APEX Editor's Blog

NEW YORK: With the Boeing 787 once again airborne Qatar Airways confirms it is continuing its discussions with Boeing over compensation for the protracted grounding of the Dreamliner due to problems with the twinjet’s lithium ion battery. Speaking to the APEX editor’s blog today in New York – where Qatar Airways announced a new partnership [...]

Companies seeking certification of Ku- and Ka-band satellite-supported inflight connectivity systems can expect closer scrutiny of their proposals from the US FAA, which says it wants to ensure proper adherence to bird strike rules for antenna radomes on aircraft. In a statement to the APEX editor’s blog, the FAA confirms that it recently became aware [...]

Gogo is one step closer to bringing Ku-band satellite-supported inflight Wi-Fi to Delta Air Lines and other customers after receiving a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate Ku-band terminals on domestic and international flights, the APEX editor’s blog can reveal. The Chicago-headquartered company, which has been gearing up to launch Ku-band connectivity [...]

Sony is concerned that some companies that duplicate and distribute 8mm and Hi8mm video tapes for inflight program use may be employing previously used Video8 and Hi8 8mm tape, and is recommending that only new and unused cassettes be used. In a letter to stakeholders, obtained by the APEX editor’s blog, the company says its [...]

Hot on the heels of inking a deal to buy end-to-end IFE content management and technical services firm Post Modern Group, Global Eagle Entertainment is letting the world know that further acquisitions in the IFE space are in the cards for the company as it looks to lead consolidation in the industry. Speaking to the APEX [...]

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a colourful way of describing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). “NextGen is the transformation of how airplanes traverse the sky,” says the agency, and represents “a new era of flight”. But creating a new era of flight, which entails transitioning from a decades old ground-based system [...]

These days it seems as if more and more airlines are opting to offer a 31in seat pitch in the economy class cabins of their long-haul aircraft (or perhaps worse still, ultra-skinny seat width). But don’t lump Oman Air into that bunch; the Muscat-based carrier’s Airbus A330s, which are configured 2-4-2 in economy, feature seats [...]

It’s a generally held belief that the majority of airline passengers who are exposed to inflight entertainment view the moving map at some point during their flight, making it the most popular show in the air. “Evidence [shows] that passengers get a great deal of comfort out of knowing where they are,” Airborne Interactive CEO [...]

The word “social” aptly describes so many agendas and events being promoted and hosted by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). This week the leading distributors of short-subject and TV movie programming got very social with IFE TV buyers in Lisbon and the outcome of their “rapid fire” chats and education sessions were spectacular. Some [...]

When you think of BAE Systems, you might not necessarily think “commercial aircraft cabin”. BAE even describes itself as “a global company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defence, security and aerospace systems in the air”. But take heed – BAE is on the march to provide the airline industry with a new intelligent [...]