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    EXPO in Media: Connectivity & APEX Passenger Survey Dominate Headlines

    October 17, 2014  | Written by APEX Staff
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    In the weeks since our latest annual APEX/IFSA EXPO, held this year in sunny Anaheim, CA, we’ve been keeping our eye on some of the news around the event.

    Here’s some nuggets of insight from key media around the world:

    The LA Times was impressed with innovations in how compromises are being made between embedded seat-back systems and the demand for BYOD compatibility. After noting this dichotomy at the APEX/IFSA EXPO, writer Hugo Martin honed in on the SmartTray as a means to bridge the gap:

    Pajic’s invention, the SmartTray, has built-in clamps and grooves to clasp the devices, making it easier for passengers to use them to read, play games and watch movies and television shows. The SmartTray is already in use on Asia Atlantic Airlines, and Pajic expects to get major U.S. airlines interested in his invention.

    The tray table can even hold a tablet or smartphone when the table is in the upright position.

    Photo: Los Angeles Times

    Following the release our first Passenger Survey at EXPO this year, Quartz reported on the survey’s findings, with a focus on gender and cultural differences:

    In terms of improvements that travelers would like to see, the biggest demand overall relates to seat comfort and connectivity. But here, too, APEX observed variations in responses by gender and nationality. Women, for example, were more likely to advocate for improvements to airplane bathrooms, while men were more interested in seeing an option for a quiet cabin.

    Photo: 2014 APEX Passenger Survey

    The Daily Mail elaborated on the travel anxieties experienced among men and women:

    A study from the Airline Passenger Experience Foundation (APEX) analysed the things that passengers worry about the most while travelling and it revealed that men and women have conflicting priorities or fears before a flight.

    Travel Daily News Network observed a key trend at EXPO where airlines who have made an investment in onboard connectivity were the clear winners among global passengers:

    “It is obvious that the Internet and mobile phones are an integral part of everyday life and will become increasingly so. Naturally, the best airlines need to provide inflight connectivity,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “Inflight connectivity has superseded the traditional model of inflight entertainment and must be integrated into airline’s entertainment strategy to meet the demands of today’s passengers.”

    Australian Business Traveler looked to Airbus and their new pivoting overhead storage bins, first announced at the EXPO, as the way of the future for passengers and their plethora of carry-ons:

    While the new Airbus bins bring only a 10% increase in volume over the current A320 lockers, their shape and design allows for up to 60% more luggage space in practice – providing ample room to load bags in on their side, rather than loading them flat and having ‘wasted space’ above.

    Photo: Airbus

    Author Chris Chamberlin also noted that “… carry-on baggage [is] a potential cause of flight delays, normally resulting from inadequate room in the cabin to store every bag on full flights.”

    The team over at Sparksheet was on-site at EXPO talking with industry leaders from Gogo, JetBlue Airways, Paramount and more.

    “Everybody is trying to come out with some sort of wireless in-flight entertainment offering. Clearly everyone is seeing it as an ante now. So whether or not it’s going to replace embedded or whether it’s going to be an extension, it’s going to be almost mandatory for every airline,”

    said Ash Eldifrawi, CCO of Gogo during his EXPO podcast session with Sparksheet. The podcasts were a hit among attendees: