APEX Editor's Blog

For most airline loyalty programmes the only way to be a member is to be a person. Some recent news stories have highlighted how musical instruments (that require a seat!) can be thrown out of programmes or how points are not transferable upon death. United Airlines, however, is bucking the trend and changing its rules: small [...]

Ready or not, Google Glass is here, and it represents what may be the next frontier of mobile computing. Passengers already have multiple screens to distract them while in-flight, from their smartphone, to their iPad, and now a screen literally in front of their eyes. Is the airline industry ready for this new generation of inflight [...]

Virgin Atlantic’s new short-haul service “Little Red” may be separated by an ocean from its American cousin, but the two are united in a modern passenger experience – but also elusive profits that question business models. Virgin Atlantic prides itself on doing things differently. At a time Europe’s major carriers are off-loading routes to a [...]

Behind a ‘tsunami’ of demand for onboard connectivity, Captain Derek Spicer asks if safety, operational and business reasons should encourage airlines to equip all aircraft with broadband systems. On 1 June 2009, following a chain of events and mistakes, a latest generation Airbus A330 airliner crashed into the Atlantic ocean with the loss of all [...]

Yesterday I read a news headline that proclaimed, “When it comes to inflight Wi-Fi, supply far exceeds demand”. I couldn’t disagree more. One need only use inflight Wi-Fi – or read the complaints on social media from people who do – to see that demand far exceeds the capacity of current onboard connectivity systems, be [...]

Once you’ve flown long haul aboard an Airbus A380, a legacy Boeing 747 feels loud, cramped and just plain out of date, like listening to music on a Discman instead of an iPod. Even in economy class, the A380 is a step up in terms of passenger experience compared to the widebody double-decker it was [...]

In the early 2000s I recall cabin crew gossip going into overdrive on learning that the latest inflight service product was to be launched within days. Passenger meal trays were to be replaced – at certain times during a flight – with snack boxes. Would this cheapen the experience for the passenger? Was this to [...]

EVERETT, WASHINGTON: Nearly one month after the US Federal Aviation Administration grounded the Boeing 787 due to lithium ion battery failures, people have started to wonder just how many more spaces are available for undelivered 787s to be parked at the airframer’s Everett factory. Yesterday evening I took a look around the assembly plant, and [...]

When I’m at the airport one of my favourite pastimes to look at art. I find art to be calming and a great way to give an airport a sense of place and a touch of class. Two of the best airport museums, in my opinion, are found at San Francisco International and Miami International. [...]

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking to expand the ban on pilots’ use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) in-flight. At present, the ‘Sterile Cockpit’ rule bans the use of non-essential devices below 10,000ft; the FAA wants to extend it to the duration of the flight. Electronic flight bags would not be included. Derek [...]