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[VIDEO] APEX Weekly Wrap: GX+ North America and Spirit’s New Loyalty Program
October 23, 2020  | Written by stephanietaylor

In this episode, hosts Maryann Simson and Seth Miller chat to special guest Philip Balaam, president of Inmarsat Aviation, about the company’s tie-up with Hughes to create a new in-flight connectivity solution, GX+ North America. Staying on the topic of in-flight Wi-Fi, the pair also discuss Seamless Air Alliance’s second set of guidelines for creating […]

Stellar Launches New Boarding Music for Virgin Australia and VARA
 | Written by Tomas Romero
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Stellar Entertainment takes Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines’ sonic strategy to new heights with customized, upbeat boarding music. United’s first “Rhapsody in Blue” ads in 1987 may have popularized the trend, but airlines have been using music to brand themselves for decades. The more recent trend towards bespoke airline boarding music has only […]

Spirit Airlines Revamps Loyalty Program
October 22, 2020  | Written by Paul Sillers
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When Spirit’s new loyalty program launches early next year, one of the main differences is that points will be accrued based on amount spent rather than distance flown. In August, Air Canada announced a similar change with respect to how points will be gained – it’s new loyalty program will launch on November 8. Spirit […]

FlightPath3D Adds 50,000 Points of Interest to Moving Map
October 21, 2020  | Written by Paul Sillers
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Geotainment specialist FlightPath3D’s moving map now includes a new feature called ‘Flying Over Places’, with a retrofit available for existing 3-D map installations. By adding the ‘Flying Over Places‘ feature, FlightPath3D’s moving map “significantly expands its feature set with the integration of over 50,000 points of interest (POI) that auto-play as the flight progresses,” said […]

Seamless Air Alliance Defines OpenIFC-Compliant Hardware
October 20, 2020  | Written by Seth Miller
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Seamless Air Alliance’s CEO, Jack Mandala, expects the new OpenIFC platform to quickly become a favorite of airlines, as it will help to drive down the cost of individual components and increase the upgrade and deployment cycle speeds. Seamless Air Alliance is making good on its promise to standardize the in-flight connectivity (IFC) ecosystem. Following […]

Inmarsat and Hughes Promise Unrivalled In-Flight Wi-Fi With GX+ North America
 | Written by Marisa Garcia
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Inmarsat and Hughes Network Systems have unveiled a major strategic collaboration for North America, integrating Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) with Hughes’ JUPITER™ high-throughput satellite (HTS), bringing higher capacity, speed and reliability to the region. Inmarsat will provide and manage the new GX+ North America solution end-to-end. Prototype flights are planned for later this year, with commercial availability […]

COMAC Selects Expliseat for ARJ21 Economy Seats
October 19, 2020  | Written by Paul Sillers
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TiSeats are already certified for a variety of aircraft types, including the COMAC ARJ21, Airbus A320, Boeing 737, ATR, De Havilland Dash 8 and Dassault Falcon Jets, and are in service on over 15 airlines worldwide. An ultra-lightweight seat designed by Paris-based manufacturer Expliseat has been selected as the basis for a new family of […]

AirFi, Spafax Partner for Next-Gen IFE Content, Advertising Solutions
October 16, 2020  | Written by Seth Miller
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The next generation of in-flight content and advertising solutions will be driven by data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Spafax and AirFi’s partnership will further expand into this market, delivering a joint suite of new products and services for airline customers. Global entertainment and media agency Spafax and portable wireless IFEC systems provider AirFi announced today […]

Immfly and GetYourGuide Partner on In-Flight Booking Tool for Destination Experiences
 | Written by Paul Sillers
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Immfly and GetYourGuide’s new service is designed to operate without the need for in-flight Wi-Fi. Airline passengers seeking an experiential fix when they reach their destination can now book walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, skip-the-line tickets to iconic attractions and other experiences, following the launch of a collaboration between […]

[VIDEO] APEX Weekly Wrap: Airline CEO Shuffles and Using Data to Manage Risk Volatility
 | Written by Maryann Simson
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This episode reflects on a week of senior staffing news, following announcements that both British Airways CEO Alex Cruz and Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will step aside. Hosts Seth Miller and Maryann Simson also discuss why SmartSky’s appointment of Dave Helfgott as CEO makes perfect sense as the company pivots from development stage to […]