeling when I see a passenger watching a Terry Steiner International film. It’s like seeing my name in lights.

PHOTO: NICOLÁS VENTURELLI

What I love is the rare occasion when the airline sales out-gross the theatrical sales.

Available wherever you travel APEX EXPO Stand #521

HP_210x144_BBCApex_AW.indd 1 Apex 1-2 Hor.indd 1

26/07/2018 14:11 7/27/18 11:35 AM

Reaching for the Stars A journey over 50 years of space exploration to discover the astronauts, the aeronautics, the Apollo missions and if living in space is fantasy or imminent reality. ife@dw.com

dw.com

NEWS

Headlines

Following its acquisition of a majority stake in Bombardier’s C Series program, Airbus has unveiled a new name for the narrow-body jets: Airbus A220. Christine De Gagne, Airbus’ aircraft interiors marketing director, said the A220 interior will gradually align with the Airspace by Airbus cabin interior brand. On the same day of the A220 unveiling, JetBlue placed an order for up to 120 Airbus A220-300s. The deal, worth $5.4 billion at list prices, includes 60 firm orders scheduled for delivery beginning in 2020 and another 60 options as of 2025. JetBlue says the aircraft will replace its existing fleet of Embraer E190s, which are currently used on shorter flights, such as its New York–Boston route.

PHOTO: AIRBUS

BOMBARDIER C SERIES REBRANDS WITH AIRBUS NAME

Top news stories from the airline and passenger experience industries

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NEWS

BOEING AND EMBRAER FORM $4.75-BILLION STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Boeing struck a deal to buy a controlling stake in Embraer’s commercial aircraft arm under a joint venture valued at $4.75 billion. Under the agreement, Boeing would take an 80 percent stake, representing $3.8 billion, giving it a foothold in the regional jets market, of which Embraer is the largest manufacturer. The tie-up caps more than two years of talks between the airframers, and was accelerated when rival Airbus announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Bombardier’s C Series program. The deal is expected to close by the end of next year, pending regulatory approvals.

PHOTOS: BOEING; FINNAIR

FINNAIR SELECTS VIASAT WI-FI FOR EUROPEAN FLIGHTS Finnair is now offering Wi-Fi on flights within Europe. The carrier rolled out Viasat connectivity on six of its narrowbody Airbus aircraft and expects the rest of the installations to be completed by the summer of 2019. Wi-Fi access was complimentary for a two-month test period this summer, during which Finnair gathered customer feedback and information on system functionality.

“We are very happy that we can offer our customers something truly special, a state-of-the-art Internet connection on our European flights,” said Piia Karhu, SVP, Customer Experience, Finnair.

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NEWS

CHINA EASTERN AND JAL TO FORM A JOINT VENTURE China Eastern Airlines and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced they are planning to form a joint venture to capitalize on a boom in Chinese tourism. The two airlines signed a memorandum of understanding in August and said the tie-up will allow them to coordinate flight times, offer more connecting flights, lower fares and share revenue on routes they fly between Japan and China. “This partnership will generate more passenger traffic between the two countries and open up commercial opportunities,” said JAL chairman Yoshiharu Ueki.

SCOOT GOES LIVE WITH MARVIE TRANSACTIONAL CHATBOT

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BRITISH AIRWAYS UPDATES ITS CHAMPAGNE SELECTION British Airways has overhauled its selection of champagne and sparkling wines for premium customers on the ground and on board. First-class passengers can now choose from Gusbourne English sparkling wine and Lanson rosé champagne on their flight, while Club World business-class customers now have the choice of Canard-Duchêne Cuvée Léonie brut and Besserat de Bellefon champagne.

PHOTO: BRITISH AIRWAYS

Since the launch of Scoot’s MARVIE in July, the chatbot has serviced on average 50 unique users each day and successfully resolved 37.5 percent of queries. MARVIE is now able to help customers search for flights, display fares and seat availability reflected on the airline’s website and mobile app, make flight bookings and allow payment by credit card, in addition to handling customer queries in English.

NEWS

AIRBUS AND BOEING RACK UP MORE THAN 960 AIRCRAFT ORDERS AT FARNBOROUGH Airbus and Boeing registered more than 960 firm net aircraft orders, valued at $160 billion at list prices, at Farnborough International Airshow. The numbers exceed the 917 aircraft sales officially logged at last year’s show. If all commitments and previously unaccounted orders are added, the combined tally exceeds 1,100 orders before adjustments. Boeing’s net tally is 673 orders, while Airbus registered sales for 431 aircraft, 93 of which are firm orders and 338 signed under memorandum of understanding agreements.

PHOTOS: AIRBUS

ACM AEROSPACE AND ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES SET UP AIRCRAFT INTERIORS PLANT Ethiopian Airlines has partnered with Germanybased ACM Aerospace to set up a facility in Ethiopia that will supply various interior parts for ACM, including seat covers, safety belts and carpeting. Eventually, the partners intend on using leather and fabrics produced in Ethiopia that meet the standards set out by regulators such as EASA and the FAA to support local industries. “The partnership agreement … will surely create significant job opportunities for the young, educated task force and will support and synergize with the textile and leather manufacturing industries being developed in the country,” said Tewolde GebreMariam, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

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NEWS

WESTJET ORDERS 4,700 AIRCRAFT SEATS FROM RECARO WestJet placed an order with Recaro Aircraft Seating for 4,700 economy- and businessclass seats in mid-June. Starting later this year, the Calgary-based carrier will equip 10 Boeing 787s with Recaro’s CL3710 economyclass seats. Ten of its 737 MAXs will be fitted with BL3520 economy-class seats and CL4710 business-class seats. “Recaro impressed us with its intelligent design and fast delivery times,” said Tim Croyle, EVP, WestJet. “We are confident our guests will be impressed with the comfort and uncompromising quality.”

ECHOSTAR GIVES UP ON INMARSAT TAKEOVER BID AFTER SECOND REJECTION After two rejections in less than a month, satellite communications provider EchoStar abandoned its takeover bid of Inmarsat, which said EchoStar’s $4.2-billion bid in cash plus shares “very significantly undervalued” its company and stand-alone prospects. With less than half an hour before the July 6 deadline set by the UK Takeover Panel, EchoStar was pressured to say it had no intention of making a formal takeover bid.

Air New Zealand announced it would be serving business-class passengers flying from Los Angeles to Auckland the Impossible Burger, a plant-based product that mimics beef so well it even “bleeds” like the real thing. The burger has since been the subject of debate among politicians and lobby groups, with New Zealand’s acting prime minister, Winston Peters, saying he was “utterly opposed to fake beef,” and that the national carrier should be promoting the country’s $6-billion red meat industry instead. The airline said it would not apologize for offering the choice to passengers and that it already spends millions of dollars each year on meat sourced from the country.

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PHOTO: RECARO

AIR NEW ZEALAND GETS GRILLED OVER MEATLESS BURGER

APEX Events

APEX MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA 4–5 Nov. 2018 Dubai, UAE

EXPO 2019

APEX TECH

9–12 September 2019 Los Angeles, US

January 2019 Los Angeles, US

#APEXEXPO

#APEXTECH

#APEXMEA

ASIA ASIA 12–13 March 2019 Shanghai, China

Tweeting from one of our upcoming events? Be sure to use the designated hashtag so other members can join the conversation.

MULTIMEDIA MARKET

May 2019 Dublin, Ireland

Follow us on Twitter @THEAPEXASSOC

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Top Industry Awards and Honors to Be Announced at the APEX Awards Ceremony The airline industry’s most prestigious award event of the year, the APEX Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, 24 September, as part of APEX EXPO, which will be co-located with IFSA EXPO and AIX Americas. Emceeing for the second year in a row will be The Points Guy CEO and founder Brian Kelly. This year’s finalists and recipients represent excellence in the end-to-end passenger experience, from cabin comfort to entertainment to connectivity and more.

Joe Leader, APEX CEO, at the 2017 APEX Awards in Long Beach.

The following is a preview of the various awards and honors that will be announced at the APEX Awards ceremony:

PHOTO: VANCE WALSTRA

2019 OFFICIAL AIRLINE RATINGS AND GLOBAL PASSENGER CHOICE AWARDS

The 2019 Official Airline Ratings and Passenger Choice Awards recipients are determined based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights gathered through APEX’s partnership

with TripIt from Concur, the world’s highestrated travel-organizing app. Using a five-star scale, passengers from around the world rate their overall flight experience as well as the following five subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. The overall ratings are certified by an external auditing service hired by APEX and used to establish the Official Airline Ratings and Passenger Choice Awards winners.

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APEX AWARDS: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PAXEX HONOR OF THE YEAR

Considered the most relevant and prestigious industry awards, APEX Awards recognize members who are industry leaders and who provide innovative solutions throughout the passenger journey. Voted on by your peers and the media, the APEX Awards presented in Boston will cover the following categories: • Best Original Audio • Best Original Video • Best Cabin Innovation • Best Passenger Comfort Innovation • Best Personalization Innovation • Best Video Curation • Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation • Best Inflight Connectivity Innovation

NEW APEX AND CRYSTAL CABIN AWARD FOR BEST CUSTOMER JOURNEY EXPERIENCE

The new and prestigious Crystal Cabin Award for Best Customer Journey Experience will also be awarded at the APEX Awards ceremony. A collaboration between APEX and the Crystal Cabin Award, the award encompasses all products that help to improve the air travel journey, from the initial inspiration phase to booking the flight itself and even post-flight. The product should offer airlines, OEMs, and/or suppliers new digital solutions that provide specific insights that help to improve the passenger experience across various airline travel categories.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Newcomer of the Year Award is awarded to a company that has joined APEX in the last two years, and whose specific achievement has been successfully used and implemented by an airline between 1 July, 2017, and 30 June, 2018.

Achievements could include a new app, payment solution, or marketing-driven product, and must be of direct benefit to the passenger and/or airline, be innovative and employ sustainable technology or logistics. Additional merit applies if the achievement also benefits the industry as a whole.

APEX Awards are given out in eight categories.

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CEO LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: CALIN ROVINESCU, AIR CANADA

A highlight of the APEX Awards ceremony, the CEO Lifetime Achievement Award bestows this honor upon an airline CEO who has advanced the passenger experience beyond their own airline with a positive ripple across the industry. The award, which may only be given to an individual once, is reserved for airline CEOs at the pinnacle of their career.

Brian Richardson, APEX president, at the 2017 APEX Awards.

This year, APEX is proud to honor Air Canada president and chief executive officer, Calin Rovinescu with the CEO Lifetime Achievement Award. Under Mr. Rovinescu’s leadership, Air Canada has overcome many challenges that included the global financial crisis, serious labor issues and rising fuel costs. Air Canada’s passenger experience has improved tremendously under Mr. Rovinescu, who has also served as chairman of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world. APEX is proud to honor Mr. Rovinescu for his incredible advancements for his airline as well as the positive influence his efforts have had upon the entire airline industry.

HONORING ONSITE INNOVATION WITH THE APEX COOL AWARD

Innovation on the APEX EXPO show floor will be honored with the APEX Cool Award. Attending members will have the opportunity to vote for the exhibitor with the most trendsetting, original and “cool” product or service. Examples include inventive ways to speed up the check-in process, a customizable in-flight experience, state-of-the art entertainment and more. If you’re impressed by an APEX exhibitor, make it known! Voting will take place via the APEX EXPO app. Each registered company will receive 10 votes beginning on Monday, 24 September. The exhibitor with the most votes will win.

Each exhibiting company will be included on the ballot. Exhibitors may include

their showcased products and services.

Voting will close at 16:00 Wednesday, 26 September. The winner (and finalists) will be announced and showcased in Thursday morning’s EXPO Daily Experience so attendees can check out the winning (and finalist) booths all day Thursday.

APEX HEART AWARDS

The APEX Awards ceremony will also feature some of the everyday airline heroes who fly under the radar and who were honored this past year with APEX Heart Awards. With airlines and companies around the globe who improve passengers’ air travel experience at every step of the journey, APEX is proud to reward individuals on airline teams who go above and beyond the call of duty to elevate the passenger experience.

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IFSA EXPO Floor Happenings You Do Not Want to Miss!

IFSA EXPO will be taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, 24–26 September.

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Engage With IFSA Contact us at info@ifsa.aero Facebook International Flight Services Association Twitter @IFSAOnBoard LinkedIn International Flight Services Association

PHOTO: HYNES CONVENTION CENTER

With a sold-out show floor of 200 booths featuring the latest innovations and in-flight food and technology trends, IFSA EXPO is the highlight event of the onboard services industry. Don’t miss the exciting events that will take place on the EXPO floor.

Members will want to join the IFSA annual business meeting presented by IFSA’s elected board on Tuesday, 25 September, at 11:30 a.m. The board will share updates on upcoming association activities and initiatives, as well as hear feedback from members.

The EXPO floor heats up with IFSA’s cooking demos on Tuesday and Wednesday at noon. Celebrate the onboard catering industry by watching chefs perform in a live, interactive cooking demo. Our chefs are invited to showcase a unique cooking style and technique, feature a menu item created to address dietary requirements, describe how dishes are developed to appeal to passengers based on regions and routes, or anything else innovative and inspiring!

New to the EXPO floor this year are the Technology Features. These sessions will feature some of the industry’s most influential players, who will discuss strategies, examine the future of air travel and share their insights on how in-flight service plays a key role in the passenger experience.

APEX EXPO Stand #521

Luther 4 x 50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

sales.bbcstudios.com outofhome.sales@bbc.com

What to look for in the months ahead

Coming Attractions W

American Chaos

Director: Jim Stern For six months before the election, director Jim Stern traveled red states asking why voters were untroubled by the things Donald Trump had said and done. What he learned is a lesson in the central differences dividing America and the cultural divide that is tearing apart democracy today.

DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

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And Then I Go

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The Angel (El Ángel)

Director: Vincent Grashaw Cast: Justin Long, Arman Darbo, Sawyer Barth, Melanie Lynskey

Director: Luis Ortega Cast: Lorenzo Ferro, Chino Darín, Mercedes Morán, Daniel Fanego

Friends Edwin and Flake suffer from anxiety and alienation. Misunderstood by their families and peers, their fury simmers until an idea for vengeance offers them a release. Based on Jim Shepard’s acclaimed novel Project X, about powerful childhood bonds and how the search for belonging can mean life or death.

Carlitos is a 17-year-old with movie star swagger. As a young boy, he coveted other people’s possessions, but it wasn’t until his early adolescence that his true calling – to be a thief – manifested itself. When he meets Ramon at his new school, they embark on a journey of discoveries, love and crime.

DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI

DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG * EXCLUDING NORTH AMERICA, LATIN AMERICA, FRANCE AND SPAIN

* EXCLUDING US

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Director: Peyton Reed Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer As he struggles to balance his home life with his responsibilities as a superhero, Scott Lang finds himself suiting up as Ant-Man once again to join forces with Hope van Dyne, the Wasp, on an urgent mission to uncover secrets from the past.

DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING; © COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; © MARCOS LUDEVID; © 2018 MARVEL

* EXCLUDING CANADA

PHOTOS: © COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; © COURTESY OF SKYLINE IFE; © DAVID LEE/FOCUS FEATURES; COURTESY OF EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Auroville: On the Path of Utopia

Bad Times at the El Royale

Director: Fred Cebron

Director: Drew Goddard Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Chris Hemsworth

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Auroville is a universal township for a population of up to 50,000 in the making.

Located close to Pondicherry in South India, its goal is to unify people of all countries to be able to live in peace and progressive harmony.

DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI

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The story is set in the 1960s at a run-down hotel near California’s Lake Tahoe named the El Royale and centers on a cast of characters whose own shady agendas will violently collide.

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

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Believer

Director: Lee Hae-young Cast: Cho Jin-woong, Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Sung-ryung, Park Hae-jun, Cha Seung-won, Kim Joo-hyuck Detective Won-ho is determined to catch Mr. Lee, the leader of Asia’s largest drug market. He conspires with Rak, a member of Mr. Lee’s gang who is seeking revenge.

Despite their continued suspicions of each other, Won-ho and Rak cooperate to reveal the real Mr. Lee. DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE * EXCLUDING KOREA

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Director: Jane Magnusson Cast: Liv Ullmann, Thorsten Flinck, Barbra Streisand, Elliott Gould, Lena Endre Released as a tribute to Ingmar Bergman in the year of his 100th birthday, this documentary reveals the complex character of the world’s most celebrated art house film director.

DISTRIBUTOR: SKYLINE IFE CONTACT: LORRAINE LEECH

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BlacKkKlansman

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Blackmail

Director: Spike Lee Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier

Director: Abhinay Deo Cast: Irrfan Khan, Kirti Kulhari, Arunoday Singh, Divya Dutta, Omi Vaidya

Based on the true story of Ron Stallworth – Colorado Springs’ first African-American police officer – who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. Aided by his partner Flip Zimmerman, Stallworth deceived Grand Wizard David Duke and rose through the ranks to become the head of a local KKK chapter in Colorado.

Coming home and finding his wife Reena in the arms of Ranjit, who is married to Dolly, Dev decides to teach Ranjit a lesson, but it proves to be a costly mistake and things get out of hand. With the police and a seedy detective on their tail, the four find themselves in comical situations as they try to one-up one another.

DISTRIBUTOR: NBCUNIVERSAL CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

* EXCLUDING SCANDINAVIA, HONG KONG, CIS AND BALTICS

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

N: NORTH AMERICA

DISTRIBUTOR: EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONTACT: PRASHANT GAONKAR

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

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Director: Bryan Singer Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Mike Myers A foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound.

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Boy Erased

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Bumblebee

Director: Joel Edgerton Cast: Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton

Director: Travis Knight Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Stephen Schneider, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

Jared, the son of a Baptist minister in a conservative American town, is outed as gay to his family at the age of 19.

Jared’s parents force him to attend a gay conversion therapy program, or else he will be forever shunned by his family and friends and exiled from his church. Based on Garrard Conley’s same-titled memoir.

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

DISTRIBUTOR: NBCUNIVERSAL CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

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Burning

The Catcher Was a Spy W

Director: Lee Chang-dong Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-seo While making a delivery, Jongsu meets Haemi, who asks him to feed her cat while she’s away in Africa. He believes they’re about to embark on a relationship, but Haemi returns with a handsome, rich companion, leaving Jongsu heartbroken. But when Haemi suddenly disappears, Jongsu is thrust into a desperate investigation.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG * EXCLUDING KOREA AND JAPAN

Director: Ben Lewin Cast: Paul Rudd, Connie Nielsen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller The incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional baseball player who became a World War II spy. His mission: go behind enemy lines in Europe to assassinate the Nazis’ chief nuclear scientist before the Germans develop an atomic bomb.

DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

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The China Hustle

Director: Jed Rothstein With the Wall Street story of a financial crime so big and still unfolding, investors feverishly seek new alternatives for highreturn investments and have found a gold mine in China. One investor discovers a massive web of fraud, ringing the alarm on the need for transparency in an increasingly deregulated financial world.

DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING CANADA

* EXCLUDING US

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

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N: NORTH AMERICA

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © FOCUS FEATURES; © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; © 2018 PINEHOUSE FILM CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2017 CATCHER PRODUCTIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS

Bohemian Rhapsody W

L O C AT I O N : “ W O R L D O F C O N T E N T ” / B O O T H # 6 1 1

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE

FOX NT

MARS

SCREENING APP AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER!

SEASON 2 Android Phones and Tablets

iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

JULIAN LEVIN • EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT • (310) 369-3423 • JULIAN.LEVIN@FOX.COM TAMMY WANGE • VICE PRESIDENT • (310) 369-2063 • TAMMY.WANGE@FOX.COM MIKE GARRITY • DIRECTOR • (202) 912-6766 • MIKE.GARRITY@FOX.COM

WWW.NONTHEATRICAL.FOX

City of Lies

Director: Brad Furman Cast: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker Based on the true story of one of the most notorious unsolved cases in recent memory, this provocative thriller reveals a never-before-seen look at the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., shortly following the death of Tupac Shakur.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

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Colette

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Director: Wash Westmoreland Cast: Keira Knightley, Dominic West, Fiona Shaw, Robert Pugh, Denise Gough

Director: Brandon Dickerson Cast: David Arquette, Amy Acker, Adan Canto, June Squibb

Colette is a country girl who becomes a darling of the Parisian demimonde alongside her husband, Henry “Willy” Gauthier-Villars. A critic and author in his own right, Willy mentors and later betrays her, as her stories gain them fame and notoriety. A compelling insight into a passionate young woman’s journey to create independence.

His marriage and career in jeopardy, dejected author Jack travels with his wife Amanda to an isolated retreat in search of a spark. When a double-booking ruins their getaway, Jack spins into a comedic exploration of love, lost dreams, smalltown wisdom and friendship with a donkey before he loses all he holds dear.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

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Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M. Chu Cast: Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Henry Golding On a trip to Singapore, Rachel learns her longtime boyfriend, Nick, is a scion of a wealthy family and also a sought-after bachelor. Being on Nick’s arm makes her a target for jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother. While money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

Couples Vacation

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The Darkest Minds

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson Cast: Mandy Moore, Amandla Stenberg, Patrick Gibson, Harris Dickinson, Miya Cech, Skylan Brooks When teens mysteriously develop powerful new abilities, they are declared a threat by the government and detained.

Sixteen-year-old Ruby escapes and joins a resistance who aim to use their collective power to take back control of their future.

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA

Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) I

Director: Tom Edmunds Cast: Tom Wilkinson, Aneurin Barnard, Marion Bailey, Freya Mavor, Christopher Eccleston After seven unsuccessful suicide attempts, William outsources the task to Leslie, an aging hitman on the brink of retirement.

But with the contract signed and death assured within a week (or his money back), William finally discovers a reason to live. However, as far as Leslie is concerned, the contract is binding.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

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158

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W: WORLDWIDE

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W

Director: Victor Levin Cast: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder Frank and Lindsay meet at a destination wedding in California’s scenic wine country.

Both feel awkward for different reasons – Lindsay appears to have a personal connection to the groom. Initial friction between the duo eventually gives way to affection and perhaps something more.

DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON

Dog Days

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot W

Director: Ken Marino Cast: Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Adam Pally, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddry, Tone Bell A hilarious and heartfelt ensemble comedy that follows the lives of multiple dog owners and their beloved four-legged pals around sunny Los Angeles. When human and canine paths start to intertwine, lives begin changing in entirely unexpected ways.

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN

Director: Gus Van Sant Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Mark Webber On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, bringing him a new lease on life.

DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

* EXCLUDING NORTH AMERICA

* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA

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Dumplin’

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Director: Anne Fletcher Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, Odeya Rush, Luke Benward Willowdean, nicknamed Dumplin, is the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen. Dumplin’ causes a big stir in her small town when she signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest. The drama escalates when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and the town.

Edie

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Director: Simon Hunter Cast: Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie, Paul Brannigan, Amy Manson, Wendy Morgan

The Equalizer 2

Director: Antoine Fuqua Cast: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo

Trying to overcome a lifetime of bitterness and resentment, 83-year-old Edie decides to climb a mountain in Scotland.

Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed – but how far will he go when it is someone he loves?

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN

DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA

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160

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W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; © ANNAPURNA RELEASING, LLC; © SCOTT PATRICK GREEN, COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; © FILMSEEKERS; COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING

Destination Wedding W

NON-THEATRICAL SALES

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ANGELICA MCCOY angelica.mccoy@warnerbros.com

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© 2018 Warner Bros. Pictures.

All rights reserved.

Director: Ken Scott Cast: Dhanush, Bérénice Bejo, Erin Moriarty, Ben Miller, Barkhad Abdi, Gérard Jugnot After his mother’s death, Aja leaves India to track down his father in France.

A disaster with a taxi driver leaves him stranded outside a Paris IKEA, where he falls for Marie. But when he accidentally gets shipped across Europe, he has to outrun border police and bandits, and hops across the globe escaping danger.

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Generation Wealth

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Go Back to China

Director: Lauren Greenfield Cast: Limo Bob, Florian Homm, Tiffany Masters

Director: Emily Ting Cast: Anna Akana, Richard Ng, Lynn Chen, Kelly Hu

Simultaneously photographic journey, memoir and historical essay, this portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture bears witness to the global boom-bust economy, the corrupted American dream and the human costs of late-stage capitalism, narcissism and greed.

When trust-fund baby Sasha Li blows through half her inheritance, she is cut off by her father and forced to go back to China and work for the family toy business. Once Sasha starts working at the factory, she gets a much-needed dose of reality and reexamines her high-flying life.

DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE, FRENCH DOM TOM, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, LICHTENSTEIN, SWITZERLAND, BENELUX, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG, INDIA, BHUTAN, BANGLADESH, PAKISTAN, MALDIVES, SRI LANKA, AFGHANISTAN, NEPAL, UK AND US

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society W

Director: Mike Newell Cast: Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew Goode In 1946, a London-based writer begins exchanging letters with residents on the island of Guernsey, which was occupied

by Germany during World War II. Feeling compelled to visit the island, she starts to get a picture of what it was like during the occupation.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

*

The Happy Prince

Director: Rupert Everett Cast: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Emily Watson Living out his last days in exile in Europe, Oscar Wilde survives by falling back on the flamboyant irony and brilliant wit that defined him. As the film follows Wilde’s final act through England, France and Italy, desire and loyalty face off, the transience of lust is laid bare, and the true riches of love are revealed.

DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

The Happytime Murders W

Director: Brian Henson Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph Set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist, two clashing detectives, one human and one puppet, are forced to work together to try and solve who is brutally murdering the former cast of The Happytime Gang, a beloved classic puppet show.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

* CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, CHINA, EASTERN EUROPE, HONG KONG, JAPAN, LATIN AMERICA, MACAU, SCANDINAVIA AND US

* EXCLUDING US, GERMANY AND AUSTRIA

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

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PHOTOS: © TF1 DROITS AUDIOVISUELS; © LAUREN GREENFIELD; © JOSH SILFEN / COURTESY OF GO BACK TO CHINA FILM, LLC; © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; © 2018 STX FINANCING, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir W

UNPARALLELED ENTERTAINMENT FOR YOUR PASSENGERS

RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE

CYNTHIA KLAR CYNTHIA.KLAR@NBCUNI.COM

BRANDI WILSON BRANDI.WILSON@NBCUNI.COM

RIGHTS: WORLDWIDE

The Hate U Give

Director: George Tillman Jr. Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, K.J. Apa, Common, Anthony Mackie A girl’s two worlds – the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends – collide when she witnesses a fatal shooting by a police officer.

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

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Hearts Beat Loud

Director: Brett Haley Cast: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane Frank, a single dad in Brooklyn, is preparing to send his daughter Sam off to college. Hoping to stay connected, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly “jam sesh” into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an Internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.

DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

W

Incredibles 2

Director: Brad Bird Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Odenkirk Helen is called on to help bring Supers back, while Bob navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home when a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot that only the Incredibles can overcome together.

DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE

* US AND CANADA

W

The Island

Director: Huang Bo Cast: Huang Bo, Shu Qi, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Yixing, Yu Hewei, Wang Xun A low-level employee, Ma Jin has the pipe dream of winning the lottery, and getting the right girl – his colleague Shanshan.

While on an excursion, Ma discovers he has won the jackpot – when an unexpected shipwreck washes everybody on the trip ashore onto a desert island.

W

Juliet, Naked

Director: Jesse Peretz Cast: Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd

Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan, has an unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe – who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG

DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

* EXCLUDING MAINLAND CHINA

* EXCLUDING US

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

164

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I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2018 DISNEY/PIXAR; © BEIJING ENLIGHT PICTURES CO. LTD.; © 2018 LAMF JN, LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

W

W

Leto

PHOTOS: © COURTESY OF SKYLINE IFE; © COURTESY OF PICTUREWORKS; © 2018 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2018 STX FINANCING, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Director: Kirill Serebrennikov Cast: Teo Yoo, Roman Bilyk, Irina Starshenbaum Set in the time just before perestroika, Leto (Russian for “summer”) is a fond tribute to the underground scene in Leningrad and the young people in it, who were immersed in Western music but stuck living in the strictures of Soviet Russia.

DISTRIBUTOR: SKYLINE IFE CONTACT: LORRAINE LEECH * EXCLUDING FRANCE, CIS AND EASTERN EUROPE

W

The Little Witch (Die kleine Hexe) W

Director: Mike Schaerer Cast: Karoline Herfurth, Axel Prahl, Luis Vorbach At 127 years old, the little witch is too young to dance on Brocken Mountain with the older witches. She sneaks in and

The Meg

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Mile 22

Director: Peter Berg Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich

A deep-sea submersible has been attacked by a massive creature and now lies disabled at the bottom of the Pacific with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, deep-sea rescue diver Jonas is recruited to save the crew – and the ocean itself – from a prehistoric 75-foot-long shark known as the megalodon.

James Silva is an operative of the CIA’s most highly prized and least-understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds lifethreatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

N: NORTH AMERICA

DISTRIBUTOR: PICTUREWORKS CONTACT: AVINAASH JUMANI * EXCLUDING US, CANADA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, LUXEMBOURG AND ALTO ADIGE

Mission: Impossible – Fallout W

Director: Jon Turteltaub Cast: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

is caught immediately. As punishment, she is forced to learn 7,892 spells, but the evil witch interferes with her progress.

Together with her raven, the little witch puts the entire witches world to the test.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Ethan Hunt and his team are in a race against time after a mission goes wrong.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

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Night School

Director: Malcolm D. Lee Cast: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish

My Dinner With Hervé W

Director: Sacha Gervasi Cast: Peter Dinklage, Jamie Dornan, Mireille Enos, Harriet Walter, Oona Chaplin, David Strathairn

W

A man must attend night school classes alongside a group of oddballs in order to earn his much-needed diploma.

Inspired by real events, the film explores an unlikely friendship that evolves over one wild night in LA between struggling journalist Danny Tate and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world’s most famous gun-toting dwarf, with life-changing consequences for both.

DISTRIBUTOR: HBO CONTACT: KALLIOPE DIAKOS

Nobody’s Fool

Director: Tyler Perry Cast: Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Whoopi Goldberg Trying to get back on her feet, wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by-thebook sister, Danica, to help her get back on track.

DISTRIBUTOR: PARAMOUNT PICTURES CONTACT: JOAN FILIPPINI

DISTRIBUTOR: NBCUNIVERSAL CONTACT: CYNTHIA KLAR

W

The Nun

Director: Corin Hardy Cast: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Charlotte Hope, Ingrid Bisu When a young nun takes her own life, a priest and a novitiate are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force as the abbey becomes a battleground between the living and the damned.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

The Other Woman (Amoureux de ma femme) W

Director: Daniel Auteuil Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Sandrine Kiberlain, Adriana Urgate Daniel is very much in love with his wife, but when he’s introduced to his friend’s young and beautiful new girlfriend during a couples’ dinner, Daniel finds himself trapped between his wife who knows him inside out and his fantasies that take him to places he doesn’t expect.

DISTRIBUTOR: O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: JACQUELINE BRIENS * EXCLUDING FRANCE, CANADA AND SWITZERLAND

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

166

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W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: © 2018 HOME BOX OFFICE, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HBO® AND ALL RELATED PROGRAMS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HOME BOX OFFICE, INC.; © ELI JOSHUA ADE/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES; © 2018 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF O’BRIEN INTERNATIONAL

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS AT LYNDA@SKYFILMS.COM

Pandas

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Directors: David Douglas, Drew Fellman An American biologist embarks on a life-changing journey to China to help scientists breed giant pandas and introduce the cubs into the wild.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

I

Papillon

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Director: Michael Noer Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek Based on the memoirs of Henri Charrière, a petty criminal unjustly convicted of murder and sent to Devil’s Island, the notorious penal colony in French Guiana in the 1930s.

While incarcerated, he protects a quirky counterfeiter from inmates, and in return, the grateful prisoner helps Charrière stage his epic escape.

Peppermint

Director: Pierre Morel Cast: Jennifer Garner, Richard Cabral, John Ortiz, Tyson Ritter A young mother awakens from a coma after her family is brutally attacked.

When the system shields the murderers from justice, she sets out to transform herself from citizen to urban guerrilla, and then returns to methodically deliver her personal brand of justice.

DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON

DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON

* EXCLUDING US, CANADA AND FRANCE

* EXCLUDING US AND CANADA

Pick of the Litter

Directors: Don Hardy Jr., Dana Nachman Cameras follow a litter of puppies through a two-year odyssey as they train to become Guide Dogs for the Blind. Dedicated individuals train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human. The stakes are high – and not every dog can make the cut.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

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Director: Shane Black Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

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The Predator

N: NORTH AMERICA

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series.

DISTRIBUTOR: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX CONTACT: JULIAN LEVIN

I: OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: © 2018 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; © SUBMARINE; © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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INFLIGHT

Puzzle

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Director: Marc Turtletaub Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Austin Abrams, Mandela Bellamy, David Denman

Raid

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Director: Raj Kumar Gupta Cast: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D’Cruz

Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles that unexpectedly draws her into a new world – where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined.

Set in the 1980s, a fearless IT officer conducts a nonstop raid at the home of the most powerful man in the city, with the latter doing everything to stop it. Will he manage to stop the raid, or will the officer bring him down?

DISTRIBUTOR: TERRY STEINER INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: NADJA RUTKOWSKI

DISTRIBUTOR: EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CONTACT: PRASHANT GAONKAR

Searching

Director: Aneesh Chaganty Cast: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michele La After David Kim’s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet: his daughter’s laptop. He must trace his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.

DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

W

Serenity

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Director: Steven Knight Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Jeremy Strong, Jason Clarke, Djimon Hounsou Baker Dill is a fishing boat captain who leads tours off a tropical island. His quiet life is shattered when his ex-wife pleas for help. She begs Dill to save her and their young son from her violent new husband – by taking him out to sea and throwing him to the sharks.

DISTRIBUTOR: CINESKY PICTURES CONTACT: MARK HORTON * EXCLUDING US AND CANADA

Shed Skin Papa

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A Simple Favor

Director: Roy Szeto Cast: Francis Ng, Louis Koo, Jessie Li, Jacky Cai, Kristal Tin

Director: Paul Feig Cast: Linda Cardellini, Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick

Troubles keep piling up for a washed-out movie director. His wife wants a divorce, his film company has gone bankrupt and his mother has died. Meanwhile, his father starts shedding skin and appears younger every day. Over time, he gets to know his father, and reflects on his own career, marriage and family with a newfound passion.

Stephanie, a mommy vlogger, seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily’s sudden disappearance from their small town – alongside Emily’s husband, Sean – in this stylish thriller filled with twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE * EXCLUDING CHINA

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

170

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W: WORLDWIDE

PHOTOS: © 2018 BIG BEACH, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA; COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING; COURTESY OF CINESKY PICTURES; COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; @ 2018 LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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www.skeye.tv

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Director: Ron Howard Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Joonas Suotamo, Phoebe Waller-Bridge In a journey that will set the course for one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot, Chewbacca, and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian through a series of daring escapades deep within a dangerous criminal underworld.

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Soufra

Director: Thomas A. Morgan Cast: Mariam Shaar, Manal Hasan, Maha Hajjaj, Ghada Masrieh Mariam Shaar is an intrepid entrepreneur who, against all odds, attempts to expand her catering company into a food truck business with a little help from Kickstarter.

Her team consists of a diverse group of Middle Eastern women who have a shared love of food, and who call Burj el-Barajneh, a refugee camp near Beirut, home.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CONTACT:FRANCE CAPOR

DISTRIBUTOR: DISNEY STUDIOS NON-THEATRICAL CONTACT: MELINDA MEYER-GILMORE

W

The Spy Who Dumped Me W

Director: Susanna Fogel Cast: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Gillian Anderson, Sam Heughan Friends Audrey and Morgan are thrust into an international conspiracy when Audrey’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a team of deadly assassins hot on his trail. The two women jump into action, on the run throughout Europe from assassins and a suspicious-but-charming British agent, as they hatch a plan to save the world.

DISTRIBUTOR: ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION CONTACT: LYNDA HARRISS

Steel Country

W

Taxi 5

Director: Simon Fellows Cast: Andrew Scott, J.D. Evermore, Denise Gough, Bronagh Waugh

Director: Franck Gastambide Cast: Franck Gastambide, Malik Bentalha, Bernard Farcy

When a young boy turns up dead in a sleepy western Pennsylvania town, Donald, a local truck driver with Asperger’s syndrome, takes it upon himself to play detective, embarking on an obsessive investigation to prove the boy was murdered, which leads to unthinkable and harrowing consequences.

A Paris police officer who’s transferred to Marseille gets assigned to take down a group of Ferrari-driving Italian robbers – only his sidekick is no good behind the wheel and drives a taxi.

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN * EXCLUDING FRANCE

DISTRIBUTOR: SKEYE CONTACT: ISABELLE BÉGIN

Teen Titans Go! to the Movies W

Directors: Peter Rida Michail, Aaron Horvath Cast: Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage Robin is determined for the Teen Titans to star in their own movie – all the major superheroes do! With a few madcap ideas, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town to pull off their dream. When the group is misdirected by a supervillain and his maniacal plan to take over Earth, things go awry.

DISTRIBUTOR: WARNER BROS. CONTACT: JEFF CRAWFORD

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES

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PHOTOS: © 2018 & TM LUCASFILM LTD.; © KEW MEDIA; © 2018 LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; COURTESY OF SKEYE; © JOHN WAXXX © 2018 – T5 PRODUCTION – ARP – TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION – EUROPACORP – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2018 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Solo: A Star Wars Story W

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The Trough

Director: Nick Cheung Cast: Nick Cheung, Xu Jinglei, He Jiong Yu Chau is an undercover cop who can no longer tell which side of the law he is on.

When he accidentally kills a pal during an operation, he runs off and hides. After waking from his own despair, he teams up with fellow officers to catch a crime boss, only to unveil collusions with government officials at the highest level.

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Venom

What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life W

Director: Ruben Fleischer Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott Lethal protector Venom – one of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters – comes to the big screen.

DISTRIBUTOR: SONY PICTURES RELEASING CONTACT: RANA MATTHES

DISTRIBUTOR: EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CONTACT: GIGI LEE * EXCLUDING CHINA

Director: Yôji Yamada Cast: Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Masahiko Nishimura, Yui Natsukawa Fumie lives with her two sons, husband Konosuke and his parents. One afternoon, a thief steals the money she kept hidden in the refrigerator. Konosuke berates Fumie and she walks out, leaving the family to fend for themselves, with no sign she will be coming back. Is the Hirata family on the verge of collapse?

DISTRIBUTOR: ENCORE INFLIGHT CONTACT: EDWIN CHEUNG * EXCLUDING JAPAN

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What They Had

Director: Elizabeth Chomko Cast: Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Josh Lucas, Blythe Danner, Robert Forster, Taissa Farmiga Bridget returns home to Chicago at her brother’s urging to deal with her mother’s Alzheimer’s and her father’s reluctance to let go of their life together.

DISTRIBUTOR: JAGUAR DISTRIBUTION CONTACT: FRANCE CAPOR

When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead W

Director: Toshio Lee Cast: Ken Yasuda, Nana Eikura When Jun gets home, he finds his wife, Chie, bleeding and lying on the floor. He is shocked by the scene, but it turns out the blood is just ketchup. Without telling him why, Chie pretends to be dead every day. Jun is astonished by her behavior and begins to feel uncomfortable with her.

What happened to his wife?

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The Wife

Director: Björn Runge Cast: Christian Slater, Max Irons, Elizabeth McGovern, Glenn Close A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EMPHASIS VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT; COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING; © 2018 WHAT A WONDERFUL FAMILY! 3: MY WIFE, MY LIFE FILM PARTNERS; © BLOOM; © 2018 WHEN I GET HOME, MY WIFE ALWAYS PRETENDS TO BE DEAD PRODUCTION COMMITTEE; © META FILM LONDON LIMITED 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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THROWBACK

Taking the Airline Online Today’s high-powered pocket computers we call smartphones let us book a flight within seconds, but this wasn’t always the case.

BY HOWARD SLUTSKEN

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Who remembers Netscape? The Internet browser appeared back in the mid-1990s, during the days of dial-up connectivity.

One of the early browsers, it was used as we took our first tentative steps into the world of the Internet.

Capitalizing on this advanced technology, Alaska Airlines was the first airline in the United States to give customers the ability to search for flights, make bookings and pay for their tickets online.

In a 1995 press release announcing Alaska’s roll-out of this new online interactivity, Bill Ayer, then vice-president of Marketing and Planning, who went on to become president, CEO and chair of the airline, said, “We surveyed our frequent flyers and nearly half said they wanted the convenience of making travel plans on their home or office computer.”

Compared to today’s almost-instant processing via broadband services, the

snail-like speed of dial-up connections required patience, but customers could now take control of their travel planning – just very, very slowly.

“Within three to 10 minutes, depending on familiarity with the website and extent of travel plans,” Ayer explained, “a customer can search out the lowest fare and most convenient schedule, book themselves and pay for the ticket. The website is very user-friendly.”

Soon after its initial launch, the online portal was updated to work with “additional browsers.” The airline went on to add online seat assignments and give its frequent flyers the ability to book reward seats and check their accounts.

Ayer retired from Alaska Airlines in 2012. And while Netscape was eventually acquired by AOL, it, too, was retired, after its final release in 2008.

PHOTOS: ALASKA AIRLINES; ISTOCKPHOTO

In 1995, Alaska Airlines was one of the first carriers to offer online booking.

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