APEX and IFSA celebrate innovation
IFSA President Paul Platamone (right) and APEX President Juha Järiven address the gathering at the inaugural APEX/IFSA Awards
Members of the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX),and the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) honored their peers the evening of September 9 during the inaugural APEX/IFSA Award Ceremony. Winners were announced Monday evening during the ceremony at APEX EXPO. Brian Kelly, CEO and Founder of The Points Guy, emceed the event sponsored by gategroup, Paramount Pictures, Spafax and Thales.
“APEX is proud to highlight the most innovative approaches to business in passenger experience from our member airlines and vendors. We honor these organizations who have shown exemplary dedication and innovation to advancing the passenger experience,” says Maura Chacko, co-chair of the APEX Awards Committee in the announcement of the awards.
Winners were determined by industry and media judging panels that met over the summer to review the many finalists. The following is a list of winners from each of the categories.
APEX Award Winners
Fiji Airways: Best Lounge Innovation: Fully Qualified Nannies at Fiji Airways Premier Lounge
SriLankan Airlines: Best Marketing Innovation: Spirit of SriLankan Airlines & The Magic of Vesak
VT Miltope: Best Inflight Connectivity Innovation: Securing Wireless Cabin Networks for the Future
American Airlines: Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation: Calm on American Airlines
Newcomer of the Year Award
Flight Center Instituto de Aviación: Flight Attendant VR Training Program
2020 IFSA Awards
American Airlines: Best Inflight Food or Beverage: Zoës Kitchen Partnership
Clip Limited: Best Onboard Amenity: JetBlue Mint Kits
New this year is the APEX / IFSA Awards for Best Cabin Innovation and Best Product or Service. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in creating a thoughtful new cabin environment, and innovations in passenger comfort, including seats, design, lighting, temperature control, air quality and more.
2020 APEX / IFSA Award Winners
Astronics: Best Cabin Innovation: Intelligent Bin Solution/Smart Aircraft System
Air New Zealand: Best Product or Service: Skycouch Improvements
APEX + Crystal Cabin Award Winner
AIRBUS: Best Customer Journey Experience: Connected Experience
APEX also honored Brinder Bhatia with the APEX Lifetime Achievement Award. On Monday, we celebrated Bhatia for his decades of selfless work, vision and dedication to the industry. Over the course of his 40+ year career, Brinder Bhatia worked tirelessly to push the industry forward in building both custom and customizable systems that made IFEC central to the passenger experience for virtually every airline. Even in retirement, Brinder Bhatia remains committed to helping airlines transform and build upon their passenger experiences.
