Tyra Banks gives the APEX/IFSA Awards something to smize about
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Following the presentation of the APEX World Class Airline Awards last night in Long Beach, the second portion of the awards kicked into high gear with the introduction of surprise celebrity guest presenter, Tyra Banks
Taking the stage, the Emmy-winning actress-model-producer and Smize Cream founder, Tyra Banks, noted that although someone advised her to take off her APEX/IFSA Expo badge before the award show, she told them that she would be doing no such thing. Grabbing her badge, Banks noted that she was proud to be a distributor at APEX. “I’m not taking this off. I’m a supplier! And next year, Smize Cream will be eligible for an award too, so, watch out,” Banks quipped.
Congratulating the crowd on their hard work, Banks said that as a frequent flyer one of the things she really loves about the airline industry is how hard they strive to make every flight an experience.
“I love that you guys mimic the at-home experience 30,000 feet in the air. I know there is a lot of stress and sleepless nights and anxiety getting it all done right, but up there, you make us feel at home,” Banks said while thanking the crowd.
The first award category Banks presented was the IFSA Award for Best Inflight Food or Beverage, which prompted the Dancing With The Stars co-host to announce that she is “obsessed” with food in the air. Noting that a great inflight meal is its own form of inflight entertainment, Banks joked: “I’m always like, can I have more than one? I’m a little greedy with my inflight food!”
Banks presented awards to ThalesAerospace and JetBlue (in the aforementioned category); the IFSA Award for Best Onboard Amenity, which proved to be a historic tie, with two winners – Delta for its Someone Somewhere partnership and Fiji Airways for the Our Ocean, Our Life kids activity pack – and the Best Inflight Innovation award to Burrana for its RISE power offering.
And though Banks relinquished the mic soon after to APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader and Runway Girl Network’s Mary Kirby – who Leader playfully introduced as “the Tyra Banks of aviation” – the CEO and founder of Smize Dream definitely left the crowd smizing.