Highlights from APEX TECH day two
Last updated: Wednesday, May 21, 4:32 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Find updates below, with all timings in local time.
APEX GCEO Dr. Joe Leader (left) and Dominic Green, Director Inflight Entertainment, United Airlines, at APEX TECH 2025 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Day two of APEX TECH is rolling in Los Angeles, with the morning kicking off with United's Dominic Green, Director Inflight Entertainment, presenting the latest on the airline's IFEC updates. The airline now has 130,000 screens on 680 aircraft and has enhanced the IFE experience with better accessibility, personalization, adaptive interfaces and more.
"The focus of our content is less about quantity and more about quality," Green said. The updated platform has resulted in high engagement (80 percent), significant growth, new partnerships and loyalty offers and NPS is up by 18 percent.
Green told the audience he is personally most excited about the scale at which the airline is now operating, which is opening up exciting new conversations with content partners. He said he sees IFE as entering a transformative phase, with real momentum behind it and fresh opportunities to acquire content that previously was not accessible.
The future of onboard content
Next, PaxEx.Aero's Seth Miller moderated a panel focused on future onboard content and passenger engagement strategy, sponsored by Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI). Panelists included Meta's Bastian Schütz, FlightPath3D's Duncan Jackson, Clare Josey of SPI, Esdra Lamy of Warner Bros Discovery, Thales' Maneesha Bhate and Siden's Jim Nelson.
Panelists discussed how as passenger expectations diversify, airlines are challenged to evolve content strategies beyond traditional entertainment.
Panelists on stage for the panel entitled Edge caching & OTT streaming: Redefining latency, quality and scalability
Following this, Seth moderated the panel entitled Edge caching & OTT streaming: Redefining latency, quality and scalability. Panelists were IdeaNova's Juraj Siska, Axinom's Ralph Wagner, Siegfried Luft of Netskrt Systems, SPI's Louis Poupard and John Azmy of Panasonic.
The 45-minute panel was abuzz as panelists discussed their perspectives on edge-caching, licensing challenges, casting and passenger expectations. The panel received more than six questions from the audience, proving to be one of the most interactive panels of APEX TECH.
"I can take my iPad, hang it on the seat in front of me, get a connection for streaming—or maybe the content is downloaded—and I am doing everything you say I cannot do today in a public environment," said Netskrt's Luft. "I think there is a lot of focus on the wrong problem."
Meanwhile, Panasonic's Azmy said airlines cannot rely solely on connectivity to entertain passengers. If that connectivity goes out, passengers still expect entertainment to be available. He says there should be no fear that reliable, high-speed connectivity will lead to passengers exclusively using PEDs.
"Behaviours in the aircraft are different. Passengers choose to watch something that they have not had time to watch, something nostalgic that they have not watched in a long time. So, learning those behaviours is very important," Azmy said.
Luft says there are two key important things to pay attention to: The experiential component: having local content means there will be no buffering delay. And consistency: having a consistent experience for that title on the aircraft is necessary and makes for a better experience. Downloaded content would still be available even if there are some blips in connectivity, he said, echoing Azmy's sentiment.
"It needs to be a three-way conversation between the tech, the airline and the OTTs," explained Poupard.
The question of objectionable content was also raised.
"Your device is your device, but the seatback screen is provided by the airline. That changes the equation a bit," Azmy said. But Siska said metadata can solve that.
Before breaking for lunch sponsored by Panasonic, attendees were invited to participate in the first workshop of the day, Future onboard content: Diversity & discovery, with category sponsor Siden and sponsor SES.
PAX Tech Managing Editor Jane Hobson (left) on stage with panelists for the session IFE strategy: Evolving innovations for licensing, delivery and curation for onboard content
IFE strategy in the dynamic content landscape
The afternoon started with PAX Tech Managing Editor Jane Hobson moderating the panel IFE strategy: Evolving innovations for licensing, delivery and curation for onboard content. The panel of experts included Sam Allen of Stellar, West Entertainment's Kate Groth, Paul Colley of Spafax, Touch's Andre Valera and Anuvu's Estibaliz Asiain.
The focus of the discussion centered around connectivity as the enabler—for a better content experience, more advertising opportunities and ultimately an enhanced passenger experience.
The afternoon closed out with the IFE Strategy workshop sponsored by SES, allowing attendees to discuss adapting to short refresh cycles, regionalized content, streaming exclusivities shifting rights windows and more in a casual and collaborative environment.
Andre Valera, VP Business Development, Touch (left) and Sam Allen, CEO, Stellar, discuss curation for onboard content at APEX TECH 2025 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Frontier finale
This year's APEX TECH closed out with a candid chat between APEX GCEO Dr. Joe Leader and Frontier Airlines' CCO Bobby Schroeter. Schroeter discussed Frontier's value proposition as an ultra-low-cost carrier that offers an elevated passenger experience.
"We are an ultra-low-cost carrier, but now we are thinking about it as an ultra-high-value carrier," he said. "We obsess about cost and we obsess about providing passengers with the lowest possible fair."
Frontier is one of the largest airlines that still does not offer inflight connectivity or in-seat power. According to Schroeter, the airline is considering adding power outlets, but connectivity is not part of its near-term plans. He explained that any future connectivity would need to align with the “Frontier way,” with a strong focus on keeping costs low and delivering value to passengers.
As for in-seat power, Schroeter noted that while not every passenger uses it, it adds a significant boost to the overall experience for those who do—offering a small but meaningful amenity.
APEX GCEO Dr. Joe Leader (left) and Frontier Airlines' CCO Bobby Schroeter
Meanwhile in seating, Frontier has introduced updated premium seating that boosts comfort while supporting ancillary revenue. It features memory foam with enhanced comfort and contoured support—soft and comfortable for short-haul journeys but firm and supportive for long-haul flights, Schroeter explained. It also features a backrest tilt for a more relaxed posture as well as six inches of extra legroom compared to standard seating. The ergonomic curvature of the seat not only creates more comfort for the occupant, but also provides more living space for the passenger behind, he said.
Schroeter said his dream for the future of Frontier is that the airline continues to provide a great price and experience that passengers love.
"I want to make sure that in every case, the experience surpasses their experience," he said. "The value is what we really want to unlock. We want to be the best value in the sky. Low price, high value, so we are absolutely focused on that."
Event sponsors
Sponsors for this year's APEX TECH include Panasonic as headline partner; SES, Open Orbit and West Entertainment as diamond sponsors; Spafax and Thales as gold sponsors; Anuvu as silver sponsor; as well as other event sponsors Above, Reaktor, Siden, Axinom and Safran. PAX Tech is proud to be the official media partner of APEX TECH 2025.
