Yesterday (28th October) saw APEX/IFSA Global Expo get underway at the Long Beach Convention Center in California, where airlines, suppliers and innovators are gathering to showcase advances in the passenger experience, connectivity technologies, and a wide range of inflight solutions.
Announcements have been made on the show floor, a highlight being Qatar Airways announcing an agreement to equip its new Airbus A321 NX fleet with FlytEDGE, Thales’ Cloud-native inflight entertainment (IFE) platform. As part of the announcement, the companies made a presentation showcasing how the next-generation Crystal Cabin Award-winning FlytEDGE IFE server utilises Cloud computing technologies and an open software platform.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) has also put together a lineup of airline industry leaders to speak at APEX/IFSA Global Expo, many of whom are from international flag carriers, as well as experts in customer experience, fleet management, accessibility, and product innovation. During the event the speakers are sharing their expertise and predictions for the future at various sessions and panel discussions.
The sessions at day one of the event saw several interesting C-suite keynote speeches:
Michael Rosseau, CEO of Air Canada, spoke about the importance of clean data in generative AI, and managing customer disruption. In a discussion with Michelle Fleury from the BBC, he shared that Air Canada has doubled down on its rigorous checks on data because it is vital in terms of customer service and cyber security. Air Canada is also prioritising how it manages customer disruption, because it is a critical factor in encouraging loyalty. Rollouts of training and coaching programmes will empower its staff with tools to handle customer disruption.
Meanwhile Fiona Kiesel, CGO of Breeze Airways, discussed the business model of the low-cost carrier with Dr Joe Leader, GCEO of APEX, IFSA, and FTE. Kiesel explained that Breeze’s business model sets it up to be a premium low-cost leisure carrier. The airline’s success lies in serving underserved cities and communities with smaller airports that have lower overheads.
In another discussion, Mark Klein, CCO of Spirit Airlines, spoke to Dr Leader about the airline’s recent overhaul, launched in May. After a challenging year with public debt restructuring, global engine issues, fleet downsizing and furloughs, Spirit had to rethink its business and product offerings. Now it is refocusing on brand and guest experience with its new Go Big bundled fares, and improved customer service.
Con Korfiatis, CEO of Oman Air, spoke with Michelle Fleury about the world-class customer experience on Oman Air and its importance in growing tourism for Oman itself. With so many larger and better-known airlines in the Middle East, Oman Air is figuring out how to stand out in the field. It plans to grow its fleet and network to make the most of opportunities in the transit market.
Another keynote saw Samson Arega Bekele, group VP of customer experience at Ethiopian Airlines, discuss the carrier’s enhanced in-flight entertainment offerings. Bekele noted that Ethiopian Airlines’ customer base is extremely diverse and so it has started tracking the regional preferences of its passengers. As a result, the airline has tripled its IFE content offerings to cater to these preferences. This work has led to a rise in the carrier’s airline Net Promoter Score.
Panel discussions
A wealth of information, insight and inspiration is also available at the panel discussions taking place at APEX/IFSA Global Expo.
A highlight from day one was the discussion titled ‘An X-Industry Approach: Enhancing Passenger Experience For All By Driving Accessibility Innovation’. Accessibility is a hot topic today, with real breakthroughs now on the horizon thanks to work by organisations such as All Wheels Up.
In this discussion, experts on accessibility innovation mapped out their research across different sectors. Participants included Tyler Anderson, Rick Salanitri and Jack Kavanagh from Delta Flight Products, Jo Rowan from PriestmanGoode, and Ingo Wuggetzer from Airbus. They revealed that 76% of wheelchair users would fly more often if airlines had more accessible offerings – clearly showing a market opportunity for airlines.
Recommendations by the panel included using AI for new types of descriptions rather than Braille, viewing regulatory bodies as partners in expanding true inclusivity, and increasing accessibility training for crews.
Another notable panel discussion was ‘Embracing the New Era: Pioneering the Future of Airline IFE Curation for 2030’. Content is not always about just picking the right movies and TV shows. It is also about curating the user experience, attuned to the psychologies and states of the passenger.
In this discussion, Dominic Green from United Airlines, Blake Rittenburg from Jetblue, and Miguel Ferreira from TAP Air Portugal discussed connectivity, seatback entertainment, and personalisation, not just throughout a customer’s entire flight journey, but during every journey that customer makes with an airline.
APEX/IFSA Global Expo continues today and tomorrow. You can view the full programme schedule here: https://expo.apex.aero/schedule/
You can also download the event app HERE to view the Expo schedule, connect with APEX members, and view the floor plan on your mobile device.
