Airline Passenger Experience - APEX

experience airline passenger

june - july 2014

The Content Issue

GAMING IN THE GLOBAL ARCADE | HOLLYWOOD ROUNDTABLE | MUSIC LICENSING IN AN AGE OF CHANGE | WINGING IT ON THE SILVER SCREEN | THE PASSENGER JOURNEY

official publication of the airline passenger experience association

Delivering and shaping premium entertainment and connectivity, to airline passengers worldwide.

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

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

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

Book an appointment with us at the APEX Expo on booth #442 sales@globaleagleent.com www.globaleagleent.com

airbus.com

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

You’d never accept this.

So why would you accept this?

Personal space isn’t any less personal on a twelve hour long-haul flight. Yet some aircraft manufacturers are dreaming about matching our economics by reducing the width of their standard economy class seat – in many cases less than the seat width found on many commuter aircraft. This shouldn’t be the standard for personal space. Thankfully, these days you have a choice. Demand the Airbus standard for personal space. With the 18 inch standard economy class seat on the A330 and A350 XWB and the 18.5 inch economy class seat offered standard on the A380, it’ll make a massive difference.

So, the next time you’re feeling squeezed on a plane, at least now you’ll know why: It’s not you, it’s the seat.

2Ku, the revolutionary inflight satellite communications technology from Gogo, delivers unrivaled spectral efficiency and unprecedented speeds of 70+ Mbps to aircraft. With near-global coverage, 2Ku is compatible with any aircraft serving any route, including those operating in equatorial regions.

Introducing

2Ku 70+

Mbps

17cm

low profile radome

Visit us at gogoair.com/2Ku to see what Gogo’s next generation technology can do for you.

Or drop us a line at airlinesales@gogoair.com

2x

spectral efficiency

Contents

apex experience

The Content Issue

Visit us at apex.aero

june - july 2014

From the trend of highly produced pre-flight safety videos and the latest in crowd-fuelled gaming events, to a passenger’s experience of airport branding versus a chronic traveler’s essay on how social storytelling has reached new heights, this issue is all about content and how we receive, consume and reshape it.

> Features

> Q&A Profiles

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Winging it on the Silver Screen

Music Licensing in an Age of Change

The Connected Passenger

We love our movies, so much so that surreal plot twists and common aviation errors are widely accepted in films. We take a look at some of our favorite offenders.

Why is in-flight licensing such a notoriously confusing subject?

We look at licensing trends within the industry, and compare in-flight costs against those on the ground.

Matthew Hays

Geoff Duncan

Our illustrated infographic tracks the mobile journey of passengers and how they are using their devices.

Katie Sehl

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71 Standing to Attention

48 Devin Liddell

A frequent passenger looks at the airport content experience, and how content messaging needs to stand out to gain the attention of busy travelers.

Principal Brand Strategist, Teague

C.C. Chapman

56 Jamie Martin Director, Library Media Solutions Limited

66 Nicole Grainger Business Development Manager, Satellite Solutions and Cabin Services, Rockwell Collins

78 Gaming in the Global Arcade Technology in games is evolving rapidly: Not just with advanced programming, but also with the rising popularity of gamecasting.

92 Customization on Demand As IFE equipment is swiftly modernized, Marisa Garcia warns that creative content offerings must also stay on course.

Director of Sales, Just For Laughs

90 Stuart McGeachin Creative Director, DMD Phantom

Jordan Yerman

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june - july 2014

Airline Passenger Experience Association

illustration: manuel córdova Photo: peter gallina

76 Shawn Rosengarten

Contents

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Comfort & Ambience Entertainment & Connectivity Catering & Services

june - july 2014

> Industry

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3D In Flight has yet to Take Off

Ahead of the Curve

Many box office mega-hits are made available in 3D, but will this technology ever make it off the ground?

Airlines bet big with key sponsorship deals, often teaming up with world-renowned sports franchises.

Matthew Braga

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Katie Sehl

> APEX

> Standbys

Getting on Board With HD

27 The Economy of Class There’s a new class distinction breaking ground, as many customers are now flying high on Premium Economy.

Katie Sehl

28 A Penny for Your Scent?

Savvy advertisers are not new to the power of scent marketing, but is an airline cabin the appropriate place to establish an olfactory brand identity?

Jenn Wint

31 Suit up With Tailor Made Services Passenger loyalty is built by meeting specific needs: Economy self-serve kiosks proliferate, while concierge programs cater to luxury clients.

While high-definition technology has become commonplace in our living rooms, in-flight implementation hasn’t been so easy. We look at who’s flying with HD. Bryan Rusenko

39 Taking Social Media to new Heights Learn how airlines are using platforms like Twitter and Facebook to interact with fans, and take on our Instagram/ Airline match-up challenge.

Katie Sehl

14 President’s Letter 15 Board News 22 APEX in Action

96 - 101

58 Representatives from Fox, Paramount and Sony discuss the future of the embedded seatback model as PEDs become more popular onboard.

APEX News

103 IFSA News

Tomás Romero

> Listings

84

106 Movie Listings

Travelogue: A Thousand Words

129 Advertisers’ Index

Pre Flight Goes Avant Garde

Brett Snyder

18 Featured Contributors

Roundtable: Flash Forward

40 Safety videos were once rote necessities, but there’s been a trend in recent years towards shock-and-awe productions that establish a unique brand identity.

16 Editor’s Letter

The experience of a chronic traveler is shaped by his interaction with social media throughout the entire journey cycle.

Jason Sanders

130 84

Throwback We celebrate the career of recently retired Entertainment in Motion founder and CEO, Mike Covell.

Marisa Garcia 12

june - july 2014

Airline Passenger Experience Association

illustration: Nicolas galdames Photos: JASON SANDERS; PETER GALLINA

37

President’s Letter

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Dear Fellow APEX Members, As we journey past the halfway mark of 2014, I wanted to take this time to say, “thank you.”

Thank you to all the members who volunteer their time and energy for the association.

Thank you to those who actively participate in a committee. Thank you to those who share their thoughts and feedback with us. And thank you to the men and women who serve on the Board. If you have a passion for this industry, I encourage you to join a committee. If you are on a committee and would like to do more, I encourage you to run for the Board. Do you know someone who would be perfect for any of these roles? I encourage you to encourage them.

As always, I invite you to personally reach out to me or any other Board member to give your feedback – whether it’s related to EXPO, our global events schedule or any other issue. This is, after all, your association.

Your Board’s contact info is listed at apex.aero.

Now on to some official business, I would like to

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welcome Spafax. As you know, we have re-launched the entire APEX Media Platform to better meet your needs. We’ve partnered with Spafax on the magazine and look forward to Al St. Germain and his team taking our media to new levels of success. We hope that you will be pleased with the results.

This time of year we find ourselves getting ready to spend time with family and loved ones as we take some much-needed vacation. I hope for all of you with such plans that you have a wonderful time. And to those die-hard workaholics like myself: Try to take one day off to stop and smell the roses.

Have a great summer, and we’ll see you at the EXPO in September!

“If you have a passion for this industry, I encourage you to join a committee.

If you are on a committee and would like to do more, I encourage you to run for the Board.”

> Alfy Veretto apex president Virgin America

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Follow us @APEXexperience

Board News

apex experience

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

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

APEX continues its campaign for a more prominent presence in Asia. After our highly successful Regional Conference in Shanghai last fall, our next conference will be this November in Hong Kong.

More information will become available in the coming months. Additionally, APEX hopes to bring its EXPO to Asia in 2016. Stand by for details.

By popular demand, development is underway for a printed member directory. We hope that this will better serve the members and help to foster a more open and collaborative environment within the association. And as always, we hope the online directory will continue to be a valuable tool for you – available at apex.aero.

Our recent conference down under – this March in Sydney, Australia – was seen as a major success, with nine out of 10 rating their experience as good or excellent, and 92 percent saying they would like to attend another APEX Conference in Asia. We also received a number of positive comments from attendees, who are excited for the opportunity to connect and learn in their region of the world. We look forward to continuing to bring our programming around the world.

> Alfy Veretto president Virgin America

> Joan Filippini treasurer Paramount Pictures

American Airlines

> Chris Babb immediate past president Delta Air Lines

> Michael Childers

> Gloria Chow

Lufthansa Systems

Cathay Pacific Airways

> Mary Rogozinski Gogo

Airline Passenger Experience Association

> Jennifer Clark vice president

> Dominic Green secretary Thales Avionics, Inc.

> Kevin Bremer Boeing Commercial Airplanes

> Éric Lauzon Air Canada

> Ingo Wuggetzer Airbus

june - july 2014

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Editor’s Letter

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Airlines as Content Delivery Systems Consider the theme of “content,” and the visual of an endless stream of media including movies, television, books and music may jump to mind. The need for information is an intrinsic part of human nature, and the airline industry provides a unique platform to study both the rapid evolution of content and how we process it.

e are honored and thrilled to be the new publishers of APEX’s Airline Passenger Experience Magazine.

To paraphrase a famous commercial, “We’re not just the publishers – we’re also members!” Like all of you, we have a vested interest in the continuous improvement and transformation of what is experienced and enjoyed by passengers around the world.

With that in mind, our goal is not just to publish a magazine six times a year, but to facilitate a conversation among our members, outside experts and the flying public at large – a conversation that is honest about the challenges we face as an industry, and doesn’t shy away from what we can all do better.

We also want to feature you more. Yes, you! The people that make our business what it is today, whether it’s distributing films, designing in-flight entertainment systems, engineering seats, analyzing metadata, selecting meals or one of the thousands of other tasks that are required to get a passenger from origin to destination in comfort and style. You will certainly see a few familiar faces and hopefully get to know some new ones within the pages of every issue.

Terri and Al

> Al St. Germain publisher

> Terri Potratz editor

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We know you’re all very busy, so one of our most important tasks is to make the content in this magazine, on the web, and throughout our social media channels as easy and as fun to digest as possible. The airline business is one of the most complicated in the world, but APEX Experience does not need to be.

Our inaugural issue focuses on the theme of content. Too often, when people in our business think of content, onboard movies, TV shows and music are all that come to mind. But content goes well beyond traditional genres of entertainment – it pervades the entire passenger experience with a presence that continues to evolve every day. This issue looks at a number of areas where airlines and their partners can use content to better engage with passengers, and create stronger loyalty in the process.

We look forward to meeting you at various APEX events and certainly invite your questions, comments, jokes and even snide remarks at editor@apex.aero

illustration: oscar chávez

W

Airline Passenger Experience Association

PANASONIC AVIONICS DELIVERS GREAT AUDIO

Driving a revolution in in-flight audio .

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

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

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

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

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

Contributors

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Featured

june - july 2014

Oscar Chávez “Chavezónico” is an illustrator and animator who loves watching in-flight movies and improvising on travel plans once he arrives at his destination. He usually travels light, but once brought a Tintin figure home from Belgium’s Hegré museum.

See Oscar’s work on our cover.

Read Jordan’s work on page > 78

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

Jordan Yerman is a writer, journalist and photographer based in Vancouver, by way of New York City and London. He always keeps the transit card from the last major city he’s visited in his wallet; at the moment it’s from Tokyo. His favorite t-shirt is from an indie designer on the streets of Bangkok, which depicts a globe with wings. Jordan will trounce you at Joust.

Clara Prieto is an illustrator specializing in information design. She always gets to the airport hours ahead of schedule, and her most prized souvenir is a book on typography, A Book of Scripts (1949, The King Penguin Books), purchased in England.

See Clara’s work on page > 39

> Publisher Al St. Germain astgermain@spafax.com

PRODUCTION

EDITORIAL

> Fact Checkers Leah Cameron Dawn Promislow

> Editor Terri Potratz tpotratz@spafax.com

Read Geoff’s work on page > 50

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> Proofreaders Katie Moore Jane Pavanel

> Copy Editor Katie Sehl ksehl@spafax.com

ADVERTISING

> Research Assistant Ella Ponomarov

> Sales Director Steve O’connor soconnor@spafax.com +44 207 906 2077

> Assistant Copy Editors Diane Carlson Geoffrey Lansdell Ann Ward > Contributors Matthew Braga, C.C. Chapman, Geoff Duncan, Marisa Garcia, Matthew Hays, Tomás Romero, Bryan Rusenko, Jason Sanders, Brett Snyder, Jennifer Wint, Jordan Yerman ART

Geoff Duncan is a freelance writer, musician and software nerd living in Seattle. He always packs an absurd number of socks in his carry-on, along with a wind-up watch. He collects plastic swizzle sticks while traveling, and now has a collection of swords, monkeys, mermaids, giraffes, spears, palm trees, flamingos, skeletons and seahorses that numbers in the hundreds.

> Production Manager Andreanne Lafond

> Art Director Nicolas Venturelli nventurelli@spafax.com

> Advertising Production Mary Shaw mshaw@spafax.com SPAFAX CONTENT MARKETING > President Raymond Girard > Content Director Arjun Basu > Production Director Joelle Irvine

> Designers Eva Dorsch Bernardita Espinoza > Contributors Julie Carles, Oscar Chávez, Marcelo Contreras, Manuel Córdova, Nicolás Galdames, Hernán Kirsten, Vicente Martí, Clara Prieto, Coca Ruiz.

content on the go

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Lumexis FTTS速 Inflight Entertainment Systems

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

Please Visit

www.lumexis.com

Stand 1400 APEX EXPO 2014 16-18 September Anaheim CA

Run the future, not cables.

BoardConnect Lufthansa Systems AG Corporate Marketing Am Weiher 24 65451 Kelsterbach info@LHsystems.com www.LHsystems.com

A word of caution to your passengers before they take their next tablet on board: our wireless IFE solution "BoardConnect" may cause them to experience feelings of satisfaction and wellbeing on your aircraft.

Your airline may experience side-effects as well in the form of a significant decrease in costs and a healthy increase in ancillary revenue.

The switch to BoardConnect is fast and easy. The options it offers are virtually endless.

apex experience

Welcome

This Issue

photo: changi airport group

The Social Tree The Social Tree sits in the heart of Terminal 1’s Central Piazza at Singapore Changi Airport, standing nearly nine meters tall and spanning 11 meters. The colorful trunk of the tree, assembled with 100 LED-lit aluminum bars, supports 64 giant 42-inch high definition screens that comprise the 360-degree tree crown structure. Travelers share photos and videos on the screens via social media, or create new memories at one of the eight touch-screen photo booths. Contributions are stored in the tree for years, enabling each piece of content to become a part of Changi Airport’s history. The Social Tree epitomizes the central role of content within the passenger experience.

See the gallery at > apex.aero/Multimedia

june - july 2014

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Social

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

APEX in Action We see familiar faces at Regional Conferences, Education Sessions, Committee Meetings and other events all around the world. APEX: where members connect, learn and create together.

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Social

apex experience

Follow us @APEXexperience

1. Representatives from Schneller and Rohi at AIX. 2. Jackie Lipka, Bloomberg Media.

3. Hollywood’s Rana Matthes, Cynthia Klar and Joan Filippini at the TV Market Networking Event.

4. TV Market delegates at the Guinness Storehouse.

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5. The Fantastic 10 celebrate their trivia victory.

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6. Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn and Inflight Dublin CEO John White.

7. Sony Pictures’ France Capor and Richard Ashton serve as quiz masters.

8. Noted Dublin band Kíla entertains the crowd.

9. The team from Saudi Arabian airlines and Onboard International in Dublin.

10. Delegates enjoy a postdinner chat at the TV Market Networking Event.

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11. Kevin King from Panasonic with Bill Peltola from Inmarsat.

12/13. Delegates to the APEX Australasia event enjoy a sunset cruise of Sydney Harbour.

See the gallery at > apex.aero /social

photos: Peter Gallina; terri potratz

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Do you have social photos that are fit to print? Email submissions to 12

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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> editor@apex.aero

june - july 2014

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Comfort

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

Despite the apparent enthusiasm for 3D IFE, no airline has claimed the milestone of being the first to offer in-flight movies in 3D.

3D In Flight Entertainment has yet to Take Off After a banner year in 2011 for 3D movie releases, the airline industry braced for a move towards 3D enabled IFE, but discussion on the subject has since fallen flat. Will plans for 3D IFE ever materialize, or is the potential for this onboard experience merely an illusion?

by Katie Sehl illustration Nicolás Galdames

Craving more news on comfort? Head to > apex.aero/Comfort

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Interest in the 3D cinema experience reached its all-time peak in 2011, a year in which 39 3D films hit the box office, including Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Hugo and The Green Hornet.

Not surprisingly, it was around this time that the airline industry began to consider the feasibility of 3D in-flight entertainment (IFE).

In 2011, several media outlets reported that MasterImage 3D, a company that develops stereoscopic 3D systems for theaters, was in talks with a number of airlines about installing glasses-free 3D screens. A year later at the 2012 Airline Passenger Experience Expo, Panasonic unveiled their new 24-inch Altus monitor, the first prototype of an IFE 3D monitor.

Despite this apparent enthusiasm for 3D IFE, no airline has claimed the milestone of being the first to offer in-flight movies in 3D. In fact, over the past three years, interest in integrating this premium cinema technology with IFE has almost completely abated.

The lack of action on in-flight 3D technology isn’t solely the result of declining interest in 3D at the box office, which will showcase the fewest number of 3D productions this year since 2011. There are also functional hurdles involved in bringing 3D technology onboard, starting with the increased hardware costs required to retrofit aircraft with new screens.

In addition to the initial hardware investment, the required screen size and distance from the screen makes 3D next to impossible outside of business class.

Beyond such practical considerations, there are countless other issues, such as the higher potential for motion sickness and licensing costs.

As interest in bringing 3D technology to IFE systems subsides, it underscores the practical limitations of replicating the cinematic experience on an airplane. The success of a movie like Gravity, a sensory journey that relies heavily on 3D technology, keeps the dream of in-flight 3D – however peripheral – alive.

With several carriers opting for the removal of seatback screens in favor of tablets and the recent release of 3D-enabled portable electronic devices, it might prove to be too soon to dismiss the possibility of 3D IFE. Airline Passenger Experience Association

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SUPPORT EVERYWHERE Personalized service 24/7 worldwide

After 15 years, our passions remain the same – delight the passenger – take care of our airline customers. Powerful innovation and performance.

This is why more than 70 world airlines put their trust in Thales.

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Ambience

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

A Penny for Your Scent?

It’s no surprise that brands have become savvy to the power of scent.

by Jenn Wint

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june - july 2014

In an airplane cabin, eating, sleeping, relaxing and business all happen in the same space but not necessarily at the same time.

In an airplane cabin, eating, sleeping, relaxing and business all happen in the same space but not necessarily at the same time. These events take place in close proximity to fellow passengers who are often strangers, making the airplane cabin not the most ideal environment to introduce a branded fragrance. It may be common to experience the subtle aroma of brand definition in hotel lobbies or retail stores, but the confined and multipurpose nature of the airplane cabin keeps public opinion divided on the issue.

Follow author Jenn Wint on Twitter: @jenn_Wint

Airline Passenger Experience Association

ilustration: Hernán Kirsten

We’re all familiar with the debate about which of our five senses (touch, smell, sound, sight and taste) is the most powerful, and the olfactory sense of smell is often regarded as a frontrunner. Smell can evoke memories, recreate emotions or motivate a person to move quickly closer to or further away from the source.

Online sales aside, the scent sense now sits alongside sights and sounds in a marketer’s toolbox.

If a clothing store has a soft linen perfume, a dentist’s office has a hygienic scent and a lawyer’s office smells of rich leather, customers are led to believe the products and services are of a high standard. The danger is that some scents can be close neighbors to contaminants. This is the reason we see scent-free or no-smell zones in doctor’s offices, schools and workplaces.

One person’s roses are another’s kerosene.

This idea of selling scent is not a new one, but the jury’s still out on whether it’s a wise move for all industries. Singapore Airlines has a signature scent called Stefan Floridian Waters. Fresh and floral, it’s likely to get passengers in holiday mode, picturing themselves by a pool instead of feeling anxious about the flight ahead. Qantas Airlines wafts their signature scent into their customer lounge, and British Airways has a branded scent that smells like meadow grass. Cold air diffusion, dry air evaporation or other technology is used to pump scents into HVAC systems and create these effects.

The issue we face with scent diffused into airplanes is that it contradicts a marketer’s number one rule when introducing smells: The scent must match the event. This could be why some airlines have left their signature scents on the ground, hoping that the pre-travel aroma persists in the passenger’s memory during flight.

Ambience

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Follow us @APEXexperience

Something in the Air: A Timeline of Scent Events

1955

Allegheny County commissioners in Pittsburgh vote down a proposed installation of cologne dispensing machines in women’s lounges at airports, citing that too many women would object to the odor being dispensed.

2008

Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb fragrance, packaged to resemble a hand grenade, is banned from sale at Oslo airport due to security concerns.

1959

The Parisian metro introduces the scent of carnation into their trains to increase comfort and well-being among passengers.

2008

NTT Communications Corp launch a “scent-emitting LCD display system” at a Tokyo train station, which emits tempting aromas corresponding to the onscreen imagery and lures hungry passersby into nearby food outlets.

1990s

Singapore Airlines launches the airline industry’s first branded scent, Stefan Floridian Waters, to be worn by flight attendants, blended in hot towels and generally permeated throughout the entire fleet.

2010

Qantas launches a green-tea fragrance for their business class lounges.

1991

Marin County’s County Parks Commission declared their building to be what many consider the world’s first legallysanctioned “fragrancefree” zone.

2013

Japan Airlines launches two aromas for domestic and international lounges at airports throughout Japan – a Japanese cypress, leaf and pine needle scent for the morning and a rosewood, lavender and vetiver scent for evenings.

2005

The Westin hotel chain launches their White Tea scent.

2014

Swiss International Airlines becomes the first allergy-free airline.

illustration: julie carles

Making Sense of Scent-Free Zones It was as late as 1989 that smoking was still in the process of being banned on major airlines. In 2014, the thought of 12B in the seat beside you smoking a cigarette is shocking – even more so if 11C and 13C are also lighting up. Secondhand smoke is harmful to our health, creates an unpleasant atmosphere and as a side effect, stinks.

Smoking inside an aircraft violates various health and safety regulations, but other scents can have a similar effect on consumers without breaking any laws.

For someone with asthma or allergies to chemicals, dusts, molds or fungi, bacteria, gases, vapors and odors can be very disruptive. Potentially offending

Airline Passenger Experience Association

odors can include heavy perfumes, lotions, lack of hygiene or even the tuna sandwich you had for lunch.

We now often see signs indicating we are entering a scent-free zone. These “zones” are typically places where strangers gather in close proximity for extended periods of time or where a heavy scent could interfere with existing chemicals, such as in a doctor’s office.

Some scent-free zones maintain air purity and protect against environmental sensitivities by diffusing the output ducts of their HVAC system with neutralizers, but human interaction still plays a role in the result, and that’s harder to manage.

Scent is a tough thing to enforce. If a sign says don’t pet the lions and the zookeeper sees you with your hands through the cage you will be reprimanded. A heavy perfume or the stink from last night’s soccer game seeping through a t-shirt is harder to recognize and more difficult to politely address, even with a “scent-free zone” sign hanging on the wall.

It may be straightforward to ask someone to keep their voice down in a library, but if there’s a heavy scent in the air, a clothespin over the nose might be your only option.

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Follow us @APEXexperience

apex experience

Services

Suit up With Tailor Made Services The increasing reliance by airlines on automated check-in systems, with the promise of more automation to come, might incline one to think that airlines are opting for efficiency over personal service, but some airlines have enhanced concierge programs for a select group of clients with great success.

photo: gettyimages

by Marisa Garcia

Automated systems have become commonplace at airports, adopted by members of the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Fully automated systems are now available, to varying degrees, around the world.

Along with online check-in, first offered by Alaska Airlines in 1999, the check-in process has been further expedited by highly efficient self-service kiosks and the more recent adoption of mobile check-in technology.

Passengers with no luggage can now walk right through security to their lounge or gate with limited human interaction. But even baggage checking has been automated with self-service bag-drop counters provided by airlines such as KLM at Schiphol International Airport and Lufthansa at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport.

Along with airlines, airports are also responding to the increasing demand for self-service. Vancouver International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport recently upgraded their Automated Passport Control BorderXpress kiosks – which automate the border inspection process – with cutting-edge biometric technology.

The popularity of self-service among travelers also is evident in other areas of the travel market. NCR, the U.S.-based computer hardware, software and electronics company which introduced the first self-service travel kiosks in 1996, now provides airlines, hotels and car rental companies with a variety of interactive automated systems.

A great number of passengers prefer the speed and simplicity of these automated Airline Passenger Experience Association

systems, but not all. While all travelers share the mutual desire for an expedited journey, conceptions of what that actually means often vary among travel classes.

For first and business class travelers more accustomed to elevated personal-service standards, self-service automation may not be desirable. This customer tier expects airlines to meet the same concierge-based service standards they receive at the high-end boutiques where they shop and the luxury hotels and resorts they are accustomed to

staying in on business and leisure trips.

The varying service expectations upheld by different travel classes are laid out rather clearly at most airport terminals, like Emirates’ Terminal 3, for example, where mobile check-in is available alongside 30 dedicated check-in counters for first and business class travelers. Most of these travelers are likely to own mobile devices, yet the abundance of staffed service counters is proof that personal service is still an option preferred by this tier. > june - july 2014

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Services

apex experience

photos: Lufthansa; emirates

BELOW: Emirates first class check-in desk. RIGHT: Lufthansa has developed highly efficient self-service: Passengers with no luggage to check can walk right through security to their lounge or gate with limited human interaction.

Many first and business class travelers have their travel arrangements made for them by a personal concierge, facilitated by their credit card company. They expect private and comfortable transport to the airport.

When they arrive, they do not expect to contend with a crowd.

To meet the demands of these travelers, Singapore Airlines has a dedicated curbside entrance at Terminal 3 of Changi Airport for their first class passengers. Virgin Australia has also announced plans to provide select passengers with Premium Entry to Brisbane Airport by mid-2015 – a service they already provide at Sydney Airport – and Premium Exit will be introduced this July to ease passengers departing from Melbourne Airport.

At Frankfurt Airport, Lufthansa’s construction of what they describe as a “purpose-built First Class Terminal” for members of their frequent flyer club, HON Circle, and full-fare first class passengers develops the infrastructure for personal services from the curb to the airport lounge.

The airline tells us that at the new terminal, along with their various first class lounges, they will provide passengers with “concierge services, limousine transfer direct to the aircraft, an exclusive ambience with gourmet restaurant and personal attention.” To qualify, passengers need only Airline Passenger Experience Association

pay for a first class ticket, or have collected the 600,000 HON Circle miles required within two consecutive calendar years.

United Airlines and American Airlines also offer exclusive personalized services to elite travelers – however, they have made their turnkey services into a secretive competition.

Both carriers politely declined our requests for any details of their respective Global Services and ConciergeKey services, stating that they had no need or desire to advertise them.

For a select segment of consumers, elite status and the personalized service that comes with it is an irresistible temptation.

For others, convenience and independence are the greatest attractions.

While cleverly crafted to meet the needs of consumers with completely different travel requirements, these extremes of service accomplish the same goals: improving the passenger experience, building loyalty and enabling the traveler to achieve a hassle-free journey.

By 2016, 98 percent of airports will offer check-in kiosks.

(SITA, Airport IT Trends, 2013).

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

june - july 2014

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Another problem solved.

Magnetic Jack Unit.

Your IFE investment demands successful delivery at every seat, on every flight. Broken headset pins and unserviceable RJUs, lowers passenger satisfaction across all cabin classes. To eliminate this, we created the Magnetic Jack Unit (MJU™) – a drop-in replacement, fully compatible with existing IFE systems and headphone fleets. Our blue-sky thinking: focused on delivery.

Visit Phitek at the APEX Show – Stand #911.

IFE Innovation. Delivered.

Ph +64 9 524 2984 | info@phitek.com | www.phitek.com

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Entertainment

Ahead of the Curve Sponsorship is big business. Myriad brands in myriad industries spend billions each year to sponsor everything from music festivals to sports teams to competitions around the world, and airlines are no exception.

by Matthew Braga

“[Sponsorship] is tapping into key passion points,” says Chipps. “So you see companies sponsor everything from sports to music to the arts, making that emotional connection with consumers.”

Big annual festivals or competitions are good examples of destination events, and airlines might establish partnerships or sponsorships to raise awareness about new or existing routes.

Southwest Airlines, for example, launched “Nashville’s New Music in New York” last fall, a free concert series promoting its New York to Nashville service, while Etihad Airways’ multi-year deal with Major League Soccer, announced March 2014, is partly designed to promote the Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s expanding US service.

photo: nike

Consider Emirates’ five-year $125-million deal to sponsor Paris Saint-Germain football club, or the almost $80-million British Airways paid for the rights to the 2012 London Olympics.

“Traditional media just isn’t as effective at reaching consumers as it once was,” says William Chipps, senior editor of the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) Sponsorship Report. “And what has more broad, universal, cross-cultural appeal than sport?”

In 2012, sports-related sponsorships accounted for over half of all sponsorship money spent by airlines in the US. This year, sports are projected to account for 70 percent of total sponsorship spending by American brands. And this is only scratching the surface.

In local markets, sponsorships can also be leveraged as community building exercises. AirAsia entered the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2009 with its sponsorship of local Malaysian star Zulfahmi Khairuddin, and in March, the airline became the title sponsor of the country’s AirAsia-Caterham Moto Racing Team.

Late last year, Chicago-based carrier United Airlines signed a 20-year deal to retain its naming rights to the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. As part of the deal, United Airlines also promised community outreach programs to benefit Chicago.

Free tickets, merchandise and the use of intellectual property and logos in promotions are integral to any sponsorship deal. They give airlines more marketing value and reach than traditional advertising campaigns – especially those with international aspirations.

“And that ‘halo effect’ is key,” says Chipps. “It’s a mutually beneficial way for airlines to reach a broader audience base – and oftentimes, one that isn’t 30,000 feet in the air.”

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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35

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www.eleathergroup.com

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Getting on Board with HD Ultra HD is now standard fare in living rooms around the world, but in-flight we’re still striving to keep up with this rapidly evolving technology. We take a look at airlines that are setting the pace for HD programming.

photo: gettyimages

by Bryan Rusenko

For more on Entertainment and HD developments, visit >

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Passengers boarding a flight today are accustomed to stepping from a world where high definition (HD) video is everywhere, into an airline cabin where HD is often billed as a “coming attraction.” That’s all changing now that a small group of airlines are setting the pace for onboard HD programming.

Two in-flight entertainment systems that are powering this transition are Lumexis Corporation’s fiber-to-the-screen (FTTS) and Panasonic Avionics’ eX3. Both systems feature a modular approach that offers the ability to customize and upgrade displays within an established distribution and server architecture. Integrating the screen, interface computer and media decoders into a single unit also provides modularity and eliminates the seat electronics box (SEB) of previous generations. Advances in displays can be integrated into the newest installs or upgrades, a compelling advantage that helps to “future-proof” IFE. Lumexis’ FTTS system has been HD capable since their first installation in 2009, as fiber optic cable provides very high bandwidth capacity. Rich Salter, CTO of Lumexis, notes that it was designed specifically to provide HD to each seat simultaneously. Launch customer flydubai has had HD programming onboard

Entertainment

since the airline was established in 2008. flydubai’s vice president of in-flight product, Daniel Kerrison, says, “The advantages of fiber are clear. We can encode 720p MPEG-4 files at 11mbps, providing our passengers with an unprecedented experience in-flight.” Lumexis’ third generation VDUs are 1080p resolution and available in 10.1-inch, 12.1-inch, 15.4-inch and 23-inch versions. Transaero Airlines and Turkish Airlines are also flying with FTTS. Panasonic’s latest eX3 system, with clients including Emirates, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines, is based on the unique X Series architecture. Their current visual display units (VDUs), ECO and Elite series, are 720p, while the Altus 24-inch and 32-inch and Elite 12-inch and 13-inch are native 1080p. Displays have quad-core processors that decode and display from 1080p files, allowing for a common HD media format – the standard for new installs according to Cedric Rhoads, director of product marketing for Panasonic Avionics.

These servers rely on enterprise grade SSDs, eliminating spinning hard disk storage in favor of components with no moving parts.

HD is no longer just on the ground – it’s flying. june - july 2014

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ADVANCED ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

Connectivity

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Taking Social Media to New Heights

What airline has the most fans on Twitter, with 5.7 million followers? Who’s still racing to the one million fan mark on Facebook? Our media charticle also examines how airlines are tweeting, and challenges you to an Instagram match-up by pairing airlines with their most liked photo.

by Katie Sehl | illustration Clara Prieto

How the Top Four Airlines on Twitter are Tweeting Company Related News & Events

These four airlines are flying ahead of the pack with the most followers, so they probably know a thing or two about tweeting. The chart below breaks down the different types of tweets that were sent out by the airlines in March, 2014.

FACTS AMONG THE TOP FOUR JetBlue is the most followed airline on Twitter AirAsia runs individualized Twitter accounts for India, the Philippines and Singapore Retweets 16% Original tweets 84%

Retweets

Promotion

Social

Travel Updates

120 Tweets

AirAsia 18%

Southwest Airlines

12%

20%

43%

7%

49 Tweets 13% | 11% | 36%

40%

American Airlines

49 Tweets 19% 14% 22%

37%

JetBlue

KLM 5.7M

8%

31 Tweets 6% | 23% | 32% | 29% | 10%

AirAsia tweets the most often JetBlue tweets least often Average of tweets per day

Race to A Million Fans on Facebook

2

2. Southwest Airlines 4.2M

3 4

3. Turkish Airlines 3.7M 4. Air France 3.6M 5. Azul 2.9M 6. Emirates 2.8M 7. AirAsia 2.3M 8. Tam Airlines 1.9M 9. Lufthansa 1.5M 10. American Airlines 1.4M 11. Malaysia Airlines 1.3M 12. Cebu Pacific Air 1.3M 13. Delta 1.2M 14. British Airways 1.2M

Airlines that have already reached the one million fan benchmark Airlines that are set to reach the one million mark very soon

5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1M Fans

15 16 17 18

0

Instagram Match-Up

1

2

3

15. JetBlue 908,260 16. Air Canada 879,244 17. Air New Zealand 811,013 18. United 704,296

4

5

We’ve scoured the Instagram accounts of the most followed airlines and found their most popular photo to date. Can you tell which airline posted each photo?

Southwest Airlines (72,153 followers) AirAsia (44,783 followers) Delta (38,786 followers) American Airlines (37,565 followers) Emirates (36,691 followers)

8,431

3,049

2,972

2,101

1,095

Number of ‘likes’ on each photo

Airline Passenger Experience Association

1. Emirates | 2. American Airlines | 3. Southwest Airlines | 4. Delta | 5. AirAsia

(Data collected April 22, 2014.)

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Entertainment

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Pre Flight Goes Avant Garde

by Brett Snyder

Airline flight attendants have been delivering pre-flight safety demonstrations since as early as 1912, and passengers have been ignoring them for just as long. For frequent flyers, it’s the belief that they’ve seen it all before. For infrequent flyers, the bland delivery turns them off long before they learn how to use a life vest.

But in recent years, many airlines have changed the way they produce safety videos. The result? The demonstrations that had long been ignored are now being watched online by millions of people who aren’t even traveling.

The traditional view is that safety videos are a requirement and nothing more. In

> apex.aero/ Multi

the pre-flight briefing days of yore, flight attendants dutifully delivered the routine safety speech to audiences of inattentive passengers. The earliest pre-flight safety videos weren’t much more engaging, usually taking the form of a technical, two to six minute instruction video. In both cases, little effort was made to make the briefings entertaining.

Some airlines tried to be more creative. Southwest Airlines’ strategy to encourage flight attendants to express themselves rather than adhere to a rigid corporate vision has allowed the cabin crew to add their own flavor to pre-flight safety demonstrations – sometimes even adding a song into the mix.

The potential of onboard video wasn’t realized until Virgin America’s launch in 2007. The airline had video screens on every seat and took advantage of them by creating an animated video that, as spokesperson Abby Lunardini said, “put an irreverent spin on the pre-flight safety video.” That, however, was just the beginning.

october, 2013

11,619,225

9,172,170

7,265,736

1,578,029

An Unexpected Briefing air New Zealand

#VXsafetydance Virgin america

Bare Essentials of Safety air New Zealand

Sir Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey makes a cameo appearance as a passenger en route to Middle Earth in this video, which went viral overnight.

Launched with a premiere at Times Square, this song and dance video was directed by Jon M. Chu of the Step Up movie franchise, and featured everything from smartphone hoarding nuns to contortionists.

Air New Zealand’s crewmembers deliver the “bare essentials” of safety donning nothing but body paint.

Delta’s 80’s In-Flight Safety Video delta

Data collected April, 2014

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views

july, 2009

In 2009, Air New Zealand provided the gold standard for safety videos when it launched “Bare Essentials of Safety” as part of a broader marketing campaign called “Nothing to Hide.” The “Bare Essentials of Safety” video shows various crewmembers delivering safety information completely nude – save for their body-paint uniforms. It became an instant YouTube classic and has been viewed more than seven million times to date.

It was also an important step in showing the power of a safety video as part of a larger branding campaign. As an Air New Zealand spokesperson stated, “There is a common misperception that New Zealand is tucked away at the bottom of the earth. This is an effective way of increasing global brand awareness.”

Since then, Air New Zealand has successfully released several videos, often infusing safety with pop culture. Richard Simmons and Betty White are just two of the stars the airline has used to liven up the tired old safety briefing.

Their most viewed video, “An Unexpected Briefing,” was released to coincide with

november, 2012

views

40

To watch our favorite safety videos, visit

views

The traditional view is that safety videos are a requirement and nothing more.

january, 2014

views

If you’re familiar with Alf, Atari, the Rubik’s Cube, Tab, audio cassette tapes, or have ever donned neon leg warmers with big hair, you’ll likely find this video pretty “rad,” as Delta put it.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

IllustratIon: Istockphoto

In a response to safety video fatigue, some airlines have invested in high-production videos that feature singing, dancing and celebrities.

Entertainment

Airline Passenger Experience Association

june - july 2014

Entertainment

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Visit us at apex.aero

Entertainment

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Pre Flight Goes Avant Garde In a response to safety video fatigue, some airlines have invested in high-production videos that feature singing, dancing and celebrities.

by Brett Snyder

Airline flight attendants have been delivering pre-flight safety demonstrations since as early as 1912, and passengers have been ignoring them for just as long. For frequent flyers, it’s the belief that they’ve seen it all before. For infrequent flyers, the bland delivery turns them off long before they learn how to use a life vest.

But in recent years, many airlines have changed the way they produce safety videos. The result? The demonstrations that had long been ignored are now being watched online by millions of people who aren’t even traveling.

The traditional view is that safety videos are a requirement and nothing more. In

To watch our favorite safety videos, visit

the pre-flight briefing days of yore, flight attendants dutifully delivered the routine safety speech to audiences of inattentive passengers. The earliest pre-flight safety videos weren’t much more engaging, usually taking the form of a technical, two to six minute instruction video. In both cases, little effort was made to make the briefings entertaining.

Some airlines tried to be more creative. Southwest Airlines’ strategy to encourage flight attendants to express themselves rather than adhere to a rigid corporate vision has allowed the cabin crew to add their own flavor to pre-flight safety demonstrations – sometimes even adding a song into the mix.

The potential of onboard video wasn’t realized until Virgin America’s launch in 2007. The airline had video screens on every seat and took advantage of them by creating an animated video that, as spokesperson Abby Lunardini said, “put an irreverent spin on the pre-flight safety video.” That, however, was just the beginning.

In 2009, Air New Zealand provided the gold standard for safety videos when it launched “Bare Essentials of Safety” as part of a broader marketing campaign called “Nothing to Hide.” The “Bare Essentials of Safety” video shows various crewmembers delivering safety information completely nude – save for their body-paint uniforms. It became an instant YouTube classic and has been viewed more than seven million times to date.

It was also an important step in showing the power of a safety video as part of a larger branding campaign. As an Air New Zealand spokesperson stated, “There is a common misperception that New Zealand is tucked away at the bottom of the earth. This is an effective way of increasing global brand awareness.”

Since then, Air New Zealand has successfully released several videos, often infusing safety with pop culture. Richard Simmons and Betty White are just two of the stars the airline has used to liven up the tired old safety briefing.

Their most viewed video, “An Unexpected Briefing,” was released to coincide with

40

june - july 2014

IllustratIon: Istockphoto

Airline Passenger Experience Association

The traditional view is that safety videos are a requirement and nothing more. recently released a 1980s-themed piece.

Not all airlines are taking part, however. In the US, neither American Airlines nor US Airways have deviated from their traditional safety video production. According to an American Airlines spokesperson, “Our view is that the safety video should focus on safety.

Both American and US Airways updated our videos last year. When we create a safety video for the combined carrier . . . the focus of the video will remain on safety.”

Even though airlines have varying views on this, the trend of trying to get some brand value out of their safety videos is one that will likely continue to gain traction.

february, 2014

november, 2007

march, 2014

april, 2014

4,787,591

846,346

95,138

13,360

Trip: The Virgin Atlantic Safety Film Virgin atlantic

Miss Piggy Flight Instructions lufthansa

This impressive animated video runs over 5 minutes long and follows a dozed-off passenger (sleeping during the safety spiel!) through dream-like scenarios that are inspired by various film genres.

This VIP (Very Important Pig) appeared in a safety video that was released alongside the latest Muppets movie, Muppets Most Wanted.

views

Data collected April, 2014

a multiplatform campaign launched to promote their sponsorship of the latest Hobbit movie, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013). When the video generated 11.5 million views, other airlines took notice.

Six years after launching their animated in-flight safety video, Virgin America decided it was time to update it, this time with a stronger focus on branding. According to Lunardini, “We wanted to take a fresh new look at the video to keep our travelers engaged. It was also an opportunity to extend that brand content beyond the cabin – in the digital space.”

Thinking about how to best keep the video in line with the “Virgin brand roots,” Virgin America figured, “What better way to do that than through music and dance?”

The end result was a dance video featuring alumni from both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance? that produced over 1.5 million YouTube views within 24 hours of its launch. It now has over nine million views.

Even traditional airlines have caught on to the safety video trend. Delta created a holiday-themed video last year, and has

Safety in Paradise air New Zealand This controversial video featured bikini-clad Sports Illustrated models delivering safety messages from a sandy beach, with nary a plane in sight.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

views

Virgin america Inspired by the idle-doodling one might do on a plane, Virgin America’s video pioneered a more playful approach to the in-flight safety video genre.

views

views

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Movies

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Visit us at apex.aero

I’m So Excited!, 2013.

42

june - july 2014

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Movies

Winging it on the Silver Screen

Up in the err: Hollywood and the airline industry are a match made in box office heaven, even when the facts get in the way.

photo: afp

by Matthew Hays

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Movies

apex experience

H Top: A scene from 1929 Academy Award Best Picture winner, Wings.

BOTTOM: Airport '77 takes an unexpected twist when the aircraft plunges into the Bermuda Triangle and transforms into a submarine.

ollywood has long had a love affair with airplanes and airports. After all, the first Best Picture statuette at the first Academy Awards in 1929 went to Wings, a feature depicting the romantic highs and lows of World War I pilots. The marriage of film and air travel makes perfect sense when one considers the visual appeal of flight itself.

Here, then, is a summary of some big screen flight-related entertainment that includes the good, the bad and the downright bizarre.

off course: when big-screen airplanes are just plain wrong Cinema is notorious for its historical inaccuracies, and Hollywood’s ability to correctly depict air travel is equally as shaky.

While audiences are often willing to grant filmmakers a certain license to play fast and loose with the facts, sometimes when flights take off, disbelief simply can’t be suspended.

On the popular website The Daily Beast, pilot Patrick Smith took aim at the 2012 Denzel Washington film Flight, suggesting the screenwriters got nearly everything wrong, from the stereotypical portrayal of a substance-abusing pilot to the upside-down 44

june - july 2014

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jetliner action sequence. Smith warns that Flight’s mistakes are so glaring that “should you hear howls of laughter coming from the back of the theater, chances are there’s a pilot in the audience.” These criticisms, of course, didn’t stop Flight from striking box office gold or earning Denzel an Oscar nomination.

And Flight is hardly alone. In Die Hard 2 (1990), Bruce Willis reprises his role as Lt. John McClane to face off against another group of rogue terrorists who are plotting to take an airport hostage and to crash nearby aircraft. But as anyone who knows airplanes knows, much of this sequel is groan-worthy.

Willis emerges from a manhole on a runway, but runways don’t have manholes. An airplane described as a 747 has only one aisle when it should have two. Another 747 is ignited by the mere tossing of a Zippo lighter, even though jet fuel burns at a higher temperature than gasoline, meaning it would take much more heat to set it off.

But the most extreme examples of airplane-related follies emerge in two of the disaster movie genre’s strangest entries: Airport 1975 and Airport '77. In the former, a small airplane hits a 747, rendering it pilotless, shearing off its nose and leaving flight attendant Nancy Pryor no choice but to take over the controls. Never mind that she only seems to be experiencing a mild breeze courtesy of the aircraft’s gaping impact wound – when things prove too difficult for her, experienced pilot Alan Murdock, played

by Charlton Heston, is lowered into the cockpit gash by wire from another aircraft.

You don’t have to be an experienced pilot to see how absurd this plot twist is, but the film has become a cult classic due to its sheer nuttiness.

Even so, the minds behind the Airport series felt they had to out-do themselves with a follow-up, Airport '77. Here, pilot Don Gallagher, played by Jack Lemmon, must keep his passengers calm after the 747 he’s flying crashes in the Bermuda Triangle and ends up several hundred feet under water.

Spoiler alert: The airplane then transforms itself into a submarine. Understandably, this was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Airport franchise, not to mention the entire disaster genre. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Movies

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Air Force One, Murder on Flight 502, Airport 1975.

photoS: afp

LEFT: Flight BELOW: Flight of the Living Dead.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Movies

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Visit us at apex.aero

Left: Bruce Willis defies plausible action in Die Hard 2.

Below: Leonardo DiCaprio charms flight attendants and audiences alike in Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can.

b roll: continuity loses out to budgetary realities If you’re at all familiar with the airline industry, you have noticed this far too often: The lead character heads to the airport and boards a flight. Cut to a shot of a DC-8 aircraft climbing the skies against the setting sun. But you know that the DC-8 on screen hasn’t been in service for decades! While the average moviegoer might not know a DC-8 from a Piper Cub, a little bit of the magic is gone for you.

high crimes: when villains match wits with flight crews

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In Red Eye (2005), Lisa Reisert, played by Rachel McAdams, is kidnapped onboard by seatmate, Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), who threatens to murder her father unless she does his wicked bidding.

Kidnappers set their sights much higher in Air Force One (1997), when they go after the US President (played by Harrison Ford) while flying with his family on the famous presidential aircraft. The president gives the Eastern-European cads a run for their money.

One of the most entertaining films ever made about a serial scam artist has to be Catch Me If You Can (2002), Steven Spielberg’s based-on-a-true-story comedy chase movie.

Detective Carl Hanratty, played by Tom Hanks, must track down Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrays Frank Abagnale, Jr., a man who successfully fooled people into thinking he was a doctor, a legal prosecutor and an airline pilot. The scenes where he pretends to know what he’s doing in the cockpit are alternately hilarious and horrifying.

Above: Red Eye sees Rachel McAdams’ character coerced by her seatmate, played by Cillian Murphy.

Think you know your planes? Visit > impdb.org

to view a database of unidentifiable aircraft within films.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photoS: LATINSTOCK; afp

In movies, airplanes are almost as good as haunted houses for attracting spooky behavior. In the hugely suspenseful bank heist movie Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Al Pacino’s character is almost successful in getting away with the loot until a devastating climax at the airport.

Another heist goes terribly wrong in Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing (1956), when the stolen cash flies out of the suitcase on the runway, unfortunately in the path of an airplane propeller that effectively dispenses it into a frenzied crowd.

In Flightplan (2005), Jodie Foster’s character, Kyle Pratt, tries desperately to convince the crew aboard a massive jetliner that she’s not imagining things: She boarded the flight with her young daughter, who is now missing and whom Foster fears has been abducted.

A strange cast that includes Farrah Fawcett, Robert Stack and Sonny Bono face off against a homicidal maniac in Murder on Flight 502 (1975).

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Movies

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ABOVE: Otto the autopilot takes over the controls in Airplane!, (1980).

just plane weird: when movies take off in strange directions

Above: Jodie Foster’s daughter in Flightplan mysteriously goes missing onboard.

Left: Samuel L. Jackson was tempted to join Snakes on a Plane based on the wacky title alone.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

There are types of films that seem perfect for flight – war movies are the most obvious example – and then there are films set in airplanes that manage to take the audience into new, unexpected territories. Oscarwinning filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar surprised everyone with his 2013 musical, I’m So Excited!, which took place entirely on an airplane. The film includes all the singing, dancing and romantic intrigue one could hope for – all packed into one intercontinental flight.

Just when you thought the zombie movie had run its course, Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (2007) was hatched. A scientist infected with a deadly virus stows away on a passenger jetliner, unbeknownst to anyone on board, until he breaks free and begins a ravenous feeding frenzy.

But Snakes on a Plane (2006) has what is arguably some of the best lore surrounding a film. Samuel L. Jackson reportedly agreed to appear in the film on the strength of its wacky title alone. As the title implies, the plot has a horrified crew and passengers fighting a huge number of snakes that are unleashed mid-flight.

Life imitated art (to use the word very loosely) in 2012, when an Australian pilot was forced to land the airplane he was flying because a python was found in the airplane’s control panel. When he radioed to the control center that he was turning the aircraft around and landing due to a snake in the cockpit, the air traffic controllers did not initially believe him.

And last year, an eight-inch snake was spotted in the cabin of an airplane in Sydney, Australia. The flight, luckily, had not taken off. The snake was removed, and was found not to be poisonous. june - july 2014

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Q&A

apex experience

�

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photo: Courtesy of Teague

“

Growing up in Denver, my younger brother and I would sit in the backyard and call out the liveries of airplanes flying overhead from the now decommissioned Stapleton International Airport.

Q&A

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Devin Liddell Principal Brand Strategist Teague

Devin Liddell leads the brand strategy for design consultancy Teague, working collaboratively with clients such as Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, The Boeing Company, Intel, JW Marriott, Microsoft and SC Johnson to create research-driven brand strategies and consumer experiences.

To read Devin’s full Q&A, please visit us online at

Airline Passenger Experience Association

S

omething that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?

Any design challenge worth tackling has some gnarly, amazing tension that needs to be reconciled. In aviation, the key tension is between operator profitability and passenger comfort. Big breakthroughs happen when a tension like that is reconciled, rather than one winning out over another. What always amazes me is design’s boundless ability to reconcile these tensions in the only ways that matter. That’s why designers are the greatest sources of optimism we have. There isn’t a challenge we can’t take on through great design. I fervently believe that.

First travel memory?

Growing up in Denver, my younger brother and I would sit in the backyard and call out the liveries of airplanes flying overhead from the now decommissioned Stapleton International Airport. To me, that’s what a standard airline should aspire to – that kids thousands of feet below can recognize its unique external markings.

As for travel itself, my family took a vacation to the Bahamas when I was seven years old.

I remember marveling at the otherness of it all: the different way English was spoken, the warm and winterless climate, even the way we walked from the airplane right onto the tarmac. And that was just the first of many international trips I took thereafter.

Now, I want that experience for my young children. To get out into the great wide open.

A full third of Americans do not even own a passport. That’s sad, really, and the travel industries should seize the opportunity to get more people beyond their borders and beyond their comfort zones. Hey, the Bahamas was a very comfortable place to visit.

One thing you’ve taste-tested and will never eat or drink again?

I consider myself a very adventurous eater.

Great eating requires risk and leaps of faith.

That said, I simply don’t like sea urchin sushi. I love, love sushi, and there was a part of me that really wanted to like uni, but then I tried it. And the rest of me said, “Never put that in your mouth again.” I have complied.

Favorite airport or airline lounge?

I personally love Charles de Gaulle Airport.

First, it had a prominent role – along with London Heathrow – in my first forays into Europe while a student. So there’s a personal, emotional bond there. Its dramatic architecture, and use of light and white space, helps it feel retro and futuristic all at once.

Plus, it gave us the Frutiger typeface. To me, it’s what international travel – and the sense of wonder and optimism that traveling to faraway places evokes – looks like on its best days. When I die, I wouldn’t mind an hour or so with a coffee and a newspaper in Charles de Gaulle before connecting onward. june - july 2014

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Music

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Music Licensing in an Age of Change

Music licensing and permissions is a notoriously confusing issue, especially when you’re bringing tunes up in the air and across international boundaries. We try to wade through the red tape of in-flight streaming.

by Geoff Duncan | illustrations Coca Ruiz

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Music

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A

s a musician, music keeps me sane on long flights, so I always check the audio on-demand system. Yes, sometimes I’m underwhelmed by bland or predictable options, but I often find something unexpected – cool jazz, Bollywood sounds, Arabic pop, progressive electronica, or a brand-new album release. My ears engage and my sanity is saved.

But, as a musician, I also know this music isn’t free. In-flight music selections come to us via convoluted licensing regardless of whether we access them in a seatback, a carrier’s tablet or our own devices.

license and registration, please “Music licensing involves ensuring the necessary legal permission is in place for each piece of copyrighted music... from permission to synchronize music to visuals, copying and distribution of content, and communicating to the public,” says Ryan Homes, international licensing manager at PRS for Music, a performing

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rights organization in the UK. “It’s understandable that many perceive music licensing as complex.”

Complex is one word for it. Using headphones is an intensely private experience, but under international copyright law, in-flight music is considered a public performance, like a club or sports venue playing recorded music. As a result, carriers owe a royalty to the artist and publisher for every track passengers play.

Third party performing rights organizations (PROs) offer airlines blanket licenses for the music catalogs they manage and collect royalties on behalf of artists and record companies. But PROs don’t cover all music – sometimes specific artists, record labels or countries aren’t available. And there are many rights agencies! The United States has three (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC), the UK has two (PRS for Music and PPL), and Brazil has half a dozen. Some handle several countries – France’s SACEM manages Egypt, Lebanon and several African nations. >

The Sliding Scale of Licensing Fees “Tariff 13A” licensing guidelines from Canadian performing rights organization, SOCAN Music on the ground

Fee per calendar quarter (per aircraft) $350

Music in-flight $300

$250

$200

Follow the Money Are musicians rolling in money from royalties? The reality is usually much more modest.

“Some ninety percent of our membership earns under £5,000 [$8,400] a year,” notes Ryan Homes of the UK’s PRS for Music.

“They rely on their royalties to help make a living.”

Initially, musicians who write and record their own material are entitled to the song’s full performance royalty – performing artists and writers each get half.

However, PROs take 10–15 percent for administration, and record companies often require artists cede royalties to recoup advances and often endless costs. When all is said and done, only the most successful and business-savvy artists can live off royalties.

$150

$100

$50

$0

0 - 100

101 - 160

161 - 250

251 or more Airline passenger

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Left: Music licensing costs significantly more to purchase for in-flight use than it does on the ground. The more seats on the plane, the higher the licensing fees are.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Music

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streaming

Master recording licenses can be so touchy that almost no one is willing to go on record about them.

Airlines take out performance licenses in the countries where they’re headquartered, and usually rely on reciprocal agreements to cover international music. If a UK carrier plays a Canadian artist, the airline pays the UK agencies, who forward money to Canada.

The reverse happens when a Canadian airline plays a UK artist.

But licensing doesn’t stop there. In-flight entertainment firms go a step further to curate and prepare music for flight, sometimes even processing recordings to compensate for engine noise. Since they are not broadcasting the music, they don’t need performance licenses, but do need master recording and mechanical licenses. Another set of rights agencies handles mechanical licenses – for making copies – but master recording licenses are the province of individual record companies or even artists. Master recording licenses can be so touchy that almost no one is willing to go on record about them.

All told, each song on an in-flight system needs at least three licenses and involves half a dozen companies and organizations.

What a mess!

music in the clouds Share your favorite music playlists with us on Twitter: @APEXexperience #airlinemusic

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Can technology solve this problem? Wouldn’t passengers prefer accessing enormous streaming libraries from services like Spotify, Deezer or Pandora via in-flight Wi-Fi?

“Higher bandwidth connectivity will become a reality in the next five years or so,” says Stellar Entertainment’s production services director Steve Gunther. “However, reliability of the connection with streaming media is always going to be very expensive for airlines – and hence passengers.”

Music licensing may remain an obstacle as copyright law worldwide is still struggling with music streaming. Should it be considered a sale, a transmission or perhaps both reproduction and performance? Does it make a difference if listeners can choose what songs they hear?

Since there’s been no consensus and the way streaming is defined greatly affects royalty rates, streaming services operate in only a few countries.

keeping the beat Music may be a headache for airlines, but when I glance over seats on long flights perhaps half of the passengers are using in-flight video and music. Even though most of us carry personal media libraries, we’re still eager for something new or exclusive.

Beyond that, in-flight music offers airlines a unique way to accentuate their brands, as well as highlight the rich cultures of their destinations. Plus, a good collection of onboard music can be the best way to stifle the travel-related stress and anxiety.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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�

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“

I had the chance to go out and enthuse the very same people in the broadcast industry that I had previously worked with about a new sector that is changing so fast, they constantly need re-educating on what our market can offer.

Q&A

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Jamie Martin Director

Library Media Solutions Limited

Jamie Martin joined LMS in 2011 after more than six years heading up TV strategy and acquisitions for Spafax Airline Network. He has worked directly with many of the major airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Previously, Jamie also worked in the UK broadcast market buying for Living TV and in the international TV distribution market with Minotaur International.

To read Jamie’s full Q&A, please visit us online at

Airline Passenger Experience Association

T

he scariest situation you’ve ever been in?

The first time I started work in the distribution industry I had a sales trip to Belgium via Eurostar. I turned up bang on time to the terminal in Waterloo without realizing that you need your passport to travel via Eurostar! I was young, not particularly gifted, and terrified. Thank goodness my lovely company at the time decided not to sack me.

Biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your work?

Dealing with outdated views on the airline industry. One of the big drivers of our business is spending time in the wider broadcasting sector “selling” in-flight entertainment (IFE) to broadcasters or producers who may have an outdated idea of what our field represents, yet they can often be heard educating the broadcast world about the importance of ancillary rights revenues.

(This doesn’t apply to our lovely broadcast/ production partners who obviously have the good sense to recognize a worthwhile industry when they see it!)

Old television shows you can tolerate endless reruns of?

Magnum P.I. (what can I say? helicopter, 'stache, Ferrari) old episodes of Wheeler Dealers – (sorry, A&E, you’ll probably shoot me for that but I would love to restore an

old motor). And Pawn Stars. You so want things to be valuable but it’s great when big expectations meet cold, harsh reality.

Favorite book as a child?

I think the one that has always stuck with me is The Talisman, a co-authored Stephen King and Peter Straub creation. I must have been 12 or so when it came out and it was dark, scary and kind of awesome. The plot saw powers bestowed on a kid of around the same age as me that I still wish I could master now.

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

I have a wife and two kids (nearly six and eight), so obviously they’re right up there.

However, I have recently bought a totally sweet new Panasonic TV – does it make me a bad person to rank that on par? Of course, it does… TV first, family second.

Luckiest moment of your life?

My move from broadcast TV to IFE. I had the chance to go out and enthuse the very same people in the broadcast industry who I had previously worked with about a new sector that is changing so fast, they constantly need re-educating on what our market can offer. We’re not necessarily shaping the TV or movie industry, but we’re consistently offering better platforms. Come on, advertisers: Look beyond the movies and get involved!. june - july 2014

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Roundtable

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Flash Forward

Hollywood distributors focus on content despite a changing IFE platform.

We reached out to major Hollywood studios and asked them to discuss the future of seatback in-flight entertainment. Fox, Paramount and Sony joined the roundtable and agreed that nobody’s closing the curtain on embedded systems just yet.

by Tomás Romero

M

ark Twain is often attributed as saying, “The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” and these days, that same statement could just as easily apply to Hollywood’s in-flight non-theatrical market as well. For while doomsayers have been quick to label embedded seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) – the delivery system of choice for most Hollywood studios – dead in the water in the personal electronic device (PED)-centric Internet age, studio insiders insist that carrier and passenger demand for premium, early window content, delivered via traditional embedded systems, has never been stronger.

Hoping to set the record straight, we reached out to executives from all six of the major Hollywood studios for

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comment. Three of them (Fox, Paramount and Sony) were gracious enough to chat with us about the continued relevance of embedded IFE in the digital age, their upcoming film slates, and the potentially chilling impact 2013’s FAA rule change on in-flight PED usage has had on their future business plans.

So, stow your tray tables, dim the overhead lights and enjoy the show...

mark horton, paramount pictures Mark Horton is the vice president of non-theatrical sales for Paramount Pictures. He also worked for a number of years on the other side of the touchscreen, securing IFE for British Airways. To say Horton knows the non-theatrical world inside and out is a massive understatement.

“The market is vibrant and exciting right now,” says Horton. “We are seeing a surge in new technology being offered in the airline space and this is being fueled by an increasing demand from passengers who want the same experience in-flight as they have at home: top-quality, on-demand entertainment.”

“In the past this has been a tall order to deliver. But the good news for airlines today is that these new digital platforms are offering high-definition content with enhanced flexibility which . . . is having a very positive impact on airline customer satisfaction reports,” says Horton, noting that some passengers are actually booking their flights based on which carrier has the best IFE. > Airline Passenger Experience Association

Roundtable

illustration: vicente marti

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Aside from validating the efforts Horton and his contemporaries put into getting “the very best content onto the aircraft,” Horton says this trend should also serve as a wake-up call for the airlines. “With the number of new systems and players coming into the market, it’s more important than ever before for airlines to do their homework,” he says. “Research all the systems, all the companies wanting to do business with [you], and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

rana matthes, sony pictures Another factor contributing to the huge growth potential in the marketplace right now, says Rana Matthes, the senior vice president of non-theatrical and repertory sales for Sony Pictures Entertainment, is the number of new aircraft being ordered by major carriers. “[The airlines’] commitment to new planes means newer IFE systems delivering a better IFE experience to their passengers, with a bigger selection of movies and TV being offered,” says Matthes, adding, “More planes equipped with new IFE makes this an exciting time for non-theatrical.”

julian levin,

20th century fox

photos: gettyimages

Julian Levin, the executive vice president of digital exhibition and non-theatrical sales and distribution at 20th Century Fox, could not agree more. An industry veteran with more than three decades of experience under his belt, Levin describes the current non-theatrical market as “complicated” and “highly competitive,” but says the transition to digital video on demand (VOD) systems over the last decade is “a good thing, allowing airlines to hold more content and offer more passenger choice.”

And when it comes to choice, Levin says it’s hard to top premium, early window, Hollywood content. “Fox releases between 20 to 30 titles per year,” says Levin. “[Our] feature film and television library ranks among the

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Roundtable

best in the world.” And if last year’s crop of hip, boldly original studio films – which included such genre-defying hits as Gravity, Her, American Hustle and Nebraska – is any indication, 2014 looks to be another banner year for the Hollywood non-theatrical market.

premium window content is king For while the big money is on the studio’s latest entries in their respective X-Men, Spider-Man and Transformers franchises, this year, the balance between big, actionpacked fare like Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot (due in August) and smaller, characterdriven films – like Fox’s hotly anticipated young-adult literary adaptation, and Oscar-winning writer/director Cameron Crowe’s untitled, end-of-year romantic comedy for Sony – is sure to delight passengers of every ilk the world over.

Provided, of course, that said passengers are flying on a carrier with embedded IFE. “We believe most definitely that embedded systems are a vital part of the future of IFE,” explains Horton. “The key message [that’s] important for airlines to know is that there is a big disparity between the content Paramount can offer airlines with embedded systems versus those streaming to passenger devices. This is entirely due to piracy risks,” says Horton, adding, “We understand the economics for the airlines for these systems, but they also have to understand the huge impact that piracy has on our bottom-line profits.” >

While some airlines are enabling the use of PEDs onboard to varying degrees, Mark Horton emphasizes that “embedded systems are a vital part of the future of IFE.”

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“Premium window content is the most exciting and compelling content, and a tremendous value offering for airline passengers.”

Rana Matthes

Echoing Horton’s sentiments, Matthes adds that since Hollywood doesn’t allow streaming of early window content directly onto passenger PEDs, she doesn’t see such offerings replacing embedded IFE solutions anytime soon. “Premium window content is the most exciting and compelling content and a tremendous value offering for airline passengers,” says Matthes, who goes on to say that “an embedded seatback system also avoids the clutter of devices, trays, plates and drinks” in an increasingly crowded economy cabin seat space.

ped piracy potential And though critics continue to sound the death knell for embedded IFE platforms – especially in the wake of the FAA’s recent rule change allowing for gate-to-gate passenger PED usage on most US flights – Levin is not alone in his assessment that the change is ultimately a “good thing” for the non-theatrical industry.

Matthes concurs, adding, “Other than passenger convenience, we don’t see the ruling being a game changer because PEDs don’t have access to premium window content.” And although some low-cost carriers are now offering their passengers streaming-only content as a cheap IFE option, Horton says that, for the most part, the rule change has “hardly created a ripple” in the marketplace.

“With this specific product you really do get what you pay for,” says Horton. “Due to piracy concerns, we can only offer old content, one year old or more, for 62

june - july 2014

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[streaming] systems, which doesn’t make the product at all compelling,” Horton explains, adding, “Passengers typically expect to be offered first-run, early window movies when they fly, not content they already have on cable [and] home video.”

embedded ife systems remain vital When carriers realize they’ll need to run power to every seat in the plane to account for the often restrictive battery life of most current PEDs, they may need to think again. As Horton says, “It often makes more sense to go with an embedded system” from the get-go.

As far as the future of embedded IFE is concerned, Horton says most Hollywood studios prefer to focus on what the major global airlines are doing.

“The big players are all firmly committed to embedded systems, and it’s not just the international airlines, who have for a decade been leaders in VOD entertainment.

Now we have the US domestic airlines following suit,” says Horton. “Delta advertises that it offers on-demand entertainment in every seat on its international route network, and American Airlines recently ordered 460 new aircraft from the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families with nose-to-tail embedded video. So you’re seeing US airlines, that have historically lagged behind many of their international competitors, now taking the lead and this will make the whole global market sit up and take notice.”

And despite what the industry rumor mill would have you believe, Horton says traditional embedded systems still have one distinct advantage over their portable product counterparts: the ever-important passenger comfort factor.

“With the space in and around the typical economy seat shrinking, embedded systems are a vital component in enhancing passenger satisfaction.” And as wonderful and freeing as in-flight PED usage can be, Horton quips, “Who really wants to hold a tablet all the way from London to Los Angeles?!”

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photo: gettyimages

Roundtable

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Mobile

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The Connected Passenger the mobile journey The proliferation of personal electronic devices (PEDs) affects the entire journey cycle, from pre-trip booking and speedy boarding Ut rem faceatem dolorecta qui unt labo. autdown fugitate to onboard IFEet diversity and Wi-Fi connectivity.

WeItam break the volorum evelit exped quo odiateet ut farerovidXernatis simolor eperendi vel ius mostios numbers and follow the path of the new mobile journey. ut rehent iumquis con nobis ea nemporum fuga. Ut fugit am, quidita.

by Katie Sehl | Illistration Marcelo Cáceres

by Name Lastname

Channels used to book flights 50%

17%

Airline Website

88% of passengers use their mobile to search for fares

Online travel agency

89%

19%

In-person at travel agency

11%

FIND FLIGHTS

of airlines will sell tickets via mobile apps by 2015

3%

Don’t Know

76%

Airline Mobile App

of the top 50 airlines in the world use a mobile site

AUGUST

12 2010

Delta becomes the first airline to offer mobile booking

FEBRUARY

Most popular type of PED taken on board: Smartphone

82%

Laptop

Mobile Phone Preferences

eReader

73%

Apple

38%

Tablet

0.01%

Blackberry

2014

Around ¾ passengers are carrying a smartphone when they travel

KLM becomes the first airline to let customers pay socially

37% 19%

of the top 50 airlines in the world have at least an iOS app

82%

26%

Android

13

75%

Apple App 41 airlines

Percentage of airlines with different types of apps

82%

2010 2013

Android 24 airlines

Smartphone

28%

0.006% Windows

Check-in apps

76%

28%

68% Blackberry 7 airlines 14%

61%

Mobile ticket sales

18%

Flight information

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58% 45% 51%

1 in 10 travellers

use a mobile application to navigate through an airport

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Mobile

apex experience

Follow us @APEXexperience

Currently around 30% of airlines offer check-in and ticket booking via mobile By 2015: 90% of airlines will offer mobile check-in

CLASS

SEAT

01A

JOHN/JOHN FLIGHT

DATE

FROM

TO

XX 1234 SANTIAGO

33 out of the top 50 airlines in the world (65%) use mobile boarding passes

90%

A

NAME

SEQUENCE

0001

JOHN/JOHN XX 1234

AT

26OCT

1315

FROM TO

CLASS

NEW YORK

A

26OCT

SEAT

BOARDING TIME

01A

12:45

SANTIAGO NEW YORK

1315

SEQUENCE

0001

Printed boarding passes are not only wasteful, they're costly. Since Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBPs) can be accessed on mobile and don't need to be printed on expensive paper stock, it's estimated they could save the industry up to

of flyers would give up an amenity on their flight to be guaranteed a faster and more consistent wireless connection

$1.5 billion a year

Comforts Americans would give up for Wi-Fi:

Amenities Americans would give up for Wi-Fi:

their preferred seat

in-flight snacks

Attitude towards mobile services onboard: passengers would likely use their mobile...

38%

42%

for IFE

85%

their ability to recline their seat

beverage service

for email access

6 inches of legroom

the use of the restroom during the flight

for flight info, such as connections

22%

32%

24%

13%

The top mobile social networks in air

73%

63%

to order & purchase meals

53%

to purchase onboard & duty free FEBRUARY

11 2014

Virgin America announces plans to launch the first in-flight social network with Here on Biz app

56% HELLO!!!

70%

More than half of passengers would use social media to interact with their airline during their flight

70%

for phone calls

for promotions and offers

48%

Top online activities in the sky

46% 1

Surfing the web

2

Work email and reports

3

Personal email

4

Social networking

5

News and weather

6

Maps and directions

7 Scouting the destination 8

Checking sports scores

9

Shopping

2 in 3 business travelers would like to interact on social media with their airline during their journey of millennial travelers would like to be able to view and purchase items from airport retailers on mobile or self-service kiosks and have them delivered to their destination Almost two thirds of airlines are planning to report bag loading status in real-time to passenger’s mobiles

85%

of passengers would use their mobile for real-time baggage information

Sources: 8MS’ “Mobile Technology Usage By The Top Airlines In The World, The UK & Ireland,” 2014; Gogo’s “How travellers use inflight WiFi,” 2011; Gogo’s “Stratosphere Stats,” 2013; Honeywell Aerospace’s “Connectivity Survey,” 2013; IATA’s “Bar Code Boarding Passes,” 2009; IATA’s “2013 IATA Global Passenger Survey Highlights,” 2013; IATA’s “Upwardly Mobile,” 2013; IFE Services’ “IFE Insight Q1,” 2013; NCR’s “2013 NCR Traveler Experience Survey,” 2013; “SITA’s Passenger IT Trends,” 2013; SITA’s “Smart Thinking,” 2014

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Q&A

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“

One of the things that really amazes me is the fact that once this industry takes hold of you, you sort of become addicted to it.

photo: peter gallina

�

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

Q&A

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Follow us @APEXexperience

Nicole Grainger Business Development Manager

Satellite Solutions and Cabin Services Rockwell Collins’ Information Management Services

Nicole joined Aeronautic Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) in 2006 as EMEA Marketing Promotions Manager. In 2009, she transferred to the ARINC Satellite Communications team.

Now a proud member of the Rockwell Collins family, Nicole is a business development manager, responsible for ensuring the voice of the customer remains at the forefront of all product and strategic decisions within the Cabin Services Business unit.

To read Nicole’s full Q&A, please visit us online at

Airline Passenger Experience Association

M

ost comfortable flight you’ve ever had?

For me most flights are pretty comfortable as I’m not blessed with height so I always have lots of legroom. I recently flew to LAX with Air New Zealand and was traveling in economy with their Skycouch product. I slept for nearly the whole way as I was able to curl up and really sleep – something that I’m not used to with most other economy products. I’m not sure whether this is a good or bad thing, but the Flight Service Manager onboard came up and awarded me the unofficial “most natural sleep award!” Hopefully it was just that I looked comfy. That’s what I’m sticking to anyway!

Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry of work?

One of the things that really amazes me is the fact that once this industry takes hold of you, you sort of become addicted to it.

Each element of the industry is exciting: the technologies and services available, the evolution of products and services, the future of the overall aircraft cabin experience. The people are great and it’s just so dynamic and interesting that it’s hard to imagine life without it, really.

I have been in the industry for a short while (seven years) compared to some of our longer-term friends, and I love seeing new people come in. Through speaking to them, I start to experience it all through fresh eyes again and realize that I’m really very lucky to work in this industry.

First travel memory?

My family traveled a lot when I was younger due to my father’s work so I spent a lot of time in the US and Asia. I lived in California for a few years, leaving when I was six. I remember talking to the cabin crew about where we were going and why. My mum suggested that I draw the crew some pictures – an ingenious trick to keep children quiet on planes as I now know!

I drew the crew so many pictures – and for those of you who know me, you can imagine that I was rather chatty as a three-year-old – so I managed to persuade the crew to get me into the flight deck to meet the captain (who I also gave a picture to). This was obviously the most exciting thing that had happened to me in my life, and I kept telling my mum all about it! Once the flight was over and we landed the captain gave me the flight plan route map for our flight, which I still have.

The career path you considered but never followed?

I am a keen singer and have sung for a very long time, starting in middle school. Before starting university I took a gap year where I was in a few bands and did a lot of musical theatre with local companies in the South of the UK. I considered going to music college or getting a musical theater degree, but after being accepted at a couple of schools I decided I didn’t want to turn something I loved into something I had to do to survive. It would take the fun out of it for me. So I went to university and studied marketing and now here I am! june - july 2014

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Marketing

photo: moment factory

Standing to Attention In a world of distraction, airport brands must rely on creative content marketing to get their message out to busy travelers.

by C.C. Chapman

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Marketing

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Visit us at apex.aero

The new terminal is a forest of interactive screens instead of static billboards.

These screens can be controlled remotely and content can change as needed.

PREVIOUS: Digital screens at LAX airport’s new Tom Bradley International Terminal capture the attention of busy travelers.

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A

s seasoned travelers, we all have our routines. We arrive at the airport with a mission to minimize the drama between ourselves and our ultimate destination. And in that mission, marketers have long sensed opportunity. With little to do, a captive audience looks for any stimulation to pass the time while awaiting a flight.

But today’s world is different. Every passenger has an endless stream of options they can choose from to pass the time, and marketers are realizing that their captive audience isn’t quite so captive anymore. When everyone’s heads are down looking at their phones and tablets and laptops, how can a brand hope to make an impression on anyone?

Smart marketers have come to realize that creating compelling content is one way to break through the noise. Converting a print ad into an airport billboard is not going to cut it anymore. As budgets shrink, it is more important than ever that every marketing and advertising dollar spent produces results.

Early morning travel through Boston Logan Airport is very common for me. Each time I enter the terminal, I’m confronted with a comical travel-centric banner from Dunkin’ Donuts. Even in the early morning

haze I chuckle at the sight. But I also know where I’ll be grabbing a quick bite before I board. That banner always wins my attention and makes my morning a bit brighter. Their competition? They’ve done neither.

Dunkin’ Donuts makes sure their simple banner is customized for their type of traveler.

And it works. It’s content with context.

Over the years, the amount of travelers has shown no signs of declining. And travelers have money. This is why brands of all sizes have realized the importance of advertising at airports.

As technology improves, the options grow.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is one of the busiest airports in the world. The new Tom Bradley International Terminal is a shining example of planning for the future, while embracing opportunity today.

Take a look around: The new terminal is a forest of interactive screens instead of static billboards. These screens can be controlled remotely and content can change as needed.

This means travelers get interactive content, potentially personalized to them, their flight or the time of day. The content options are, literally, endless. And once the traveler gets over the “wow” factor of the display, they become very engaged consumers.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photo: changi airport group

Digital and interactive marketing is becoming commonplace in airports around the world. LEFT: Woodblock rubbing stations for DIY souvenirs, and BELOW: The Entertainment Deck, both at Changi Airport.

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photos: moment factory, courtesy of Toronto Pearson International Airport

Marketers are realizing that their captive audience isn’t quite so captive anymore.

The authorities at LAX understand that technology never stops evolving. By investing in tomorrow’s technology today, they offer a variety of options to any brand that wishes to advertise with them. I’d love to see marketers experiment with short films and interactive information displays. That is, with content that takes full advantage of the media.

On a recent trip through McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, I discovered that screens the size of movie posters had been added to the entrance of each gate.

These screens displayed the flight information and the travellers’ destination, as well as the destination’s weather.

Eventually, marketers will be advertising Airline Passenger Experience Association

Marketing

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on these screens, tailoring content to the flight’s demographic and displaying more destination-related information. I imagined the possibilities if a part of these screens were touch sensitive – travelers could check connections, rent a car, book a hotel or find other information about their destination.

When content marketing is done properly, it provides value in exchange for the customers’ attention. Brands have to give in order to get. The less shilling they do, the better. And the more they share or solve consumer problems, the better.

The best content these days creates an emotional response. It makes the consumer smile, feel good or fill a need. And in this response it becomes memorable.

One of the worries I always have as I arrive at Boston Logan is parking. Namely: Is there going to be enough? This sort of stress is the last thing any traveler wants to feel.

Now when you enter the garage at Logan Airport, you will notice that Lexus has sponsored dedicated Gold parking areas. The luxury car brand knows that only the most seasoned travelers have the ability to pay for this sort of access. If they can pay for “Gold Level” parking, they are definitely in the target demographic to buy a Lexus as well. >

ABOVE LEFT: The new terminal at LAX carries huge potential for new types of interactive brand messaging. RIGHT: Touch screens at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport allow for efficient navigation.

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photo: moment factory

As airports look to new revenue models, they are opening up to having standard billboard advertising replaced by experiences.

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photo: moment factory

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This is a smart and strategic move by Lexus because they are giving true value to consumers. Their sandwich board beckons to everyone looking for a parking space and strategically placed banners inside the terminals encourage travelers to find out more for their next trip.

This isn’t the traditional kind of branded experience you might expect and that also plays in its favor. It is a win-win situation where the airport increases its revenue, Lexus gets targeted exposure and the consumer gets immense value from a premium experience.

“Brands are getting smarter and wiser,” says Mitch Joel, president of the digital marketing agency Twist Image and a bestselling author. “They’re no longer just using sales reps to scream at you to sign up for a credit card, but they’re taking the space – and quality of customer – at the airport to engage and create experiences.”

“We have seen brands setting up more professional lounge areas (access to plugs, iPads and more), restaurants offering Airline Passenger Experience Association

Marketing

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samples and a more casual experience to lure you in. As airports look to new revenue models, they are opening up to having standard billboard advertising replaced by experiences. And, if their thinking is correct, this could create a much more fun, time-killing experience which benefits both travelers and brands.”

Recently, Diageo launched a new line of scotches, known as Johnnie Walker Explorers’ Club Collection. Inspired by the famous trade routes of old, Diageo decided to sell the line in travel retail outlets.

In addition to a well-executed print campaign filled with inspiring images of what might be found in a world explorer’s luggage, Diageo took the concept of a branded experience to a new level with pop-up stores and tasting rooms inside airports. Traveling through Miami International Airport, I saw a massive travel trunk showcasing bottles of scotch, while at the same time evoking a bygone era in travel. It was impossible to miss this beautiful attraction, placed directly in the middle of a busy terminal walkway.

Flight status boards at LAX contain more intuitive and interactive information.

At Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, Johnnie Walker took its marketing a step further by opening a complete retail location that included scotch tasting, brand ambassadors, dispensing information, as well as other scotches from the brand line. This unique approach brought surprise and delight to otherwise busy travelers.

Great marketing has always been about creating content that tells your story in a way that gains consumers’ attention. With today’s traveler one click away from their next distraction, brands need to constantly update their marketing strategies to compete.

As for me, I’ve got a flight to catch. Let’s see who – and what – catches my attention before take off. june - july 2014

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Q&A

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“

Wouldn’t you watch the screen if you saw a dog driving a van or a little old lady lifting a car?

photo: Peter Gallina

”

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Q&A

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Shawn Rosengarten Director of Sales Just For Laughs

During his 15 years at Just For Laughs, Shawn has licensed over 100,000 hours of content to airlines and broadcasters from every continent, establishing Just For Laughs Gags as an in-flight favorite. He also brokered the production of Just For Laughs Gags Asia in Singapore with MediaCorp and has associate produced comedy specials for Comedy Central Africa, Paramount Comedy Spain and CCTV. Shawn is a former member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

To read Shawn’s Q&A online, please visit us at

Airline Passenger Experience Association

W

hy do you think “silent” or non-dialogue content like Just for Laughs is so popular within the airline market?

Non-verbal hidden-camera comedy, like the Just For Laughs Gags and Just Kidding series, remains popular because it cuts across all cultural barriers, it appeals to all age groups and it works well on both main screen and dedicated comedy channels. It’s also entertaining! Wouldn’t you watch the screen if you saw a dog driving a van or a little old lady lifting a car?

How do you come up with fresh ideas after so many years in the industry?

Just For Laughs Gags has a devoted development team that thinks up the scenarios. They have the good fortune of being paid for letting their imaginations run wild. A vanishing elephant, an exploding toilet, a runaway jackhammer, an alien invasion and a flying lobster – we’ve done them all over the past 15 years.

Something that never ceases to amaze you in your line of work?

Networking, understanding a client’s programming needs, and having a detailed rights management system are essential.

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

I always travel with a notepad.

Regular meal or specialty?

Regular, although one day I hope to get around to ordering the specialty meal. Either way, I eat lightly, rarely consume alcohol, and try to drink as much water as possible. On one of my first business trips, I sat in front of two passengers who purchased a bottle of Scotch from the in-flight duty-free and drank it. They were flying!

Describe the view from your favorite window.

Nothing beats the view from a plane in flight.

The person you can imitate?

I can imitate Henry Kissinger pretty well.

Please don’t ask why.

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

I would like to travel to 50 years in the past and then 50 years in the future.

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Games

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Gamecasting, the broadcasting of a game, has come of age, transforming what began as a local experience into one that is shared with the whole world.

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Games

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Betting Big on the Global Arcade Whether you like to play video games or just watch, gaming technology and culture have evolved rapidly. How do they fit into the way we travel, and where will they take us next?

by Jordan Yerman | illustrations: Manuel córdova

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lap-flap-flap-WHAP! A two-dimensional knight atop a flying 8-bit ostrich defeats his opponent, transforming it into a floating green egg. Why are knights battling on ostrich-back? How can these ostriches fly? As long as you could joust in the living room against your friend, thanks to the magic of the Atari 2600, who cared?

Back in the day, we’d line up our quarters at the arcade and wait our turn to play, entranced by the electronic narratives unfolding in front of us. One kid’s session told an improvised digital story for those watching. Nobody knew what might happen next: the very definition of drama. The wait was okay if the freckly guy hogging Spy Hunter for the past 20 minutes was this close to the high score.

That was then and this is now: How we play and experience video games has evolved from the Space Age of the 1970s to the Internet age of the new millennium.

We’ve moved beyond that sticky-carpeted arcade and into massively multiplayer multiverses. Gamecasting, the broadcasting of a game, has come of age, transforming what began as a local experience into one that is shared with the whole world... and we do love to watch.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

gaming to the crowd Over three million people a day tune in to Twitch, the most popular website you’ve never heard of. During peak traffic hours in the United States, only Google, Netflix and Apple.com rank higher. Twitch is the YouTube of gaming, where players upload footage of their exploits (and themselves) to a ravenous global audience.

Through gamecasting, we not only learn how to play a game, but we watch that game develop with bleeding-edge performances while connecting with the personalities of top-level players. We think, “Hey, I can do that!” Then, once we can, we upload gamecasts of our own. It’s a circle-of-life thing.

Gamecasting is a profoundly powerful evangelizing tool for gaming itself, as video games have emerged from the geeky fringe culture into mainstream entertainment, and even into everyday life. Mobile gaming is the fastest growing segment, thanks to that casual gaming device also known as the smartphone. Free-to-play games such as Candy Crush Saga or Clash of Clans end up turning a buck through in-app purchases. > june - july 2014

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The geeks have inherited the Earth, as gameplay has influenced how we live our everyday lives. From checking in at a cafe with Foursquare to logging your medication with Ayogo, you’re probably gaming without realizing it.

bringing games onboard Long before our Xbox 360 or PS3 allowed us to trade bullets and trash-talk with some teenager in Seoul, and before our phones told us to run faster during our morning jog, networked gaming debuted aboard planes. Virgin Atlantic was early to the party, as passengers challenged one another to simple games such as BattleMail Kung Fu, in which you emailed fight moves to your opponent, creating a digitized throwdown. Over subsequent years word games, board games and Sudoku, along with golden age arcade classics like Pac-Man, found themselves embedded in seatbacks and played through in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems’ simple controls.

While PC and console gaming have grown into spectatorfriendly events, in-flight gaming can feel like a prisoner of yesteryear due to numerous factors, including network and hardware technology, legal compliance across various countries’ airspaces, and (of course) budget: Offsetting development costs by charging separately for video games would be the PR equivalent of a self-delivered face-slap.

Eighty percent of on-demand IFE systems feature games, but the titles not licensed from major game publishers can feel sub-par, like those browser-based Flash games and early smartphone apps from five years ago.

In making decisions on interactive entertainment, airlines must consider the passengers’ priorities: Price

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and availability are perennially the deciding factors in a flyer’s choice of carrier. Since IFE isn’t mentioned in the reservation process, travelers cannot currently take gaming into account when booking tickets. When you’re flying because you can’t miss your sister’s wedding, the ability to play Street Fighter II against the woman in 36C may not affect your choice of carrier, but as we customize our journey cycle, IFE offerings may soon be a major deciding factor in airline preference.

Should an airline commit to an investment in gaming, regional preferences then come to the fore: What’s huge in Japan might be unknown in France.

the smartphone revolution The smartphone and tablet revolution means that the arcade is now everywhere, and as Abraham Lincoln once said, “It’s easier to ride a horse in the direction it’s going.”

2011 saw Stellar Entertainment introduce a rent-an-iPad program for the Australian carrier JetStar, effectively freeing seatback entertainment from the back of the seat.

In 2012, Cathay Pacific’s then-CEO John Slosar publicly mused on the potential demise of IFEs at the hands of passengers’ own portables.

Today, Bluebox provides a wireless IFE (they call it the wiFE) that works with an airline’s own hardware as well as passengers’ personal devices. Delta will deploy touchscreen phablets (not-quite-tablet-size smart devices), albeit only to its flight attendants. We are surely reaching that tipping point – if we haven’t done so already – at which most passengers are bringing aboard touchscreen devices in their pockets or carry-on luggage. >

top games flying on aircraft today Disney titles Tetris Bejeweled Solitaire Sudoku

new titles currently gaining traction Tarneeb (Middle Eastern card game) Lian Lian Kan (Asian matching game)

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

15-18 SEPTEMBER • ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA USA The Passenger Experience destination you’ve been looking for.

Registration Opens June 2014 www.apexifsaexpo.aero info@apex.aero +1.212.297.2177 #APEXEXPO2014

Games

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Visit us at apex.aero

Pwn is a slang term derived from the verb own, and implies the domination or humiliation of a rival. Used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated.

-Wikipedia contributors, “Pwn,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, (accessed May 29, 2014).

“Casual gaming is the perfect match for IFE.” Alexis Steinman, DTI Managing Director

Peter McLaughlin, CEO of Stellar Entertainment, wrote in an email, “Some airlines have begun to encourage passengers to utilize their own devices by downloading an app and then accessing content onboard via the aircraft’s wireless streaming. This is still relatively young technology and it will be some time before these systems become mainstream across the global industry.”

casting call: new gamers wanted Montreal-based DTI Software dominates (dare we say pwns?) a reported 90 percent of the worldwide in-flight games market, delivering to most of the world’s airlines.

Licensing a well-known title can mean lifting the hood and retooling a game’s code so that it works on an airline’s own IFE platform. It’s like turning a hatchback into a rally car.

DTI managing director Alexis Steinman said, “Anything that goes on an airplane would typically be for a general audience. This fits in well with the trend 82

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toward casual gaming. People of all ages and either sex now play routinely on public transport, in boring meetings. Casual gaming is the perfect match for IFE.” Consider that DTI brings aboard Tetris, which is the chocolate chip cookie dough of casual games: Nobody dislikes it.

As embedded IFE systems evolve, multiplayer games might soon reach cruising altitude: You can play a threeway match between your seatmate and a player 30,000 feet below. “One thing to look out for is these massive social games,” said Steinman, “where publishers are looking to get new users.”

Airline passengers with little else to do for the next 10 hours of flying time may find networked casual gaming quite attractive, and those newly minted gamers may carry on gaming once they land, seeking out new titles over which to obsess. It’s that circle-of-life thing again.

beyond the screen We might look further ahead by harking back to the days of pre 9-11 flying, when passengers were not so strictly confined to their ever-shrinking seats. Perhaps the true potential of in-flight gaming lies beyond the screen itself.

A cruising-altitude Dance Dance Revolution tournament or karaoke session would be a surefire way to defeat deep-vein thrombosis: No twerking when the seatbelt sign is illuminated.

In the meantime, reliable access to in-flight Wi-Fi is becoming an industry standard. For now, then, we can call up our own roster of networked games... or just play vicariously through the gamecasters on Twitch.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Travelogue

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A Thousand Words While onboard connectivity is becoming more commonplace, the reality is that many passengers remain offline in-flight, relying on traditional methods of IFE. In our inaugural Travelogue essay feature, a chronic traveler shares his personal experience within the content journey cycle.

ollowing the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City in 2013, Jason Sanders embarked on a journey that took him to meditation retreats in Thailand, boat trips through Laos, temples in Cambodia and Mount Everest in Nepal. After weeks of exploring in India, he moved on to the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and England, and is now traveling across the United States looking for his next adventure.

Months of planning and anticipation have prepared you for high altitudes, dangerous animals and unknown cultures. Your bags are packed with travel insurance certificates, photocopies of your passport and credit cards, and medication to remedy every conceivable ailment. >

photo: gettyimages

by Jason Sanders

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SKYfi club – Your mobile theatre Staying in touch and streaming content via smartphones, tablets and laptops are now top wishes for air travellers.

And SKYfi is one of the most advanced and cost-effective ways to meet these demands – for satisfied passengers who keep coming back. Plus, SKYfi club lets you create personalised entertainment and information programmes streamed directly to passengers’ devices – for the ultimate in in-flight customisation.

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

www.kid-systeme.com

Travelogue

apex experience

As your commuter train lumbers toward the airport, fellow passengers investigate you and your luggage with a quiet envy until the PA system announces a stop and they trudge off to their domestic lives, leaving you and a few other travelers to stare in silence at your phones or at the transit ads around you.

Business travelers sit alongside backpackers and others who are heading away to a sunny vacation. All are updating their Facebook status to let friends and colleagues know their imminent location: the airport.

Once there, you make your way through security and find your phone abuzz with “likes” and comments on your last Starbucks check-in on Foursquare. You upload an Instagram photo of your gate’s information screen that is now notifying you that your plane has begun boarding.

A couple of last-minute texts, WhatsApp messages and a Snapchat are sent off before boarding the plane and buckling in.

Then – disconnection. Cell silence. It might as well be 2007. “What did I do seven years ago?” you wonder. “Read?” Conversation

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between seatmates has been monotony’s antidote for decades of air travel, if not thousands of years of land and sea crossings. But in our age of tech-fuelled withdrawal, conversation is over before it begins as soon as your seatmate unravels her earplugs and snaps her sleep mask over her eyes, ready for hibernation.

The cabin doors close, the in-flight safety procedure begins and you start looking around for something — anything — to consume. You’re prepared for snakebites, sunburns and culture shock, but not for the long stretches of time between origin and destination. Twentyone tedious hours of customs, layovers, transfers, and the flight itself: The air traveler’s journey remains one of the greatest outliers in our content-rich world.

Suddenly a voice from above announces the availability of the airplane’s on-demand content system. Sighs of relief are audible from a few passengers around you as a remote pops out of the seat system and offers access to an abundance of films, >

“Then disconnection.

Cell silence.

It might as well be 2007.

‘What did I do seven years ago?’ you wonder.

‘Read?’”

Jason takes part in visual storytelling through his travel photos on Instagram.

The alps are somewhere below. #europe #clouds

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Everest top left. The mountain holding onto some clouds. #nepal

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photoS: @jasonesanders

8 likes

Discover Digiredoo The digital press service by Dawson Media Direct

Digiredoo can help keep your passengers informed and engaged throughout their airside experience.

From the world’s leading supplier of newspapers and magazines to airlines, the Digiredoo range enhances your media proposition digitally, instantly and weightlessly. It complements our market-leading print solution in one integrated media service leveraging our USP as a truly global content aggregator.

Digiredoo Online

Digiredoo Inseat

An exclusive internet portal with direct revenue potential, delivering digital media (including top-rated newspaper apps) to personal laptops, tablets and smartphones in the premium lounge environment.

A content-rich service for fitted IFEC systems, enhancing the onboard offer with all-seat access to every publication. Digiredoo Inseat helps with space, weight and fuel cost savings and green agenda benefits too.

Digiredoo Direct

Providing premium press content to industry partners for wireless delivery onboard: a bespoke media service for airlines, systems manufacturers, IFE software developers, connectivity providers and CSPs.

To view Digiredoo Online visit dawsonmd.com/digiredoo For more information contact Alan McInnes / Business Development Manager alan.mcinnes@dawsonmd.com / +44 (0) 7947 720924

“Every idle moment is now an opportunity to post a picture on Instagram and comment on a few in the process.”

apex experience

television shows and multiplayer games. Your dreams of in-flight Wi-Fi are superseded by Hollywood’s latest offerings of new releases.

Air travel is regarded as an opportunity for adventure, but in order to get from couch to trailhead, beach or peak, you first need to advance through a series of unnatural states.

To cope with downtime we transmogrify from passive consumers of content to devourers.

And on the airplane, where over 400 passengers are engaging with their in-flight content, you become part of one of the greatest concentrations of media connoisseurs in the world.

Travelers have developed an insatiable need to consume modern and interactive content and airlines have to work continually to keep their entertainment systems current.

For 20 hours, you can watch movies ranging from old classics such as Cool Hand Luke to new releases like Disney’s Frozen, while tuning in to NPR or playing a few games in between films.

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Over the past 10 years, as smartphones have become more and more ubiquitous, content has evolved from sporadic updates and headlines to an endless stream of photos, viral memes, status updates and check-ins.

Every idle moment — whether it’s on the bus to your destination, waiting for your plane to board or waiting for your luggage — is now an opportunity to post a picture on Instagram and comment on a few in the process.

Updating your Twitter with witty observations of your fellow travelers, your customer service woes and your expectations of the trip ahead has almost become a social obligation. You are expected to give your friends and followers a glimpse of life on the fly, to invite them to share your experience.

Now when one travels, we all travel.

While we’ve become voracious readers and watchers of others’ content, we’ve also become more active in our own storytelling — so long as it can be shared in a timely manner.

The airplane for the most part, bucks this

These pine trees were planted during the Golden Age of the Dutch Empire to provide uniform timber for the masts of the Dutch fleet. Now they provide ok-but-not-great shade. There’s also a deer hidden somewhere in this photo. #netherlands #hetloo #royalgarden

Follow Jason’s journey on Instagram: > @jasonesanders

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photoS: @jasonesanders

Travelogue

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9 likes

Pre dive breakfast! If I sink this is why.

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GREENLAND

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trend by remaining one of the few bastions of solitude left on this planet. And in doing so, it has become home to the last captive but appreciative audience, one eager to devour any and all content that distracts from the tedious nature of long-haul travel.

Our growing dependence on smartphones and social networks has left us largely unequipped for their absence during flights. And, though airlines face enormous constraints, such as music licensing, distribution rights, cultural tastes and Airline Passenger Experience Association

budgetary considerations, they offer content producers and consumers a unique environment.

The airplane has become a place where our diminishing attention spans can fixate with minimal distraction, and we’re encouraged to enjoy stories and media as a pleasurable, uninterrupted experience.

Eventually the flight ends, taking with it the stories and music that eased a weary day of travel, leaving a blurry trail of memory in its wake. The passengers

Travelogue

The winter spring.

deplane, fatigued from the journey, and manage to make their way through immigration and customs.

From here the travelers fan out in myriad directions: You find your way onto a local bus that’s blaring loud, incomprehensible music and, over the next hour, bounce and bump your way to the center of an unfamiliar town.

Once there, you stand in the blazing sun, look around, and realize that after watching so many stories unfold before your eyes, it’s time to make your own. june - july 2014

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Q&A

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“

By definition our industry is global, and so are its content needs, which keeps things interesting.

�

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Q&A

Stuart McGeachin Creative Director DMD Phantom

A former musician, writer and broadcaster, Stuart made the move to an inflight entertainment and communications (IFEC) career in 1989, making destination videos for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. Returning to London, he established Phantom Media (now DMD Phantom) and co-founded Bluebox Avionics. Since Phantom and its stake in Bluebox were acquired in 2011 by DMD, he has served there as creative director.

To read Stuart’s full Q&A, please visit us online at

Airline Passenger Experience Association

H

ow do you view the airline industry as a marketplace for your content?

What are its benefits?

Our main business is sourcing and delivering content, not originating it, although we do create custom content for airlines – and that is my favorite part of the job by far.

By definition our industry is global, and so are its content needs, which keeps things interesting. And since good airlines are technology driven and future focused, they can be more receptive than many businesses to the kinds of digital innovation we offer.

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

If I had to choose between my iPad and my passport, the passport wins every time.

What are the challenges and highlights of being a supplier to airlines?

To partly contradict what I said earlier, some airlines don’t always recognize valuable innovation when they see it. That can be frustrating, but it’s far from unique to our industry. Highlights? You do get to see the world and its many exotic airport hotels.

Talent you wish you possessed?

In business, mind-reading would really help.

The game you’re best at?

I used to be pretty good at pool, a notorious sign of a wasted youth but a wasted middle age isn’t half as much fun so my game is not what it was.

Three things of no value that you will never get rid of?

I try hard not to hoard and, in theory at least, nothing is sacred. Unless body parts count.

Biggest challenge you’ve overcome at work?

Fifteen years ago I had to suddenly start a business from scratch: Phantom Media, as it was then. I had one loyal airline client from the CSP I left that absolutely needed service continuity. If we had not delivered it we would have folded within weeks, and without the support of many kind and patient content owners we would have failed. I don’t think I’ve properly thanked them yet, so thank you!

(You know who you are.)

Top three films of all time?

Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day. Two things you miss most about home when you’re traveling?

My lovely daughters, Thing One and Thing Two. First travel memory?

Aged four, 1964. Dad drove us to Spain in his new Austin Cambridge. The memories are just snapshots, mainly of waiters offering cold chocolate milk – an undreamed-of luxury for us back then.

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Essay

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Customization on Demand In-flight entertainment suppliers have made great strides toward modernizing their equipment, but content needs to keep up.

n the confined space of the airline cabin, varied and engaging content is in high demand. Without quality content, in-flight entertainment (IFE) is nothing more than a black screen fitted into a molded panel on an aircraft seatback.

The high cost of licensing premium movies and popular television shows can severely limit the content that airlines are able to provide. While some invest in securing advanced-release films, others have to contend with smaller budgets or are limited by regional distribution restrictions.

Another problem for IFE content is home saturation, as many passengers have pay channels and streaming services to watch at home. Few movies fit in the exclusive advanced-release category anymore. Often,

we rifle through screen after screen of IFE menus only to find content we’ve already seen. If we travel often enough, this problem is compounded by the overlapping content between carriers, a redundancy that detracts from the value of perceived service.

Cable companies tuned in to this challenge long ago, and have overcome it by creating unique boutique content via special-interest channels with lifestyle, travel and educational programs. And let’s not forget the evergreen popularity of home-shopping networks.

Airlines that offer direct broadcast satellite (DBS) programming have the opportunity to tap in to the popularity of niche cable channels, but most in-flight DBS options tend to veer mainstream, offering familiar channels like CNN, FOX and NBC.>

photo: CORBIS

by Marisa Garcia

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Improve your flight experience‌ Rate your travel experience! By filling out the Passenger Choice Awards survey, www.passengerchoiceawards.com, travelers can now provide direct feedback on every aspect of flying, including the inflight publications, connectivity and communications, food and beverage, informational videos and entertainment, cabin ambiance, and pre-departure experience.

www.passengerchoiceawards.com For helpful travel tips, become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PassengerChoiceAwards

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Essay

PHOTOS: go pro; VIRGIN AMERICA

ABOVE: The popularity of the in-flight GoPro channel led to its expansion on the ground.

RIGHT: Virgin offers a selection of custom IFE channels, including Virgin Produced.

There are some airlines that have been exploring custom content. Virgin America offers a selection of custom channels, including Virgin Produced and Onboard Virgin America, along with their Boing Boing channel that showcases videos produced by the tech and culture website, and the recently added GoPro branded channel.

Perhaps because of logistical complications presented by standardized IFE platforms, a custom channel that has yet to be fully realized – but holds a lot of promise – is destination-focused programming. Whether airlines can capitalize on this depends on the usefulness of the information provided.

Allowing passengers to book a meal at a popular restaurant that was reviewed in a short video, book a hotel that appeared in another, or purchase tickets for a special destination event would be useful and add value. Such content inspires and builds up the anticipation of the journey, and it is precisely when passengers are so engaged and inspired that they are likely to spend.

If passengers receive exclusive discounts Airline Passenger Experience Association

on bookings made onboard, they will associate that value benefit directly with the airline.

Airlines should also take note of their in-flight magazine when considering custom IFE content. In-flight magazines are popular with travelers because they provide interesting, engaging and beneficial information, and much of that type of content could come alive on the IFE screen.

Providing an interactive publication that replicates the experience of surfing the net would be valuable to passengers, while also allowing airlines to supplement their connectivity gaps by giving them curated and interactive content to search through.

Many industry visionaries believe that converting this interactive programming to sales of duty-free items and menu options for in-flight meals would be popular with passengers, and some airlines have already proven it works. Virgin America has initiated this strategy with their RED service, and Norwegian reports that passengers like ordering snacks via IFE. It’s a great alternative to the peddle-by-trolley approach.

But IFE purchases need not be limited to snacks and beverages. Select products could be sold for home delivery, eliminating the need for airlines to carry a full inventory of wares onboard, and increasing the variety of premium items the airline could sell.

Intelligently managed, service-driven IFE content that speaks to the passenger’s lifestyle and preferences would add value to the onboard experience. All that’s needed is a little imagination – and that’s true of all great entertainment.

Follow author Marisa Garcia on Twitter: > @designerjet

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Visit us at apex.aero

Upcoming APEX Events 2014 2015

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

2. apex asia

conference 3-4 Nov. 2014 Hong Kong

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1. apex / ifsa expo

15-18 Sept. 2014 Anaheim, CA USA

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

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apex tec conference May 2015 Burbank area, CA USA #APEXTEC

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apex asia conference November 2015 Bangkok, Thailand #APEXAsia

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

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apex / ifsa expo 28 Sept. - 1 Oct. 2015 Portland, Oregon USA #APEXEXPO

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apex tec conference November 2015 Newport, CA USA #APEXTEC

next up: the marketing issue August – September, 2014

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Tweeting from one of our upcoming events? Be sure to use the designated hashtag so other members can join the conversation!

Our next edition coincides with the APEX/IFSA EXPO in Anaheim, and will be packed with show information and conference tips. Also watch for features on the future of brand alliances, new developments in marketing and sponsorship initiatives within the industry, and how content is evolving to suit the latest information-delivery systems.

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Returning to Australian Shores APEX returns to Australia after more than 10 years, launching the 2014 Australasia Conference in Sydney.

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4 1. Uniform display at the Qantas Centre of Service Excellence (COSE).

2. Spafax’s Vince Cruz.

3. Martin Burgisser, Astronics; Laurie Barns, digEcor Inc; Dennis Markert, Astronics.

4. GuestLogix’s Robert Illston presents at the Education Session.

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Marking APEX’s first appearance on Australian shores in more than 10 years, the Australasia conference that ran from March 17-18 at Sydney’s Swissotel brought the industry together in one of its most dynamic regions.

Day one of the conference sought to address the many challenges faced in the Australasia region, focusing especially on how these challenges affect content, services, technology and other areas.

Trudy Storey, Qantas manager of in-flight programming, provided delegates with a uniquely Australian perspective through Qantas’ vision of the future of airline customer service.

Touching on a challenge that affects the industry globally, the “Wireless Streaming Airline Passenger Experience Association

& Portable Devices” panel that included Jonathan Norris from Lumexis Corporation, Mary Rogozinski from Gogo and David Withers, CEO of digEcor, discussed the future of embedded seatback systems in light of new streaming technologies, reaching the general conclusion that in-flight entertainment will harness both technologies in a complementary capacity.

On day two, delegates were treated to a tour of Qantas’ Centre of Service Excellence at their Mascot headquarters. The tour of the center provided delegates with an inside look into where Qantas’ cabin members and ground staff receive their training and featured mockups of all of Qantas’ lounge settings and cabin types.

Jonathan Norris’ “Closed Captioning” address was particularly pertinent, given the imminent US Department of Transportation regulations that may require closed captioning for all in-flight video over US airspace.

The conference wrapped up with a look at the relationship between social media and entertainment, and an exploration of what airlines can do to keep children entertained onboard.

To see some of the highlights from Sydney, visit: > APEX.AERO/SYDNEY/

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Visit us at apex.aero

TV Market Evolves Into MultiMedia

For more on the Dublin conference, visit:

Dublin 2014 saw the inclusion of even more distributors for film, games, GUIs and apps.

More than 242 delegates from over 29 countries were on hand in Dublin April 28-30 for the TV Market Conference, which has now been expanded beyond TV to include distributors for film, games, GUIs and apps.

Things kicked off with a cocktail event at the Mansion House hosted by Inflight Dublin with a warm welcome from the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisín Quinn. The following night at the Guinness Storehouse the IFE Quiz saw three teams tied for first place until the Fantastic 10 broke the tie in the ‘Album Covers Reimagined Through Lego Characters’ bonus round.

James Chu, industrial designer, branding strategist and educator at the Art Center College of Design in California discussed the potential for highly personalized user and brand experiences within the air travel industry through the implementation of intuitive Hyperpersonalized Experience services (HPX).

As with the APEX Australasia Conference, closed captioning also found its way onto the TV Market conference’s educational agenda, this time with a presentation by Michael Childers, Lufthansa Systems’ chief consultant of content and media strategy. He emphasized the impact the US Department of Transportation’s new regulations will have within the industry from economic, practical and technical standpoints.

The educational agenda concluded with a presentation by Duncan Abell, VP creative of IFP and OnAir’s marketing program manager, Victor Braultz on the ever-important BYOD (bring your own device) trend. Along with examining how passengers will experience IFE on their devices, Abell and Rodriguez discussed how PEDs can enable airlines to engage with passengers via social media to take customer experience to new levels.

To reflect the technological diversity of the event, next year’s conference in Prague will be held under a new name: The APEX MultiMedia Market.

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7 1. Members of the APEX Board of Directors conduct Q&A. 2. IFP’s Duncan Abell and OnAir’s Victor Brault discuss streaming media.

3. Board member Michael Childers leads a discussion on closed captioning regulation.

4. Fun times in the Disney booth.

5. Keynote speaker James Chu. 6. NBC/Universal’s Cynthia Klar shares a laugh with guests.

7. Thales Dave Pook presents the latest on interactive map technology.

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8. Panasonic’s Alex Schrift and Scott Scheer.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

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Passenger Choice Awards Tally Travelers’ Top Picks The PCAs collect feedback from passengers to determine who’s excelling within the industry, and will deliver awards at a red carpet ceremony during the 2014 EXPO. You’ve carefully selected your IFE; you’ve balanced comfort with space in your seating selection; you’ve even filmed an amazing in-flight safety video that you hope catches your passengers’ attention and keeps everyone safe.

So how do you know if you’ve made the right decisions? Can anything be improved to make the passenger experience positive and memorable? You need data, and we’ve got it. The Passenger Choice Awards are more than a way to earn recognition and stand out among your peers; the awards help you see into the mind of your passengers with invaluable, candid feedback.

“Every airline that participates in the Passenger Choice Awards receives regular data,” says Dominic Green, chair of the APEX Awards Task Force. “The data is broken down to show how passengers responded to each question of the survey. And just as important, individual passenger comments are included verbatim. Say you’re lagging when it comes to IFE. Why is that? You

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individual services. Voting cycles are open for May and June each year.

Outreach directly from airlines drives a sizable portion of passenger participation, so APEX makes it easy for you to get the word out.

APEX provides advertising collateral available for free download at apex.aero.

Collateral includes digital and print ads translated into 13 languages, a press release pre-written on your behalf, Passenger Choice Awards logos for use at your discretion, and messaging you can copy-paste or tweak to your liking to reach your passengers.

Members interested in ways to promote the Passenger Choice Awards to their passengers should email info@apex.aero.

Good luck to your airline!

1. The Passenger Choice Awards celebrate industry leaders, and will also recognize a Lifetime Achievement recipient each cycle.

2. Guests anticipate who the winners might be at the 2013 PCA ceremony.

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can look and see for yourself that maybe passengers are having trouble navigating the GUI.” The Passenger Choice Awards were created by APEX to give passengers a direct way to communicate with airlines and to give the passenger experience industry a better idea of what’s working and what isn’t.

Winners are honored yearly at the APEX Awards Ceremony at EXPO. APEX partners with the Nielsen Company, a world-renowned survey and consumer data company, to produce the comprehensive Passenger Choice Awards survey for online distribution at passengerchoiceawards.com.

Surveys break down the entire experience – from pre-flight to in-flight entertainment.

Each question gives passengers the option to rank their satisfaction and to follow up with written comments. The information is tallied using a point system within each category of questions. The score can be compared with the industry average so that airlines can see how they measure up in

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The All Inclusive EXPO The 2014 EXPO will cover the entire passenger experience industry by building on a successful partnership with IFSA.

photo: peter gallina

For the second year, APEX and the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) will team up for an EXPO that represents the entire passenger experience, 15-18 September in Anaheim, California USA. Like last year, the two groups will co-locate as one conference under one roof. The format will give members of both associations full access to all exhibitors and better exposure to potential business partners. Additionally, APEX and IFSA will have access to the same educational sessions and several networking opportunities.

The tradeshow floor and the educational schedule have been categorized in a way to better meet the needs of EXPO-goers, with sections covering Comfort & Ambience, Entertainment & Connectivity, and Catering & Services. A notable change this year is a stronger emphasis on Comfort & Ambience, a crucial sector of the passenger experience industry.

“This industry is more integrated than ever and, increasingly, the APEX EXPO reflects that integration with participation by companies focused on comfort & cabin ambience, catering and other services, as well as our traditional entertainment and connectivity member companies,” says Russell A. Lemieux, APEX executive director.

“One example of this is our collaboration with the International Flight Services Association.

A year ago, we literally brought down the walls that previously separated the two tradeshows – another step toward creating a more comprehensive, integrated marketplace for airlines.”

Please visit: > apexifsaexpo.aero

for information on exhibitors, educational sessions and the EXPO agenda.

Airline Passenger Experience Association

list of networking events

events & expo committee

Welcome Reception

Thales Avionics

Sunday 14 September

Jennifer Clark

Awards Ceremony

American Airlines

Monday 15 September

Rowena Falcinella

IFSA Foundation Event

Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Monday 15 September

Kate Groth

Networking Event

AMP International

Chair – Dominic Green,

Wednesday 17 September

We caught up with Philipp Dahm of Rohi at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.

Rohi have only recently become members of the APEX family, but Philipp is finding his collaboration with our association very positive. “We’ve set up our booth in collaboration with carpet designers and fellow APEX member ANKER. They share our heritage; in fact, they have been around for over 180 years! Our products complement each other. Our booth is now a potential one stop shop for airlines looking to review the textile and carpeting design of their aircraft and lounges.”

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IFSA President’s Letter Food safety and government affairs change just as fast as the airline and onboard catering industry sectors as we work to improve the airline passenger experience. As part of our commitment to our members and to being leaders in the industry, IFSA has highly qualified professionals from member companies working together on government affairs and education in 2014.

The Government Affairs and Education Committee (GAEC) is currently focused on making necessary updates to the IFSA World Food Safety Guidelines, based on newer guidelines from the FDA, USDA and EU. IFSA is not only involved in food safety, but also innovation and keeping members informed of trends that impact their business and the traveling public. Based on Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) and other insights into creating a memorable onboard experience, IFSA is currently developing an education platform for members through the Ideation Committee.

The Committee has also been making recommendations to IFSA’s board on priority actions associated with current and long range evolutionary plans.

The Communications Advisory Council continues to ensure that IFSA’s communications activities

Airline Passenger Experience Association

revolve around promoting all the benefits of the organization, while ensuring that a strong reputation management plan is in place.

As we draw closer to our 2014 conference in Anaheim this September, I’d like to reflect on how much this event helps our members grow, evolve and deliver the best airline passenger experience possible. The various industries represented at our co-located EXPO work in tandem with each other, and for this reason we continue to focus on our alliance with APEX. In addition to the conference, I also want to highlight the success of the 2014 IFSA Scholarship Foundation. Through even more generous donations, this will be the most in scholarship awards that the Foundation has ever been able to offer. We’d like to thank all of our award sponsors for their continued support of this program that benefits students across the globe.

Finally, I’d like to thank our committee leaders and members for their hard work this year and I look forward to seeing you all in Anaheim this September.

“IFSA is not only involved in food safety, but also innovation and keeping members informed of trends that impact their business and the traveling public.”

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

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IFSA SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION 2014

IFSA Scholarship Foundation: 2014 Poised to Be Most Successful Year to Date The International Flight Services Association Foundation is proud to offer multiple scholarships to help exceptional students and current onboard services professionals further their education. The Foundation Scholarships cover tuition, books, living expenses and associated costs with college.

The scholarships are available to students across the globe. Last year, the IFSA Foundation awarded $40,000 in scholarships for the second year in a row. In 2014, through even more generous donations, the IFSA Foundation will administer over $60,000 in scholarship awards. The deadline for applications is June 20, 2014. Visit ifsanet.com and apply today.

WORLD FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES UPDATE

2014 Updates to IFSA World Food Safety Guidelines Under Way The meticulous process of updating IFSA’s World Food Safety Guidelines will span much of 2014 and will result in a more streamlined guidelines document for the benefit of IFSA members. Additionally, GAEC is seeking input from European airlines that will help the WFSG provide a broader global reach by including reference to EU food safety issues.

Some of the highlights of the updates include: • Food labeling, which could have a large financial impact on the industry.

• Regulated garbage, in regards to backup catering for the removal of garbage.

There will be a meeting in Dallas this spring, a meeting at the IFSA conference in September and then a final meeting this year in Europe. Locations and date to be determined. The committee is looking for additional international airlines to participate in GAEC. If interested, please contact Hope Felshaw hfelshaw@kellencompany.com.

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Thank you to the 2014 IFSA Foundation scholarship donors!

Gourmet Foods Harvey & Laura Alpert John Louis Foundation Oakfield Farms Solutions WESSCO International AMI Group King Nut Companies John & Ginnie Long The Hoffman Group Elite Airline Services Flying Food Group iFood Ken Samara IFSA Member Family Scholarship Award

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ifsa

Communications Advisory Council The Communications Advisory Council is comprised of seasoned marketing and communications professionals within the industry that represent the various segments of IFSA membership. In 2014, the Council remains committed to assisting in the development and promotion of industry statistics and best practices information, responding to media inquiries about the industry, promoting the positive initiatives of the organization and the industry and also enhancing member communications. In keeping with CAC’s mission, the Council is pleased to welcome a new voice from the airline industry: Holly Armstrong, United Airlines. Her addition to the Council will create a broader perspective for IFSA communications efforts going forward.

Expo Updates The Annual Conference Planning Committee is hard at work producing the highest quality annual conference and exposition that will feature an exciting line-up of speakers, education sessions, networking events and exhibition tradeshow, in addition to the Chef’s Competition, an event to raise funds for the IFSA Foundation and other entertaining events.

“This is the premier event in the Americas designed to connect APEX and IFSA professionals,” says Jay Cravens, Product Manager, OBS – Asia, Delta Air Lines. “We look forward to welcoming thousands of industry experts and key decision makers representing over 547 airline decision makers and over 300 suppliers specializing in passenger experience and in-flight products, food and beverages.”

Government Affairs and Education Committee Update In March, GAEC met with the USDA and the FDA to discuss various regulatory updates from each agency. These include: • Discussion with USDA on the need for emergency backup plans. The USDA would like to see a standard operating procedure that all companies use for their backup plan. Each individual location would then have the ability to create an addendum to the SOP specific to that location. IFSA Government Affairs committee is putting together the SOP to be reviewed and approved by the UA. This would then be an addendum in the WFSG. • Clarification from FDA over labeling restrictions, specifically nutritional and allergen labeling regulation. The FDA has asked the GAEC to put the questions in writing with specifics to how each product is packaged and presented to the consumer. Then the FDA will reply with what regulation pertains to each situation. This information will be shared with the industry as soon as it is available.

• Clarification from FDA that that ALL onboard products must have allergens (from the eight most common allergens) labeled on the outside of the box or container. There are no exceptions. This is currently in effect.

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What to look for in the months ahead

Coming Attractions April in New York (Abril en Nueva York) w

Director: Martín Piroyansky Cast: Matt Burns, Carla Quevedo, Steeve Cazaux, Michael Dinwiddie Valeria and Paul are a young Argentinean couple struggling to make a living in NYC, while also trying to work out their relationship. When things become too much they are forced to separate. Will they be able to continue living in the city, but now alone?

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Distributor: BreakAway International Media Contact: Mehmet Gunduz

Bears

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Believe

Director: Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey Narrated by John C. Reilly

Director: David Scheinmann Cast: Natascha McElhone, Toby Stephens, Brian Cox, Anne Reid

Disneynature’s Bears showcases a year in the life of two mother bears as they impart life lessons to their young cubs. Set against a majestic Alaskan backdrop teeming with life, their journey begins as winter comes to an end and the bears emerge from hibernation. This true-life adventure captures the action and suspense of life in one of the last great wildernesses – where mothers definitely know best and their cubs’ survival hinges on family togetherness.

Legendary football manager Sir Matt Busby is still restless in the twilight of his life. An act of petty crime by a working class kid, 11-year-old Georgie, becomes a collision of fate as Matt tracks him down and discovers the boy is an extraordinarily gifted footballer and captain of a team of unruly talents. Matt decides to embark on his own method of teaching the boy a lesson, to continue his work of training lads for life.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

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Chess Game (Jogo De Xadrez) w

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Director: Luis Antonio Pereira Cast: Priscila Fantin, Antonio Calloni, Tuca Andrada, Fabiano Costa Chess Game is a thriller starring some of the most famous and well-known Brazilian soap opera stars such as Priscila Fantin, Antonio Calloni and Tuca Andrada. Mina (Fantin) is arrested for fraud that involves a state senator and a corrupt police chief. Afraid she’ll talk, Senator Frances does everything he can to ensure she doesn’t.

Distributor: BreakAway International Media Contact: Mehmet Gunduz

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: KAFILMS; ©2014 Disney Enterprises; Inc. Manifest Films; ELO Company

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Deliver us From Evil

Director: Matt Reeves Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee

Director: Scott Derrickson Cast: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale

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photos: © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved; Eros; © 2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved; © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

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A growing nation of genetically evolved apes, led by Caesar, is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

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New York police officer Ralph Sarchie, struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions that are terrorizing their city. The film is inspired by the book of the same title, which details Sarchie’s bone-chilling, real-life cases.

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Dishkiyaoon

Director: Sanamjit Singh Talwar Cast: Harman Baweja, Ayesha Khanna, Aditya Pancholi, Prashant Narayanan, Anand Tiwari, Sumit Nijhawan, Hasan Zaidi, Sunny Deol Born to an upper middle class society, Viki had no mother and his father had no time for him.

The cold loneliness of Viki’s world left him weak and tainted from within, and the absence of love and care pushed Viki to find acceptance in other places. One such place was just a road away from his plush apartment: Gangster Land.

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

Distributor: Sony Pictures Contact: Rana Matthes

The Fault in Our Stars

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Director: Josh Boone Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, Willem Dafoe

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Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Kick Gurry, Masayoshi Haneda, Ciaran Hinds, Dragomir Mrsic, Jeremy Piven, Charlotte Riley, Noah Taylor, Tony Way

Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit Earth with an unrelenting assault. Major William Cage has never seen a day of combat when he is dropped into a suicide mission.

Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself thrown into a time loop – forcing him to live out the same brutal death cycle over and over again.

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Contact: Jeff Crawford

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional and a love that sweeps them away. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met at a cancer support group. Based on the bestselling novel by John Green, this film explores the thrilling and tragic business of being alive.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

W: WorldWide

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Flex is Kings

Director: Michael Beach Nichols, Deidre Schoo Cast: Dj Aaron, Anime, Kareem Baptiste Flex is Kings is a riveting and awe-inspiring look inside the world of Brooklyn street dancing known as ‘flexing.’ Directors Michael Beach Nichols and Deidre Schoo take audiences along on the emotional journey of several young dancers – dancers who vie for a chance to make something of themselves by battling it out through this do-it-yourself art form.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski

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The Grand Seduction

Director: Wong Jing w Chow Yun Fat, Cast: Nicholas Tse, Chapman To

Director: Don McKellar Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Taylor Kitsch, Liane Balaban

Gambling legend Ken returns to his home town of Macau after retiring as a security consultant to a Las Vegas casino. He catches up with old friend Benz and his son, Cool.

But, unknown to Cool, stepbrother Lionel is working as an undercover agent investigating a money laundering syndicate run by mobster, Ko. Lionel’s evidence accidentally ends up in the hands of Ken’s daughter, Rainbow.

With Rainbow in danger, Ken is forced out of retirement and must bring back his “magic hand” to uncover Ko’s criminal plans.

A small fishing village must procure a local doctor to secure a lucrative business contract.

When unlikely candidate and big-city doctor Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) lands in their lap for a trial residence, the townsfolk rally together to charm him into staying. As the doctor’s time in the village comes to a close, acting mayor Murray French (three-time Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson) has no choice but to pull out all the stops to convince the doctor to stay permanently.

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau

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Happy Christmas

Director: Joe Swanberg Cast: Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber Anna Kendrick plays Jenny, an irresponsible 20-something who comes to Chicago to live with her older brother Jeff, a young filmmaker living a happy existence with his novelist wife Kelly and their two-year-old son. Jenny’s arrival shakes up their quiet domesticity as she and her friend Carson instigate an evolution in Kelly’s life and career. Meanwhile, Jenny strikes up a rocky relationship with the family’s babysitter/ drug dealer.

Distributor: Paramount Pictures Contact: Mark Horton

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

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photos: 2013 Flex is Kings LLC, Nil; Voltage Pictures; © Magnolia Pictures

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Š 2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Coming to Airlines September 2014

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

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Hercules

Director: Brett Ratner Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ian Macshane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, John Hurt

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Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece, selling w his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules’ help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that for good to triumph and justice to prevail he must again become the hero he once was. He must embrace his own myth and be Hercules.

Distributor: Paramount Pictures Contact: Mark Horton

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Director: Dean DeBlois Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Kit Harington, Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher MintzPlasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig The thrilling second chapter of the epic How to Train Your Dragon trilogy returns to the fantastical world of the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless. The inseparable duo must protect the peace and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago.

Visit us at apex.aero

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Jai Ho

Director: Sohail Khan Cast: Salman Khan, Tabu, Danny Denzongpa, Daisy Shah, Nadira Babbar, Sana Khan, Mukul Dev, Ashmit Patel, Yash Tonk An ex-army officer initiates the unique idea of propagating social responsibility among ordinary people and in doing so, crosses paths with a powerful political family.

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

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Jersey Boys

Director: Clint Eastwood Cast: John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, Vincent Piazza, Christopher Walken Clint Eastwood’s big screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of the four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic ‘60s rock group, The Four Seasons. Their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the hit songs that influenced a generation and are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical.

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Contact: Jeff Crawford

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

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photos: © 2014 Paramount Pictures; © 2014 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved; Eros; © 2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights ReservedA

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Jeff Crawford

aNGeLICa McCoY

jeff.crawford@ warnerbros.com

angelica.mccoy@ warnerbros.com

wbnts.warnerbros.com

Š 2014 Warner Bros. Pictures.

All rights reserved.

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Jupiter Ascending

Director: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Doona Bae, James D’Acry, Tim PigottSmith, Tuppence Middleton From the streets of Chicago to the far-flung galaxies whirling through space, Jupiter Ascending tells the story of Jupiter Jones, who was destined for great things. Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine, a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along – her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

photos© 2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved; Follow Your Nose Films, SND; © 2013 Mymy Productions LLC All Rights Reserved

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Contact: Jeff Crawford

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La Camioneta

Director: Mark Kendall Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala where they are repaired, repainted and resurrected as the brightly colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. La Camioneta follows one such bus on its transformative journey between North and South, life and death and through an unfolding collection of moments, people and places that quietly remind us of the interconnected worlds in which we live.

Distributor: BreakAway International Media Contact: Mehmet Gunduz

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The Love Punch

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Director: Joel Hopkins Cast: Emma Thompson, Pierce Brosnan, Tuppence Middleton, Timothy Spall

Director: Megan Griffiths Cast: Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Oliver Platt

Spanning locations in Paris, London and the French Riviera, The Love Punch brings two-time Golden Globe nominee Pierce Brosnan and Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, together for the first time as ex-husband and wife who find their retirement nest egg is wiped out when their investment firm is defrauded and the pension fund is siphoned away. Learning that the unscrupulous French financier behind the scheme has just purchased a $10-million diamond for his bride-to-be, the divorced duo grudgingly agree to set aside their differences, and hatch a plot to gate-crash the wedding and steal the rock.

More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug (Toni Collette) has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor with a no-stone-unturned search to discover what really happened to rock god Matthew Smith, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur documentary filmmaker (Thomas Haden Church in a delightful performance), Ellie hits the road in search of answers.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski * except Canada

Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

june - july 2014

113

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Main Tera Hero

Director: David Dhawan Cast: Varun Dhawan, Ileana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri The love story begins with the mischievous, clever, charming, daredevil hero who falls in love with Sunaina. But since a love story w cannot be complete without a villain, so walks in Angad, a corrupt cop who wants to forcibly marry Sunaina. To make things spicier, Sunaina finds a rival in Ayesha who is madly in love with the hero.

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

photos: EROS; ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc; ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc; © 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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Maleficent

Director: Robert Stromberg Cast: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville The untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty, reveals the events that hardened Maleficent’s heart and drove her to curse Aurora. Once a beautiful, pure-hearted young woman with stunning black wings, Maleficent suffers a ruthless betrayal when an army of humans threatens the harmony of the land. Facing an epic battle with the king of the humans, she places a curse on his newborn daughter. But could Aurora hold the key to peace in the kingdom – and to Maleficent’s true happiness as well?

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

Million Dollar Arm w

Director: Craig Gillespie Cast: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin Based on a true story, this drama follows sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) in a career slump.

In a desperate effort to save his livelihood, he schemes to find baseball’s next great ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm,” and nets two 18-year-old boys who know nothing about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. As the boys learn the finer points of the game, JB learns important lessons of his own.

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

A Million Ways to Die in the West w

Director: Seth MacFarlane Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson Seth MacFarlane (Ted) directs, produces, cowrites and plays the role of the cowardly sheep farmer Albert in A Million Ways to Die in the West.

After Albert backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband, a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

june - july 2014

115

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apex experience

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Miss Granny

Director: Hwang Dong-hyeuk Cast: Shim Eun-kyung, Na Moon-hee, Park In-hwan, Sung Dong-il On the day feisty and outspoken 70-year-old Mal-soon finds out that her family wants to commit her to a nursing home, she decides to wander the night streets. She is lured into the mysterious Forever Young Portrait Studio, an establishment that claims to capture the moments of one’s youth. Leaving the studio, she catches her reflection in a mirror and is dumbfounded to see she has transformed from an elderly woman to her 20-year-old self, complete with flawless skin, perfect teeth and a young, flexible body. With no one recognizing her, she chooses to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau

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The Monkey King

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Most Wanted Man

Director: Cheang Poi Soi Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Donnie Yen, Aaron Kwok, Peter Ho

Director: Anton Corbijn Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright

Mythical ancient China. After being banished to Fire Mountain for decimating the Jade Emperor’s Heavenly Palace, evil spirit Bull Demon King plots his revenge. Meanwhile, born from a tear of Goddess Nuwa is monkey spirit Sun Wukong.

A mischievous and undisciplined character, Sun Wukong is taken from his mountain home to study martial arts under the tutelage of Master Puti. On return to Fire Mountain, Sun Wukong proclaims himself as Monkey King. His fiery temperament however gets him into trouble and after creating havoc he is rescued by Bull Demon King.

A Most Wanted Man takes place in present day Hamburg, Germany, where a mysterious, tortured and near-dead half-Chechen, half-Russian manon-the-run arrives in the city’s Islamic community, desperate for help and looking to recover his late Russian father’s ill-gotten fortune. Is he a victim or a thief or an extremist intent on destruction?

Drawn into this web of intrigue is a private British banker and a young female lawyer determined to defend the defenseless. All the while, they are being watched by the roguish chief of a covert German spy unit who fights to put the pieces together as the clock ticks.

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Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau * except China & Taiwan

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski

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N: North america

Director: Koji Maeda Cast: Nana Eikura, Rin Takanashi, Koji Seto, Ryo Kase Minori is a young magazine editor. Her work and love life are going well. Minori’s friend is about to get married in Hawaii and asks Minori to help prepare her reception. She agrees, but must first fib to her company that she is going there for an assignment. In Hawaii, Minori meets Akane. Akane’s dream is to marry a rich man and she attends parties nightly. Minori also meets Tsutomu, a businessman struggling to pursue his dream, and Tomoya, the son of a wealthy man. The four newly acquainted friends explore Hawaii together.

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Patty Tang * except japan

* except US

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

My Hawaiian Discovery w

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: Nil; © A Most Wanted Man Limited / Amusement Park Film GmbH; ©2014 MY HAWAIIAN DISCOVERY Film Partners

* except Korea

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Have your daily dose of PAX news delivered directly to your inbox. Subscribe to the FREE apexnews daily SmartBrief! apexnews daily SmartBrief is your one-stop, global, industry news source covering every facet of the airline passenger experience.

Every two weeks you also receive apexnews digest, a compilation of headlines and incisive original content covering the passenger experience. To subscribe, please visit www.apex.aero. apexnews daily SmartBrief is the latest in a series of new innovations from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), the community of businesses and professionals committed to world-class airline experience for passengers around the globe!

Not a member yet? Call or click to join APEX today. +1.212.297.2177 • info@apex.aero • www.apex.aero

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Neighbors

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Director: Nicholas Stoller Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne An immature couple with a newborn infant goes to war with the fraternity that turns their once-peaceful neighborhood into party central in this outrageous comedy of one-upmanship. Mac w and Kelly Radner are still clinging to their last vestiges of youth as they attempt to adjust to the rigors of raising a newborn in their picturesque suburban starter home. When a massive moving truck pulls into the driveway next door, the bleary-eyed pair grows excited at the prospect of getting new neighbors. Unfortunately for Mac and Kelly, those new neighbors turn out to be the Delta Psi Beta fraternity.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi

The Normal Heart

Director: Ryan Murphy Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Julia Roberts Directed by Emmy winner Ryan Murphy and written by Academy Award nominee Larry Kramer, adapting his groundbreaking Tony Award-winning play of the same name, the drama tells the story of the onset of the HIVAIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation’s sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

Distributor: hbo Contact: KALLIOPE DIAKOS

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Odnoklassniki.ru: CLICK the Luck w

Director: Pavel Hoodyakov Cast: Fedor Bondarchuk, Skoti Collins, Snoop Dogg In the life of talented copywriter Alex, there is a streak of bad luck. Everything he undertakes comes to an end with total failure, and even the best intentions turn into an accident. Only his best friend Dima and Snoop Dog are nearby.

He hopes to get a job in the advertising agency and win the love of a cover girl, Mary. Power and money spoil Alex, but he soon understands that even the finest possessions can’t replace friendship and real love.

Distributor: BreakAway International Media Contact: Mehmet Gunduz

Paradise for the Damned (Un Paraiso Para los Malditos) Director: Alejandro Montiel Cast: Maricel Alvarez, Joaquín Furriel, Alejandro Urdapilleta Marcial starts a job as a night watchman at a factory warehouse in Buenos Aires. He makes his rounds at the deserted building carrying his flashlight and watches the neighbors from a window. Everything appears to be normal, monotonous and boring until one Christmas Eve, when Marcial grabs a gun, crosses the street and breaks into a house to kill its inhabitant.

Distributor: BreakAway International Media Contact: Mehmet Gunduz

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

118

june - july 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: © 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved; © Art Pictures Studio; KAFILMS

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

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

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

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

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airline passenger experience:

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

14-06-11 11:53 AM

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

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

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

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

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

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

For association and industry news, follow @theAPEXassoc on Twitter

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Planes: Fire & Rescue w

Director: Bobs Gannaway Cast: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin This comedy-adventure follows a dynamic crew of firefighting aircraft as they protect historic Piston Peak National Park from wildfire. World-famous air racer, Dusty, learns his engine is damaged and he can’t race again, so he shifts gears and enters the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty joins veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his courageous team, including super scooper Dipper, heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter, ex-military transport Cabbie and a lively bunch of all-terrain vehicles, The Smokejumpers. The fearless team battle wildfires and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.

photos: ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc; © 2014 Paramount Pictures; © 2014 CTMG. All Rights Reserved; Eros

Distributor: Disney Studios Non-Theatrical Contact: Ruth Walker

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Plastic

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Sex Tape

Director: Julian Gilbey Cast: Ed Speleers, Will Poulter, Alfie Allen, Sebastian De Souza, Emma Rigby

Director: Jake Kasdan Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe

The film follows the fortunes of a young group of students when they fall foul of a sadistic crime boss. They are given two weeks to raise £2-million, otherwise they must face the consequences. Using a series of smart cons, the guys fly off to Miami and target Florida’s big spenders and their credit cards. But as greed and jealousy threaten their friendship, they need one last heist before their past catches up with them.

When Jay and Annie first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but 10 years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one three-hour marathon session. It seems like a great idea until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they’re just one click away from being laid bare to the world. As their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they’ll never forget, they’ll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for.

Distributor: Paramount Pictures Contact: Mark Horton

Shaadi Ke Side Effects w

Director: Saket Chaudhary Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan Shaadi Ke Side Effects is a quirky and humorous story dealing with the serious issues of decisionmaking and sharing in a married life.

Distributor: Eros International Contact: Prashant Gaonkar

Distributor: Sony Pictures Contact: Rana Matthes

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

june - july 2014

121

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apex experience

Snowpiercer

Director: Joon-ho Bong Cast: Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer

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A post-apocalyptic ice age forces humanity’s last survivors aboard a globe-spanning super train.

One man will risk everything to lead a revolt for w control of the engine and the future of the world.

Distributor: Terry Steiner International Contact: Nadja Rutkowski * US, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Africa

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Tammy

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Team Batista the Movie -the Portrait of Kerberosw

Director: Ben Falcone Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney, Gary Cole, Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Bates, Toni Collette, Mark Duplass, Nat Faxon Tammy is having a bad day. She’s totaled her clunker car, gotten fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint, and instead of finding comfort at home, finds her husband getting comfortable with the neighbor in her own house. It’s time to take her boom box and book it. The bad news is she’s broke and without wheels. The worse news is her grandma, Pearl is her only option - with a car, cash and an itch to see Niagara Falls.

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures Contact: Jeff Crawford

Director: Takahiro Miki Cast: Atsushi Ito, Toru Nakamura, Katsuhisa Namase, Mirei Kiritani An MRI scanner is about to be unveiled as the centerpiece of Japan’s first International Autopsy Imaging Centre. The new device is a focus of public attention. Dr. Kohei Taguchi, a specialist in psychosomatic medicine at Tojo University Hospital and Keisuke Shiratori, an investigator from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare are pushing for complete reform of the current system, an initiative jointly backed by the national government, municipality and Tojo University Hospital.

Distributor: Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited Contact: Grace Lau * except Japan

That Demon Within w

Director: Dante Lam Cast: Nick Cheung, Daniel Wu, Christie Chen Policeman Dave saves the life of the leader of a violent gang of armed robbers. When they commit another crime, Dave is determined to put an end to their activities.

He works with the leader Hon Kong to engineer a plan to wreak havoc within the gang and let the gangsters kill one another. But it becomes increasingly obvious that Dave is suffering from a severe mental disorder, and Dave has now become a fugitive wanted for murder. Dave changes his plan and executes one final move that is certain to wipe out all traces of the gang.

Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Patty Tang * except Mainland China

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

122

june - july 2014

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: RADiUS-TWC; © 2014 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved; ©2014 K/F/T/FNS; © 2014 Emperor Film Production Company Limited All Rights Reserved

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Think Like a Man Too w

Director: Tim Story Cast: Adam Brody, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Dennis In this highly anticipated sequel, which was inspired by Steve Harvey’s best-selling book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, all the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas. But plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Contact: Rana Matthes

Transformers: Age of Extinction w

Director: Michael Bay w Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Cast: Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer One of the most successful film franchises in history is back! The first three Transformers movies have grossed $2.7-billion worldwide and this latest sequel is set to be equally as successful. Mechanic Flynn Vincent, his daughter and her racing-driver boyfriend make a discovery that not only awakens the Autobots and the Decepticons, but a paranoid FBI agent who wants to throw them into jail and throw away the key!

Distributor: Paramount Pictures Contact: Mark Horton

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Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don’t have to just crack the case – they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

Distributor: Sony Pictures Contact: Rana Matthes

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

124

june - july 2014

22 Jump Street

N: North america

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Walk of Shame

Director: Steven Brill Cast: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Sarah Wright Olsen, Kevin Nealon, Ethan Suplee, Bull Burr, Willie Garson Written and directed by Steve Brill, the outrageous comedy Walk of Shame stars Elizabeth Banks as a resourceful reporter whose one-night stand with a handsome stranger leaves her stranded in downtown Los Angeles the next morning without a phone, car, ID or money – and only eight hours before the most important job interview of her career.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi * us only

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

Airline Passenger Experience Association

photos: © 2014 Screen Gems Inc. All Rights Reserved; © 2014 Paramount Pictures; © 2014 CTMG. All Rights Reserved; © 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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photos: © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved; © 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved; ©Fandango foto di Philippe Antonello & Stefano Montesi; Roadside / Voltage Pictures

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Wish I Was Here

Director: Zach Braff Cast: Josh Gad, Jim Parsons, Joey King Director Zach Braff’s follow-up to his indie breakout hit Garden State, Wish I Was Here is the story of Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to w find his identity. He winds up trying to home school his two children when his father can no longer afford to pay for private education and the only available public school is on its last legs.

Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.

Distributor: Universal Contact: Phyllis Bagdadi

A Woman as a Friend

Words and Pictures

Director: Giovanni Veronesi Cast: Laetitia Casta, Fabio De Luigi, Valeria Solarino

Director: Fred Schepisi Cast: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Bruce Davison, Amy Brenneman, Bruce Davison

Francesco and Claudia are young, good-looking, successful in their careers, and close friends.

He is a lawyer, clumsy and funny. She’s a veterinarian, a free soul and unconventional.

Among them there are no secrets, but when John comes into Claudia’s life and she decides to marry him, Francesco realizes that the friendship between man and woman is more complicated than expected.

English teacher Jack Marcus, a one-time literary star, has not published in years and now fills his spare time with drink. He meets his match in Dina Delsanto, an abstract painter and new teacher. With a performance review looming and his teaching job on the line, Jack hatches a plan for galvanizing student interest in their studies: He declares a war between words and pictures, confident that the former can convey greater meaning than the latter. Dina and her art students accept the challenge and the battle lines are drawn.

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Distributor: Encore Inflight Limited Contact: Patty Tang

* us and canada only

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* except Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Canada Distributor: Entertainment In Motion Contact: Bill Grant

X-Men: Days of Future Past w

Director: Bryan Singer Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage,Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Evan Peters, Omar Sy The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X- Men: Days of Future Past. The beloved characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from the past, X-Men: First Class, in order to change a major historical event and fight in an epic battle that could save our future.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Contact: Julian Levin

DISTRIBUTION rights codes

Airline Passenger Experience Association

N: North america

I: outside north amErica

W: WorldWide

june - july 2014

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Ad Index

apex experience

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Advertiser’s Index Aero Vista Entertainment www.aerovistaent.com > See page 117

Global Eagle Entertainment www.globaleagleent.com > See pages 4 & 5

Airborne Interactive www.airborne.aero > See page 119

Gogo LLC www.gogoair.com > See pages 8 & 9

Airbus www.airbus.com > See pages 6 & 7

Inflight Peripherals www.ifpl.com > See page 51

Aircraft Cabin Systems www.aircraftcabinsystems.com > See page 32

june - july 2014

Phitek Systems www.phitek.com > See page 34

Rockwell Collins www.rockwellcollins.com > See page 25

Stellar Entertainment www.stellargroup.com > See page 131

Inmarsat www.inmarsat.com > See page 53

Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation www.sonypicturesinflight.com > See page 112

Interact www.interact.aero > See page 11

Inflight Entertainment Products www.ifeproducts.com > See page 51

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

Astronics www.astronics.com > See page 38 Avid Airline Productions www.avidproducts.com > See page 99 BAE Systems www.baesystems.com > See pages 68 & 69 Carlisle Interconnect Technologies

KID Systeme GbmH www.kid-systeme.de > See page 85

LSG Sky Chefs www.lsgskychefs.com > See page 102

Long Prosper Enterprise Company www.longprosper.com > See page 83

Lufthansa Systems www.lhsystems.com > See page 20

Lumexis Corporation www.lumexis.com > See page 19

Panasonic Avionics Corporation www.panasonic.aero > See page 132

Paramount Pictures www.paramount.com > See gatefold cover

www.carlisleit.com > See page 55 Cine Magnetics www.cinemagnetics.com > See page 94 Dawson Media Direct www.dawsonmd.com > See page 87 E-Leather www.eleathergroup.com > See page 36 Emphasis Video www.emphasis-video.net > See page 125 Emteq www.emteq.com > See page 60

Entertainment In Motion www.skyfilms.com > See page 114

Airline Passenger Experience Association

Soundchip www.soundchip.ch > See page 17 T-Mobile www.telekom.com > See page 70

Thales Avionics www.thales-ifec.com > See page 26

Turner In-flight Services www.turnerinflightservices.com > See page 126

NBC Universal www.nbcuniversal.com > See page 120

Video Technology Services www.videotechnologyservices.com > See page 128

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures www.ebvnt.disney.com > See page 109

Warner Bros www.warnerbros.com > See page 111

Zodiac In-Flight Entertainment www.imsco-us.com > See page 13

WOI www.woi.aero > See page 30

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Throwback

apex experience

Visit us at apex.aero

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Celebrating our Most Memorable Moments

1. Mike misses the 747 lounge – don’t we all?

2. Da, featuring Martin Sheen and Barnard Hughes, helped put EIM on the map.

3. Mike accepted his APEX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, here with cofounder Peter Daniello.

Few have had a more successful or enjoyable career in IFE than Entertainment in Motion founder and CEO, Mike Covell. Mike is retiring this June, and we could think of no one better to share a few memories and words of wisdom about our business.

When Pat Graham, the former IFE manager at United Airlines, booked our film, Da. That was our first big order and it allowed Entertainment in Motion to grow and become the company that it is today.

best moment on an airplane Seeing my business partner Bill Grant’s son on our intro logo for the very first time before an onboard film.

best thing in history of aviation The upper deck lounge on the original 747.

Nothing else comes close! I wish they still had them!

the biggest “wow” moment in his business In my early days at MGM in New York, we managed a very exclusive list of people who were provided 16mm prints to screen movies at home. When three-quarter inch tape was introduced, suddenly everyone could enjoy movies in their living room.

best apex conference The best APEX show was London in 1991.

Hands down. It was perfectly planned. We met royalty and toured parliament. It was a great experience for all the members that went beyond just business.

biggest challenge Airlines need to focus on their content. Too many have the same programming. Their entertainment can and should be a reflection of who they are, and it can attract customers if they get it right.

what he’ll miss the most I have made incredible friendships, some of which have lasted for over 35 years. They are the things I value the most.

photos: gettyimages; mike covell

best moment in the business

4. Mike and Roy Cox showcasing the technology of the time.

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

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Airline Passenger Experience Association

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

Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Earn more, every flight.

Every time an aircraft climbs to 35,000 feet, you have a unique opportunity to engage your passengers and increase your bottom line. At Panasonic Avionics, we are constantly developing new ways to help you maximize revenue. From broadband connectivity to Near Field Communication (NFC), we’re making revenue generation easier than ever.

We’re creating new revenue streams with higher levels of personalization and passenger-specific advertising. We’re enabling real-time credit card transactions so you can offer higher value items from your in-flight shopping catalog.

And we’ve designed our solutions so that you can offer items through both the seatback and your passengers’ own devices.

So if you’re looking to use the power of IFEC to increase your bottom line, look to Panasonic Avionics and visit us online at panasonic.aero.

panasonic.aero © 2014 Panasonic Avionics Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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