In photos: Aviation innovators recognized at APEX/IFSA Awards ceremony in Long Beach
APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader (left) present the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award to Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines at the awards ceremony in Long Beach, California. Photo credit: APEX
The Long Beach Convention Center lit up with excitement last night as Global EXPO delegates and attendees gathered to honor the best in the airline industry at the 2026 APEX/IFSA Awards ceremony.
With awards presented by APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader, the evening celebrated outstanding contributions including the CEO Lifetime Achievement Award, Best In Airline Awards, APEX Five Star and Four Star Airline Awards and the APEX/IFSA Awards. The atmosphere was one of triumph, pride and industry camaraderie as winners were announced. Scroll below for the full list of honorees and photo highlights from the celebration, in no particular order.
More information on the awards can be found at the APEX website.
CEO Lifetime Achievement award
- Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines
2026 APEX Best™ Award Recipients
- Best Entertainment: Emirates
- Best Cabin Service: Korean Air
- Best Food & Beverage: Qatar Airways
- Best Seat Comfort: Eva Air
- Best Wi-Fi: Delta Air Lines
APEX World Class Airlines
- All Nippon Airways
- Emirates
- Fiji Airways
- Japan Airlines
- Oman Air
- Qatar Airways
- Saudia
- Singapore Airlines
- Turkish Airlines
- Xiamen Airlines
2026 APEX INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS
Best Inflight Connectivity
- Air Canada
Best Inflight Entertainment
- FlightPath 3D: Kids Map
2026 APEX/IFSA INNOVATION AWARD WINNER
Best Cabin Innovation
- All Nippon Airways: The Room FX Business Class Seat
2026 IFSA AWARD WINNERS
Best Inflight Food or Beverage
- Fiji Airways: Pacific Rim Cuisine
Best Onboard Amenity
- Delta Air Lines: Delta x Missoni Luxury Bedding
2026 APEX FOUR STAR AND FIVE STAR RECIPIENTS
(Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Five Star Global
- Aeroméxico
- Air Canada
- Air France
- Air New Zealand
- Austrian
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- EL AL
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air
- Finnair
- Garuda Indonesia
- Hainan Airlines
- KLM
- Korean Air
- LATAM Airlines
- Qantas
- SAS
- STARLUX Airlines
- SWISS
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
Five Star Major Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Air Astana
- Air Baltic
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines
- Azul
- Bankok Airways
- Breeze Airways
- Caribbean Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Gulf Air
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Kuwait Airways
- La Compagnie
- Vietnam Airlines
Five Star Regional Airline
- JSX
Four Star Global Airlines
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Air China
- Air India
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Iberia
- ITA Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Malaysia Airlines
- South African Airways
- TAP Air Portugal
- Thai Airways International
Four Star Major Airlines
- Air Europa
- Air Mauritius
- Air Transat
- AVIANCA
- Brussels Airlines
- Cayman Airways
- Condor
- EgyptAir
- Flydubai
- Hong Kong Airlines
- Icelandair
- Kenya Airways
- KM Malta Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Norse Atlantic Airways
- Philippine Airlines
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Brunei Airlines
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- WestJet
Four Star Regional Carriers
- Airlink
- Porter Airlines
Four Star Low-cost Carriers
- Aegean Airlines
- AirAsia
- AJet
- flynas
- IndiGo
- Norwegian
- Southwest Airlines
- TUI Airways
- Vueling
- ZIPAIR Tokyo
PAX joins panel of judges
PAX International and PAX Tech Managing Editor Jane Hobson was a judge in this year’s awards.
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as a judge for the second time. The awards provide an important platform to recognize and celebrate the innovations that are reshaping the passenger experience across the airline industry,” says Hobson.
