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February 29, 2024
Game-Changing Innovation Takes Center Stage at APEX TECH 

Industry Insiders Discuss the Technological Advancements Defining and Transforming the Airline Passenger Experience 

LOS ANGELES, CA. USA (29 February 2024) – The aviation industry’s leading IFEC technology event, APEX TECH, explored the innovations propelling and reshaping the passenger experience, such as inflight advertising, e-commerce, and personalized media content offerings. The Airline Passenger Experience Association hosted nearly 200 industry stakeholders in Los Angeles, California, 28-29 February where bold ideas and insights around revenue drivers, airborne connectivity, and other important topics that are transforming the aviation industry were discussed. 

The event featured distinguished keynotes who participated in candid interviews with APEX Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader: 

  • Delta Air Lines Managing Director of Customer Experience, DeltaStudio, & Wi-Fi, Ekrem Dimbiloglm shared exclusive insights into the innovative world of Delta SYNC, a groundbreaking initiative revolutionizing the in-flight experience, highlighting the program’s high-speed, streaming-quality Wi-Fi, and personalized, multi-screen experiences, underscoring how Delta SYNC is reshaping industry standards and enhancing passenger journeys.  
  • Qatar Airways Senior Vice President of Product Development and Design, Xia Cai discussed the airline’s leadership in advancing the integrated passenger experience in cabin, including aspects of the airline’s digital transformation, focusing on the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as the deployment of iPhones to cabin crew, collaboration with Google Cloud for personalized AI-driven services, the introduction of the Astrova IFE system from Panasonic Avionics, and the groundbreaking partnership with Starlink for high-speed internet connectivity.  
  • Emirates Senior Vice President of Retail, IFE, & Connectivity, Patrick Brannelly discussed Emirates’ groundbreaking advancements in in-flight entertainment, focusing on their pioneering shift to 4K content and explored Emirates’ collaboration with content providers and the evolution required of Content Service Providers (CSPs) to meet the demands of high-quality 4K content, delving into how these advancements are reshaping passenger experiences and setting new industry benchmarks.  

This year’s APEX TECH went beyond discussions to include a new series of three in-depth member-centric workshops aimed to challenge traditional concepts in airline revenue generation and encourage innovative ideas. Each workshop, facilitated by industry leaders, focused on one of the three main areas of discussion: in-flight connectivity, ancillary use cases, and content delivery. Participants had the opportunity to deeply engage and learn from multiple topics offered during each workshop.  

During Day One and Day Two IFC panel sessions, attendees gained valuable insights from an impressive lineup of panelists from ABOVE, AERQ, AirFi, Anuvu, Broadpeak, Cast Labs, Delta Air Lines, DIRECT TV for Business, EIDR, Fabric, HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions, Icelandair, IdeaNova Technologies, Immfly, Inadiva, Inflight Dublin, Intelsat, Lufthansa Systems, Neuron, NetForecast, Netskrt, OneWeb, Panasonic, Runway Girl Network, Safran Passenger Innovations, Siden, Spafax, Stellar Blu Solutions, ST Engineering iDirect, Telesat, Thinkom Solutions, Touch Inflight Solutions, Viasat, Warner Bros Discovery, West Entertainment, and zeroG. 

APEX’s Group CEO hopes this year’s event challenged attendees to harness the changing landscape to reimagine the next phase of aviation. “With rapid technological advancements, a member-centric event like APEX TECH provides a unique and needed opportunity for industry executives to come together, learn and collaborate to improve programs that will not just inspire transformative ideas, but enhance the in-flight experience. We hope this year’s takeaways will inspire groundbreaking initiatives that will help to take the industry to new heights,” Dr. Leader stated. 

APEX TECH is one of several industry must-attend events around the globe. For a full list of upcoming APEX, IFSA, and Future Travel Experience events, please visit APEX Events. For more information about APEX, visit apex.aero, sign up for the APEX Daily Experience e-newsletter, or follow APEX on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

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About the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)  
As a global non-profit and one of the world’s largest international airline associations, APEX accelerates the industry with the backing of nearly every major airline and valued supplier. APEX reinvests all its resources to serving its members, strengthening the worldwide airline industry, advancing thought-leadership, fostering business opportunities via events, developing global initiatives, setting key airline standards, and highlighting well-deserved recognition across our industry. In conjunction with both the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) and Future Travel Experience (FTE), APEX serves the full spectrum of the end-to-end travel experience.