11 April Fools’ Day Pranks from Aviation

We know a good April Fools’ Day prank when we see one! This year, the APEX Media team patiently waited to see what airlines and airports alike had up their sleeves and as usual, they did not disappoint. Check out 11 of our favorite AFD stunts, ranked in no particular order, played out by aviation’s biggest pranksters. 11. […]

Take Your Senses to New Heights by Dining in the Dark

In-flight dining is improving its reputation. While “airline” and “food” were once badly-paired words, this notion is rapidly changing as the focus on in-flight dining experiences becomes increasingly important. Airlines are winning taste buds over, but many passengers are demanding a more memorable dining experience in addition to fine-dining flavors, so ambience is next on the […]

APEX Hollywood Shortlist: Star Power Propels Home and Get Hard to the Top of B.O. Pack

Fueled by good-old-fashioned Hollywood star power, a pair of very different films took the box office by storm over the weekend. Rocketing to fist place was DreamWorks Animation’s fish-out-of-water sci-fi comedy Home with $52.1M. Featuring the voice talents of Jim Parsons, Steve Martin, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez – who performed the film’s title track “Feel the […]

Smart Card

This article originally appeared in The Technology Issue of APEX Experience. In the 1930s, the airline industry developed the world’s first credit card. Within 10 years, all major 17 American airlines adopted the Air Travel Card, now known as UATP, which was later adopted worldwide. Nearly 30 years later, the airline industry created the world’s […]

Will That Be Cash, Credit or Bitcoin?

Bitcoin, the digital currency, is ready for lift-off. The global provider of point-of-purchase systems (POS) for the airline industry, GuestLogix, is introducing the cryptocurrency to its Transaction Processing Engine® (TPE), software that runs on its handheld terminals, mobile platforms and in-flight entertainment systems, allowing it to be used for in-flight purchases. For a Bitcoin transaction to […]

Wireless IFE is Here to Stay

The final session of APEX Middle East focused on developments in wireless IFE, and included a case study between Gogo and Alaska Airlines, presented by Mary Rogozinski. But first, Patrick Préfontaine, VP of Strategic Partnerships, Global Eagle Entertainment, outlined why he believes wireless IFE (wIFE) is here to stay: simpler to install less weight flexibility future-proof […]

SITA Reports Drop in Rate of Mishandled Bags

  Despite the increasing number of air travelers in the past seven years, the rate of mishandled bags has dropped 61 percent, says SITA in its 2015 Baggage Report that was released today. The number of bags that were “delayed, damaged or pilfered” fell from 18.8 bags per 1,000 passengers in 2007 to 7.3 bags in 2014. […]

Regional Prevalence of Embedded Systems

The embedded systems panel, which included Jonathan Norris – vice-president Sales, Lumexis Corporation, Matthias Walther, manager, Integrated Marketing, Panasonic Avionics, and Dieter Dhondt, head of Sales and Marketing, EuMEA Region, Thales Avionics, took place on day 2 at APEX Middle East in Abu Dhabi. Paul Thorpe, digEcor’s President EMEA, first outlined the different types of embedded […]