APEX Editor's Blog

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 [...]

Just over one year after the launch of its mobile app for iPhone JetBlue Airways has upped the functionality significantly, enabling mobile boarding passes for passengers. The latest version of the app was released in the iTunes store today with many updates; the mobile boarding pass functionality is, by far, the most significant. It is [...]

Many travel apps have attracted a huge fan base; users eagerly await every update that arrives with new features. Other apps have gone the way of the dodo, becoming a distant memory in ever-changing landscape of smart phone/ smart tablet usage. Only time and download benchmarks will tell us if travel apps have staying power, [...]

I recently wrote about how Google Now augmented my travel experience while overseas in Dubai and how it integrates with my flight plans. This week, Google Now has received an update that further integrates the service with the passenger experience by directly linking to boarding passes. Much like Apple’s Passbook application, the new Google Now [...]

Thales has secured a broad deal with Saudia Airlines that includes offering the manufacturer’s new AVA wireless IFE solution. The comprehensive agreement covers 54 aircraft; these will feature Thales’ next generation Android-based TopSeries AVANT IFE system alongside AVA and the TopConnect suite of inflight connectivity. Four fleet types are covered under Saudia’s new deal with [...]

Over the past few months, top executives at major international airlines have started voicing strong opinions about embedded inflight entertainment systems. Remarks made by Emirates president Tim Clark and US Airways CEO Doug Parker are particularly notable, as they exemplify how the airline industry is divided on what the future holds for in-seat IFE in [...]

Many places lay claim to being the beating digital heart of Europe. The UK’s “silicon roundabout” in the Old Street area of London has asserted its right to the title – with significant government backing – as has Berlin and several cities in Scandinavia. But, for one week in December, there is absolutely no question [...]

Back in April 2010 it came to light that Apple is working on an iTravel app and has been busy filing a series of submissions to the US Patent & Trademark Office. The mock-up iTravel app  screens included with the patent documents show the app being used to make bookings for flights, hotels, car rentals [...]

During the recent APEX 2011 EXPO there were many announcements about the use of tablets by airlines such as American, Virgin America and GOL. A number of questions hover above the future of tablets in the IFEC market today. As a precursor to his article in the upcoming Q4/11 issue of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine Michael [...]

American pioneers a new-generation tablet in partnership with IMS. In choosing to deploy 6,000 new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets to replace the current personal entertainment devices (PEDs) in premium cabins on transatlantic and some international flights, American Airlines has chosen to continue its long-term relationship with the IMS Company. The airline named the southern California based solutions provider as the systems integrator tasked with the repurposing and integration of [...]