Following last week’s APEX/IFSA Global Expo 2024 on 28–30 October in Long Beach, California USA, the show’s organisers have hailed the event a “record breaking” success. According to APEX (the Airline Passenger Experience Association, which hosts the event), nearly 3,000 airline industry decision-makers, including representatives from 90 airlines, attended the show.
The event also comprised an exhibition by IFSA (the International Flight Services Association – with a focus on catering and infllght amenities), and the Future Travel Experience (FTE) event (covering airport innovations), all integrated across one show floor. The expo featured 262 exhibitors across the three shows in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, which together represented the full spectrum of the air passenger experience.
Attendees experienced cutting-edge technologies, products and services for the airline industry, such as advanced in-flight connectivity (IFC) systems, next-generation in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, innovative food and beverage offerings, sustainable amenity kits, biometric solutions, airport robotics, and more.
“APEX/IFSA Global Expo 2024 stood as a remarkable convergence of aviation’s brightest minds, where game-changing innovations and in-flight service advancements were not only discussed, but realised,” stated Dr Joe Leader, CEO of APEX/IFSA,
Announcements from the show
Many companies take the opportunity to use APEX/IFSA Global Expo as a platform to make industry announcements, This year’s event saw Thales announce that Qatar Airways will equip its new Airbus A321 NX fleet with Thales’ FlytEDGE, a Cloud-native IFE platform. The Crystal Cabin Award-winning FlytEDGE IFE server utilises Cloud computing technologies and an open software platform to enhance the passenger experience.
In another announcement, Riyadh Air and Panasonic Avionics launched a strategic partnership to transform IFE. Riyadh Air will equip its fleet with Panasonic’s high-definition IFE systems, emphasising seamless connectivity and personalised content. In a pioneering move, Riyadh Air introduced the industry’s first ‘no handset’ philosophy across all classes of service, enabling all passengers to seamlessly control IFE using their smartphones and touchscreen.
Exclusive insights from C-suite keynotes
APEX/IFSA Global Expo attendees also had the opportunity to hear from airline CEOs and executives as they delivered keynote speeches aimed at reshaping understandings of passenger service and the future of the travel experience. These industry leaders shared invaluable insights into how airlines are innovating to enhance customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and adapt to evolving passenger needs. The sessions were moderated by Michelle Fleury, correspondent and anchor at BBC News, and Dr Joe Leader.
The speaker lineup included:
- Michael Rosseau, president and CEO, Air Canada
- Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic
- Con Korfiatis, CEO, Oman Air
- Matthew Klein, executive VP and chief operations officer, Spirit Airlines
- Fiona Kiesel, chief guest officer, Breeze Airways
- Samson Arega Bekele, group VP of customer experience, Ethiopian Airlines
Thought leadership
Knowledge sharing and expert insights continued as part of the Thought Leadership Conference, sponsored by Panasonic. The conference took place on the show floor, bringing together leading figures from the aviation industry to discuss emerging trends and challenges.
The sessions included:
- Xia Cai of Qatar Airways, Matt Klein of Spirit Airlines, and Alex Wilcox of JSX joined Seth Miller of paxex.aero for a discussion on connectivity models and their impact on airline net promoter scores.
- Ingo Wuggetzer from Airbus was joined by Delta Flight Products’ Tyler Anderson Lennert, Jack Kavanagh from the National Disability Authority, and PriestmanGoode’s Jo Rowan, to collectively present a cross-industry approach for developing air travel solutions for those with mobility impairments.
- Miguel Ferreira of TAP Air Portugal, Blake Rittenberg of JetBlue, and Dominic Green of United Airlines joined a panel led Maryann Simson of Jetway Communications to discuss forward-looking strategies and creative curation approaches intended to revolutionise the IFE landscape by 2030.
- Oren Butansky from El Al, Mark Muren from United Airlines and Captain Wirush Theparak from Thai Airways joined Nick Ewen from The Points Guy to explore strategies to maximise in-flight ancillary revenue through personalised passenger experiences, leveraging data and technology to boost loyalty and profitability.
- Stephan Schulte from Lufthansa Group and Joshua Hirschheimer from Porsche Consulting focused on overcoming persistent supply chain challenges affecting onboard product innovation.
- Riyadh Air’s Anton Vidgen, Aeroméxico’s Antonio Fernandez, Cathay Pacific’s Guillaume Vivet, Southwest Airlines’ Matthew Kiesel, and Delta Air Lines’ Ekrem Dimbiloglu joined a debate on the future of IFE preferences between traditional seatback screens and the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend.
- Duncan Jackson from FlightPath3D and Ekrem Dimbiloglu from Delta Air Lines unveiled the first airline launch of FlightPath3D’s accessible in in-flight map, detailing how the innovative Accessibility Map aims to improve the travel experience for passengers with unique needs.
- Lufthansa Group’s Laura Petry and Spafax’s Dimitrios Tsirangelos explored the Connected Content Stream solution, a Crystal Cabin Award finalist, which not only enhances passenger engagement, but is also set to transform the travel experience by delivering real-time content updates and personalised services directly to passengers’ devices.
- Mehdi El Kouch of Airbus, Fabien Pelous of Air France, Patrick Brannelly of Emirates, Paul Verhagen of SAS, and Mustafa Mucahitoglu of Turkish Airlines analysed groundbreaking digital innovations for the next-generation airline cabin, demonstrating how cutting-edge technologies and customer-centric design can reshape passenger experiences.
Dr Joe Leader, CEO of APEX/IFSA said of the conference: “With three days of airline-driven thought leadership on best-in-class supplier solutions, we introduced a new level of collaboration to advance passenger-centric technology.”
VIP experiences: The JetZero experience
The APEX/IFSA Global Expo also offered airline professionals access to exclusive VIP events, such as The JetZero Experience on Sunday 27 October.
JetZero, an aerospace startup based in Long Beach, showcased its innovative blended-wing body airplane capable of flying trans-oceanic routes, with claimed fuel savings of up to 50% compared with a traditional tube-and-wing aircraft. APEX/IFSA airline members and media were given a first-hand look at JetZero’s revolutionary airplane, with a walkthrough of JetZero’s facility and discussions with the team behind the programme.
APEX/IFSA Awards ceremony
On the last day of the APEX Global Expo, top airline and supplier members celebrated their peers during the APEX/IFSA Awards ceremony, where airlines were recognised for their efforts to enhance the passenger experience over the last year.
The evening honoured outstanding airlines and suppliers in the following categories:
2025 World Class Rating:
The top 10 airlines in the world awarded in this category achieved the highest audited international standards – beyond APEX Five Star – in terms of safety, sustainability, service, and inclusiveness.
The 10 winners were All Nippon Airways (ANA), Emirates, Japan Airlines (JAL), KLM, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines. Click here for more details.
2025 APEX Five Star and APEX Four Star Airline Awards:
These airlines were recognised based on verified passenger feedback via TripIt across one million flights, representing a reliable metric for passenger satisfaction. The winners are listed HERE.
2025 APEX/IFSA Awards:
Celebrating the best of industry and innovation, APEX/IFSA Awards recognise the achievements and initiatives that were successfully implemented in the past year.
JSX won the Best Inflight Connectivity category for its JSX + Starlink Game-Changing Inflight Internet, while Best Inflight Entertainment was won by Lufthansa & Meta’s pioneering mixed reality inflight initiative.
APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award:
Dr Joe Leader presented Air France-KLM Group CEO, Benjamin Smith, with the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award. Through Smith’s visionary leadership, Air France-KLM has excelled in all its commercial, operations and customer service functions, leading to impressive financial performance and taking the airline’s passenger experience to new heights.
APEX Lifetime Achievement Award:
Dr Leader presented SVP of non-theatrical sales at Paramount Pictures, Joan Filippini, with the APEX Lifetime Achievement Award. Her leadership has revolutionised in-flight entertainment content distribution, driving Paramount’s revenues to unprecedented levels.
A list of upcoming APEX, IFSA, and FTE events can be found at the APEX Events page.
