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duplicators rarely, if ever, see the tapes again after they’ve been delivered to the airlines. “United was sending us back some [tapes] for us to destroy for them [and] I know when I worked at another company, we would have a third party company come out and pick up everything that American sent back to us and destroy it.” And while different studios and labs have different policies, “[Post Modern Group’s] policy is that when the airline is done with the tapes, they destroy them”, Lopez is quick to point out. “We never get them back,” he says. So, who is reusing Sony’s tapes, exactly? “We can’t answer that, since we only see the volumes going to the duplicators,” admits Joe Balsam, senior marketing manager, professional media at Sony Electronics Media & Application Solutions division. Meanwhile, a contributing factor to tape reuse has nothing to do with technology at all.

“WE DO, IN FACT, USE SOME VIDEOTAPED IFE SYSTEMS, BUT IT’S NOT IN THE MAJORITY OF OUR TOTAL IFE SYSTEMS ACROSS OUR VARIOUS FLEET TYPES” PAUL SKRBEC, DELTA AIR LINES SPOKESPERSON

THE GREAT TAPE SHORTAGE OF 2011 On 11 March, 2011 at approximately 14:46pm local time, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck 70 km off the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku, Japan. Triggering a tsunami with waves of up to 40.5m high, the earthquake moved Japan’s main island of Honshu 2.4m to the east and actually shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of 10-25 cm. It also practically levelled Sony’s Tagajo factory in Sendai, the company’s main site for tape coating, a basic element in the manufacturing of several videotape formats. Sony halted production in Sendai immediately – and in a matter of days, the global supply of Sony videotapes of any kind dried up. In fact, three days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, WNYC public radio in Manhattan reported that “coveted” two-hour Sony HDCAM SR tapes used in fi lm and television distribution that usually sold for $250 were selling for upwards of $999 for a 90-minute tape. And things were even more precarious in the videotaped IFE realm. “Oh, man, we had to go to like, Best Buy and RadioShack… wherever we could to get our hands on JVC and Maxell tapes – anything we could do to fulfi l jobs,” remembers Post Modern Group’s Lopez. “It was that way for at least three months until my vault supervisor found a place that had tape stock. It wasn’t as good quality as Sony, but we were sort of in a bind. Even our clients understood that we had to do what we had to do.” Mark Smith at American remembers the time well and says the carrier implemented a unique, two-pronged approach to the problem. Firstly, Smith says American “worked with the content service providers to ensure sourcing of adequate 8mm tape stock.” Secondly, at the same time, Smith recalls that American “also implemented a backup plan to secure interim digital fi le servers in the event Sony 8mm tape production did not resume prior to completion of our aircraft modification programmes, [which were] already underway. Fortunately, we did not have to pursue this backup plan.” But what about smaller carriers and duplicators with fewer options? Surely some of them began reusing their old tapes when times got tough? “There was no other choice at the time,” admits Lopez. “So, the tsunami was defi nitely a factor in the reuse of tapes.” Then, in an update on the situation at the Tagajo plant sent to APEX on 28 June 2011, Sony made a surprising announcement. “We are pleased to share that manufacturing has resumed at the Tagajo facility, starting with professional disc production in May,” it said. “Progress continues on tape coating, which is on schedule to resume in late July. Based on this progress and format prioritisation, production of 8mm and Hi8 tape will resume in September with fi nished goods availability in October. Shortly after, we expect supply of these products to be fully restored.” Even then, critics suggested that Sony’s timeline was a tad optimistic. And in fact, the plant in Sendai was not fully back online and, according to Balsam, “meeting new worldwide demand” until the Spring of 2012. But after almost a year with no new Sony tapes – a year during which many stakeholders no doubt turned to lesser suppliers and the reuse of their existing stock to meet demand – one has to wonder what “new

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worldwide demand” there would be left for Sony to meet? To paraphrase The Buggles’ iconic ode to videotaped omnipotence, video may have killed the radio star, but had an Act of God now killed video? THE FUTURE American’s Smith sums up the current state of the videotaped IFE industry best when he says that: “IFE tends to follow the consumer market to benefit from the associated economies of scale [and] the consumer market is quickly moving to digital media.” And while the jury may still be out on whether the Sony tape shortage of 2011 was the fi nal nail in the coffi n of videotaped IFE or just another bump on a rocky road for the analogue format, even Sony’s Balsam admits that he’s seen a huge increase in interest in Sony’s digital and Video on Demand (VOD) options of late. “In the digital era, we don’t expect any new IFE systems to be tape-based [and] it is safe to say, as many of our customers have said to us, [that] the tape shortages of 2011 accelerated their plans to transition to tapeless options,” says Balsam. Post Modern Group’s Lopez agrees with Sony’s Balsam in regards to the inevitable dominance of infl ight digital and VOD options. Though he believes that smaller carriers will continue to demand videotaped IFE for as long as Sony produces it, he says the move from Video8 and 8mm to VOD is happening fast. “Its funny… when I started [here], we had a big production room for tape duplication,” Lopez remembers. “And now… WALTER LOPEZ, MANAGER OF VIDEO OPERATIONS FOR POST MODERN GROUP that room has been cut in half – and the other half is being used to expand the digital VOD operations. In the next few years I think we’re all [going to] be VOD.” But if the industry really is moving away from video, however haltingly, one has to wonder about Sony’s motives for sending out the videotaped IFE memo in the fi rst place. Was Sony expressing legitimate “concerns” for their stakeholders in the memo? Or were they trying to gently encourage the holdouts in the industry to upgrade and abandon videotaped content as a viable IFE option? Balsam says it was defi nitely the former. “In that letter, we wanted to raise awareness of the risk to content playback integrity from known or unknown excessive use of 8mm tape on planes,” he explains. We also wanted to recommend that content owners specify (or reiterate) to their duplication vendors that fresh, professional grade tape stock should be used for IFE dub work as much as possible.” A far as new stock goes, as long as there are clients needing tapes, Balsam says Sony pledges to be there. Though he admits that videotaped content and VCRs are unlikely to experience the hipster comeback that vinyl did a few years back, Balsam says that Sony will continue to cater to demand until the last damaged head stops spinning. “We won’t likely see a tape renaissance, but as long as our customers need the highest quality video tape products, to a large degree, Sony will provide them,” promises Balsam.

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“LET’S SAY I’M RUNNING A JOB FOR 100 TAPES AND I ACTUALLY RUN 120, JUST IN CASE A COUPLE FAIL. AFTER I FULFIL MY ORDER OF 100 TAPES, SOMETIMES I’LL GO BACK AND REUSE THE [EXTRA 20] TAPES FOR A DIFFERENT JOB. BUT AGAIN, I’LL ONLY ERASE THEM ONCE”

APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Virgin America’s manager of IFE content and partnerships Alfy Veretto on how the carrier is focused on creating something even better for the flyer, the importance of early window movies to IFE and how APEX members have played a pivotal role in his own career development WORDS BY MARY KIRBY IN PHILADELPHIA

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Q&A Tell us a little about your history. I understand that, before joining the airline industry, you worked as programme director of KECY-TV, dealing with TV syndication and movie studio relationships. How did you get involved in this line of work and what did your job entail? I got started at the TV station thanks to my Mom. She was the office manager there for many years and, as I was growing up, I spent a lot of time running around the station learning what people did. Once I was old enough, I got a job as a part-time receptionist. I moved up in the company working in edit bays, camera operations, master control, traffic and finally programme director at the age of 18. As programme director, it was my job to fill the air time between network programming with syndicated TV shows – such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, M*A*S*H, The Jerry Springer Show – and on weekends and late nights we ran movies. I would then put the programming together, coordinate with the traffic department to enter local commercials and send schedules to master control for air. It was fun and exciting for me: as programme director, I would even take graveyard shifts in master control just so I could keep working! I also wanted to make sure the work I did during the day translated well for those in master control who put all my work into action.

How did you make the leap to aviation? My love for airlines came thanks to my Dad. My Aunt’s husband works for Southwest Airlines. He’s been there for as long as I can remember and is still there today. She would travel all over the world thanks to the benefits you get as an airline employee spouse. She would rub that in Dad’s face, so he would jokingly tell me: “You need to work for an airline so I can fly for free.” When I moved to Denver, Colorado, I noticed a job opening at Frontier Airlines for a graveyard [shift] aircraft cleaner. I thought, why not apply for the job and if I get it, my Dad could fly for free! I got the job and started at Frontier washing planes at night. After six months, I applied for a job in the marketing department as a marketing coordinator. I got that job and worked coordinating special events, helping with the frequent flyer programme and other various marketing initiatives.

With your knowledge of the content arena, you were the ideal choice to develop Frontier Airlines’ IFE department. How did this come about? One day, our VP of marketing pulled us all together to discuss the idea of adding TV onboard. Naturally, I loved the idea and after that meeting went into the VP’s office and told him about my background. He said,

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since I had the passion for the project, I should work on it. From there we ended up partnering with LiveTV (right before JetBlue bought them). The LiveTV system would offer passengers 24 channels of live DirecTV network programming, but I wanted to do movies as well. So I worked with the LiveTV group on designing a way to run movies onboard. The system could not offer on-demand but I figured out a way to time movies to run after take-off. I called it a “theatre in the air” – it wasn’t on-demand, but the movie started at a certain time after take-off. My next step was to reach out to movie studios to supply us with movies. Since I had done it before at the TV station, I figured I could do it again for an airline. It was eye-opening to find out that there was a whole world dedicated to airline programming. My first conversation with a studio was with Mark Horton at Paramount. We talked over the phone and I told him I wanted to come out to LA to meet with him in person to discuss my ideas for movies on Frontier. He asked if I would be talking with all the studios and I told him as soon as I find out who those people are, I will. He then said not to worry, as he would send me contact information for each of the studios. From that list, I was able to schedule meetings with each of the major movies studios. My first in-person meeting was with Linda Palmer at Disney. I was anxious, as I was going to take the feedback I got from her forward to the rest of my studios meetings. This was a benchmark meeting: I was from a relatively new airline and she was a VP of a major movie studio. To her eternal credit, Linda took the time to discuss our plans and was very receptive to my ideas. She gave me lots of great feedback and introduced me for the first time to the WAEA (now known as APEX). From there, all my studio meetings went very well, each and every one of them teaching me something new about the industry. It took a couple of years before we got movies onboard, but I still remember taking my first flight after all the ground and flight testing, when we actually sold movies onboard. I flew from Denver to San Diego. In the middle of the movie – After the Sunset – I walked through the cabin looking to see who was watching the movie. To my delight, many passengers were and as I walked down the aisle, I heard laughing and saw guests smiling. At that moment I knew that this is what I was meant to do.

Tell us about your job at Virgin America. What’s it like to manage IFE and partnerships for a carrier that is constantly innovating in the IFE space and seeks to offer an unrivalled flying experience in the US? It was an honour for me when Virgin America asked me to join them. After seven-plus years working at Frontier I had pushed the system to its limits. I welcomed the opportunity to create something new and exciting. When I got to Virgin America they had just started flying. I spent the first few months flying around playing with the Red [the carrier’s inflight entertainment system] and watched as others interacted with the IFE. From that and from what I learned at Frontier, we designed the first upgrade to Red. I was finally able to do a few things I couldn’t do at Frontier – such as make all theatrical movies, regardless of rating, available inflight and to create an ‘open tab’ function. It was not only my goal to have the best IFE experience in the US but also to have one that would rival those of international carriers as well. Over the years, we’ve had several other improvements, including the ‘send-a-drink’ to another seat feature. I think the key to innovating in the space is coming up with an idea for something that guests would really want, and then finding a way to create it, even when someone tells you “no”. A lot of our enhancements were first met with “no”, but I didn’t let that stop me. Networking and meeting people face-to-face is best as I’ve found it’s easier for someone to tell you “no” over the phone or by email.

Virgin America is credited with implementing a number of food-ondemand firsts in IFE – such as being the first carrier to give passengers the ability to order food and beverages via the seat-back screen with the swipe of a card and, more recently, the first to allow passengers to buy a cocktail for another passenger. How has this approach changed the inflight passenger experience? I have to admit, I love our on-demand food and drink system. Why should a guest only be allowed to drink or eat only when the cart comes by your row? The on-demand feature lets a guest decide when they want to eat or have a drink – or to eat and drink as often as they want. In a world of on-demand everything, it made sense to do it onboard an aircraft. I would say that’s one of the features friends who fly tell me they love the best. I also feel it improves the aircraft atmosphere. There are less food and drink announcements that would interrupt your IFE experience and the aisles stay more clear.

I understand that Virgin America develops a lot of IFE initiatives in-house. Who thinks up all of these great ideas? And do your IFE partners assist you with implementation? The great thing about working at Virgin America is that everyone is passionate about the IFE so everyone has ideas. From Ken Bieler in our engineering department, to Jesse McMillin our creative director, to Rob Gallagher in catering, to Amy Burr in our corporate strategy group, all the way to Luanne Calvert, our CMO – and, of course, David Cush, our president and CEO. Some of the best ideas come from our flight crews. When I fly, I take that time to chat with them. They are the ones interacting with the IFE and our guests on a regular basis. They can see things and learn things we might not even think about. I rely a lot on that feedback. I guess it comes from my days of working at the TV station when I was programme manager and still spent time in master control to make sure what I was creating worked properly in the end. It’s a true team effort – not only with my Virgin America family, but also with every IFE partner we have. I enjoy being able to get feedback from friends like Julian [Levin] at Fox then bounce around ideas with Rick [Warren] and Amir [Samnani] at Post Modern [Group] or try out new types of music with Venus [Kitagawa-Stojsic] at Spafax… then chat with Howard [Stein] at CoKinetic over software improvements and finally sit down with Tony [Chen] at Panasonic to see all the ideas come to life.

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How closely do you and your team work with Virgin America’s onboard services and other units of the carrier that are focused on the passenger experience? What form does that cooperation take? There is a lot of cooperation between all departments at Virgin America. For example, I work with our catering department on a regular basis. Since food and drink are part of our IFE, we work together to ensure the onboard menu is up to date. Our programme management teams create our timeline, catering provides the menu items, descriptions, pricing and quantities, our marketing department will adjust copy and create pairing images, then I format the images and input all the food and drink information. The menu is tested on the rack and then I deploy it wirelessly to our aircraft.

In addition to offering seat-back IFE for every passenger, Virgin America offers in-seat power and inflight connectivity. Are you seeing more and more double- and triple-screening inflight? (The situation in which a passenger might watch a movie over the IFE, while at the same time using the internet via an iPad or smartphone, mirroring the at-home experience in the air.) I haven’t seen too much triple-screening but I’ve heard of it, for sure! I do see lots of our guests – young and old – watching a movie or TV on our seat-back APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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screens while working on their laptops or tablets connected to the Wi-Fi. I know I do my best work while watching TV at the same time. I believe that number will continue to grow over the next several years. The younger generation already lives day to day watching TV while texting, updating [social network] statuses and uploading pics. My daughter is proof of that.

What percentage of your passengers on transcontinental, long-haul flights log onto the internet? Are you experiencing any capacity constraints in the system? On our more popular transcontinental, long-haul flights we regularly see more than one third of guests logging on. We credit much of that to our flyer base, the fact that we remain the only US airline to offer Wi-Fi truly fleet-wide and features like in-seat power at every seat. We’re now investing to upgrade our fleet to Gogo’s newer and faster ATG-4 service to increase bandwidth. That said, most guests today are happy with the availability of the service – and the ability to get work done and stay connected.

Does Virgin America have a position on the issue of PED use during critical phases of flight? Would you welcome FAA guidance on the issue and a loosening of restrictions? I can only speak for myself, but I would like to see passengers to be able to use a PED from gate to gate. I think they already do either on purpose or by accident. It will be interesting to see what the FAA decides.

How important is early window movie programming to Virgin America’s IFE content line-up? I’m sure it’s no secret that I feel early window movies are the key to any successful IFE. Call me old-fashioned – can I say that when I’m still in my 30s? – but there is just something [special] about watching a movie on a plane. The thing I remember the most from my first flight was watching a movie. Granted, we had to use those stethoscope-looking headphones, but it was very entertaining and made flying feel a little more special. I also think for business travellers on a three-plus hour flight it’s the perfect opportunity to watch a movie they may not have had a chance to go to the theatre to see. And for families, everyone can watch their own movie. Mom can watch the romantic comedy, Dad can watch the action movie and the kids can watch the new animated movie instead of going to a theatre three different times. And since all our movies are the theatrical version, you will never miss a scene. I don’t believe we will ever see a day when movies are not part of the IFE experience. Movies and the studios are the foundation of IFE. Our association was first the World Airline Entertainment Association. Just because the ‘E’ in APEX is not for entertainment doesn’t mean it’s less important.

Can you give us a hint about what to expect on the IFE front from Virgin America in the coming years? Do you still envisage ultimately offering wireless IFE to seat-back screens and passengers’ PEDs?

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I’m always happy to share and discuss anything I’ve done in the past, but when it comes to future enhancements, I like to keep those to myself until it’s released to the public. It’s the only way to keep our edge.

More broadly, do you have any predictions about how the IFE world will evolve? Will geo-entertainment play an increasingly important role in the passenger experience? I think the one weakness in our industry is the ability to get content on the aircraft faster and to move away from monthly media loads. Specifically, I feel we could do a better job of getting movies onboard and improve when we can get [them]. If the technology allowed, how great would it be to add new movies on a weekly instead of a monthly basis? Right now, studios group movies into monthly avails. They will say movies A and B are available in October and movie C will be available in November. For instance, I would love to see Movie A available 1 October, Movie B available 10 October and Movie C available 25 October. I think it makes sense since movies are released theatrically that way. The only reason I can think of for not being able to do that now is that we can’t get content onto aircraft fast enough. I hope the industry evolves in that direction.

In addition to your position at Virgin America, you work as APEX Board Vice President, chair the Nominating Committee and co-chair the Membership Committee. Tell us a little bit about when and why you got involved in the association, what your positions entail and how you work with fellow Board members to grow the association. I was introduced to the association by Linda Palmer. I attended my first conference in Seattle in 2003. Through the years I was honoured to participate in panels and give feedback to committees. I was always encouraged to run for the Board through the years by various people, but I wanted to take the time to see how the association worked and how the members interacted. Then one day, not too long ago, a friend came up to me and said, “Alfy, you need to run for the board and bring back some fun to the association.” I agreed: some of the fun had disappeared. To be fair, the industry was going through some tough times and the association needed to secure its future. But I and a few others felt it was time to bring it back. So with the support of Mark Horton and Lee Casey on the nominations committee – and personal backing

from Rick at Post Modern and Ed [Harris] from CBS – I was officially on the ballot. And thanks to our voting members, I was voted in. I’ve served one year as a Director and now as Vice President. I look forward to continuing as Vice President for another term. As you mentioned, I chair the nominations committee with Mark [Horton] and Lee [Casey], along with Katie Goshgarian at APEX. Our goal is to find members to run for the Board. We had a great list of candidates for the 2013-14 election, so I’m proud of the hard work and dedication our committee gave this year. I also co-chaired the membership committee with Luay [Qunash] from Royal Jordanian. Over the past year we worked with Joan Russell from AMP, Joel Joslin from Stellar, Tebogo Selokane from IFE Services, Joe Carreira at Touch, Loren Bolstridge at Delta, Dave Sampson at Mezzo, Markus Gilges at VT Miltope and Dana O’Donnell at APEX to renew and find new members. I also have the pleasure of working on the TV Market [Conference] Task Force, chaired by Joan Filippini from Paramount, and the Awards Task force, chaired by Dominic Green from Thales. I seem to have a problem saying no when anyone asks me to join a committee! It’s an honour to work with other Board members on different committees. Our focus has been to make sure the members are involved and have opportunities to engage the Board. This year we had a great Board mixer in New York, we had the ‘Meet the Board’ panel at the TV Market and we moved our AGM from early Thursday mornings to Monday after our education sessions. We took feedback from the members and expanded our TV Market and now we are looking to take the EXPO international in 2016. Over the next year, I would like to see us use social media more in the way we communicate with members. I would like to improve our website. I want to bring back the membership book that a majority of our members miss and, to this day, still have the 2010 directory sitting on their desks. And I would like to work on making airline membership a lifetime membership instead of year by year.

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APEX is moving from strength to strength. How is the association evolving to keep pace with this changing industry? What are the biggest benefits for airlines in becoming members of the association? I believe Patrick Brannelly – and the Board under his presidency – got us moving in the right direction. Our goal is to keep that momentum moving forward. You can see that at our EXPO: the fact we continue to grow with IFSA, participate in CES in Las Vegas and reach out and support other travel-related industries and vendors are proof of our strength and growth. I think our communication to members has improved with our magazine, smartbrief, blog and social media. These help keep our members informed of growth in all areas of the passenger experience. From an airline perspective, I’m proof of what the association can do to help airlines. From my first WAEA conference in Seattle, I remember sitting at the awards gala. Back then it was the event of the conference. I sat in the very back table – yes, I sat in the back… some things never change – and I remember watching Virgin Atlantic win multiple awards. Later in the evening, I was dancing with this sexy redhead who I worked with at Frontier (her name is Cheryl and, as most of you know, I married that sexy redhead). I whispered in her ear that one day that would be me winning awards. Each year after that, I learned everything I could about the IFE world. I participated in WAEA events, I met and made new friends with people in the industry. I attended every awards gala and drew inspiration from the winners – and a few years later, it was me on that stage accepting an award.

Finally, Alfy, as a regular passenger, what is your favourite thing to do onboard when you fly? Honestly, I still love walking up and down the aisle looking to see what everyone is doing. And if they are watching a movie that makes them laugh or puts a smile on their face, I’m reminded once again that I’m doing what I was meant to do. I don’t think of what I do as a job. It’s not a 9-5, Monday to Friday atmosphere. I’m usually working late into the night and over weekends, but I can do that because, to me, this is not a job – it’s simply what I love to do. It’s rare this day and age to say that but I can. I do sleep… eventually. APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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BURSTING AT THE SEAMS Have we reached a limit on how far the base fare can be pushed?

IMAGE SUPERSTOCK

WORDS BY KYLE PETERSON IN CHICAGO

T  

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here was a time not that long ago when an air traveller on a US domestic fl ight could reasonably expect to fi nd the adjacent seat empty – a seat perfect for storing jackets, snacks and novels. Back then, there was less confusion about whose seat belt was whose. There was less competition for precious space on the rock-hard armrest. And the dreaded middle seat was an easily avoidable fate. Well, times have changed. More often than not, airplanes flown by major carriers are taking to the skies nearly full. That’s great news for airlines for whom every empty seat represents a lost revenue opportunity, but not so great if you’re one of the poor passengers crammed like sardines way back in the coach cabin. In many ways, top airlines are laser-focused on improving the passenger experience. But this is one respect in which the interests of the airlines and their customers may never easily align. APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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AMBIENCE

AIRLINE ADVOCATES LIKE A4A ARGUE THAT THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE HAS ACTUALLY IMPROVED IN RECENT YEARS AND THAT CAPACITY RESTRAINT AND HIGHER LOAD FACTORS HAVE HELPED ENORMOUSLY

IMAGES GETTY, PLAIN PICTURES

“Everyone likes elbow room,” says John Heimlich, chief economist at Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group representing US carriers, “(but) it’s an inefficient use of the airways, the airports, the airplanes and the crews.” According to A4A data, load factors, which are a percentage of airline seating capacity fi lled, reached 82.8% in 2012 – the highest annual level in 67 years. These numbers were achieved on the back of hard work of airline managers responsible for planning fares, routes and fleets. For the last few years, airlines have cut services on unprofitable routes. Carriers also frequently put smaller planes on certain routes to better match seating capacity with passenger demand. A4A reports that domestic airline capacity, as measured by available seat miles, fell 5.5% from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of this year, roughly in line with the decline in the number of domestic passengers from 2007 to 2012. The number of domestic fl ights also declined by 13.9% in that time frame. Domestic traffic reached its peak in 2007 and remains robust by historic standards, despite recent declines. Obviously, the high load factors can result in packed planes and cramped seating conditions even for off-peak fl ights. By that measure, travellers are paying more and getting less. “It is not as pleasant as it once was,” says Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Hudson Crossing, noting today’s crowded departure gates at airports, competition for carry-on bin space and fewer options for standby passengers. “But in fairness, the volume of people who are travelling is larger [than it] was even pre-9/11.” A4A data shows a 15% increase in the number of domestic passengers from 2001 to 2012. But Harteveldt and other industry experts say it is unfair to judge the airline passenger experience solely through the load-factor prism. “Clearly, travel remains a great value. When you look at it, you can move a very long distance in a very short time and for a decent price,” he says. FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE An opinion piece by Bill McGee in USA Today in June complained that airlines are forcing customers to make too many sacrifices in pursuit of a robust passenger load. In the article – titled ‘Overloaded! Crowded airline cabins reach new heights’ – McGee explained that airline executives once targeted a “break-even” load factor that would result in enough revenue to cover the cost of the fl ight. “Today, however, it’s not about breaking even – it’s about cramming as many of us as possible into those cabins,” he wrote. McGee ticked off a short list of burdens passengers now accept in the name of high load factors: boarding headaches, overhead bin shortages, uncomfortable seats, higher fares and being bumped from overbooked fl ights. “These full airplanes also are contributing factors in countless infl ight disputes and they certainly are systemic contributors to the inexcusable but rising number of air rage incidents. In short, packed airplanes are a key reason — perhaps the key reason — commercial flying has become so unpleasant for so many,” McGee added in his article.

Others note that while customers typically have acceptable fl ight options between well-travelled city pairs, capacity reductions in the last few years have eliminated flexibility in the system that might have helped absorb the shock of unexpected fl ight delays and cancellations. It has also limited the ability of travellers to fly standby, even if they are willing to pay the new hefty change fees. “Standing by for fl ights is very difficult unless it’s a route where the airline has a lot of capacity in the market,” Harteveldt says. Michael Boyd, chairman of Boyd Group International, an aviation consulting company, dismisses many of the criticisms by those who say high load factors have diminished the travel experience. The fl ight experience is “not materially different than it was five years ago,” he says. Flights felt crowded back when load factors hovered near 70% and even a full fl ight offers the same basic seat and storage space, he explains. “They’re not more crowded in terms of your seat than they were before,” he says. “So the issue is you have fewer excess seats out there because airlines are controlling their capacity.” He also notes that not all routes are feeling the same squeeze. Peak-hour fl ights on congested East Coast routes are no less comfortable than they ever were. The difference is felt more on off-peak fl ights and on routes between certain city pairs where airlines have cut service dramatically because demand was not there. Airline advocates like A4A argue that, in fact, the passenger experience has actually improved in recent years and that capacity restraint and higher load factors have helped enormously. While it is true that passengers are in more direct contact with each other than in the past, several other metrics tell a happier tale. A4A says the on-time arrival rate was 81.9% for US carriers in 2012, up from 73.4% five years earlier. In fact, the fi rst quarter of 2013 saw its second-best on time arrival rate since 2003. A domestic fl ight is considered on time if it lands within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Experts argue, however, that the on-time statistic is improved because carriers have padded their schedules with additional fl ight time. Nevertheless, on time is on time. A4A also says the percentage of cancelled fl ights fell to 1.29% from 2.16% between 2007 and 2012. The number of mishandled bags also declined to 3.09 per 1,000 from 7.05 per 1,000 in that time frame. Heimlich credits these improvements in service to less system congestion and fewer weather disruptions in 2012. But more importantly, he says, airline profitability has enabled carriers to reinvest in their operations. In 2012, airlines had their highest level of capital spending since the early 2000s. The correlation

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“As consumers, when airlines start charging us more, we’re going to start expecting more beyond just that seat and seat belt. And I think the airlines have to be very careful about how high up they push fares, because I think that we are starting to see some resistance in the market” HENRY HARTEVELDT, TRAVEL INDUSTRY ANALYST AT HUDSON CROSSING

between profitability and effective operations is key. “There’s been money put into training, staffi ng, software, conveyor belts and tugs,” Heimlich says. THE IMPACT OF DEREGULATION Heimlich also noted that in the 1960s and 1970s – back before the airline industry was deregulated but still in the modern era – planes typically flew half full. During those years, the government regulated competition on routes and even set fares that were guaranteed to cover an airline’s costs. Many advocates of deregulation argued that this was not in the consumer’s interest. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 made air travel accessible to more people by forcing airlines to compete with each other on costs and pricing. Heimlich refers to deregulation and the availability of

air travel to the masses as the democratisation of air travel. It appears that this democratisation comes at a price: these days, it has become fashionable for well-heeled travellers to gripe about overcrowded and uncomfortable airplanes. “That may be true for a few, but I think in the broader scheme, I would beg to differ,” Heimlich says, noting that even with the high load factors, airlines still have trouble covering their costs and earning profits. If customers want lower load factors, airlines have only a few levers they can pull to address this desire – and those come with unsavoury trade-offs. “I can raise fares to create more empty seats or I can put more fl ights on the routes, which possibly creates more congestion and delays, or I can buy larger airplanes,” Heimlich says, highlighting the options. “If people would rather pay a lot more to see a lot fewer seats fi lled, then that’s an option, but I don’t think that’s what the masses want.” In the years since the 9/11 attacks, the US airline industry has coasted from one crisis to another. The attacks themselves plunged the economy and the airline industry into turmoil that tipped several carriers into bankruptcy. United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and American Airlines have all fi led for Chapter 11 since 2001. High costs, especially fuel, have been a persistent anchor on airline earnings, especially in the low-fare, post-9/11 world. In the early 2000s, airlines often could have fi lled every single seat on a plane and still lost money on that fl ight. The plight forced airlines to take drastic measures to lower the break-even load factor. They initiated service cuts to unprofitable routes and sought the mergers that eliminated the Northwest Airlines, America West Airlines and Continental Airlines brands among others. The proposed merger of US Airways and American Airlines is expected to jettison the US Airways name and cap the latest industry consolidation wave. Meanwhile, airlines began tapping ancillary revenue streams generated by sales of travel perks such as bag checks, meals, priority seating and infl ight entertainment. Ancillary revenue has been a major help to cash-strapped airlines. These days, the break-even load factor hovers in the mid-70% range for many airlines, but the profit margins remain thin.

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Undeniably, air travellers have had to absorb a lot of changes to the typical fl ight experience. But, by and large, fares have stayed relatively tame over the years and air travel remains affordable to many people. That said, “while airfares remain a great bargain, they are unquestionably more expensive than they were a year ago”, Harteveldt states. RISING TICKET PRICES According to the chief executive of fare-tracker FareCompare.com, Rick Seaney, ticket prices are up 1% year-over-year from last summer. He says that in the summer of 2012, fares were at their highest level in five years, and that does not include passengers’ bag-check expenses, which shot up in 2008. A4A data shows that from 2000 to 2012, US domestic air fares rose 13.1%, lagging the 33.3% rise in the consumer price index and the 46.6% increase in disposable personal income. “For those that live in metro [areas] (where top airlines have hubs) there is no doubt that travel is a decent bargain,” Seaney believes. But he also adds that travellers outside of those major cities see more frequent fare

hikes because there is less competition to stifle them. In those places, air travel is less of a bargain and many travellers are opting to drive on their shorter trips. Seaney explains that as airlines reconfigure their planes to reflect a new high load-factor model, the fl ight experience is bound to suffer for some travellers, especially those in coach. “For those who are not elite and don’t have an extra $150 to buy upgrades, the experience is defi nitely downgraded,” Seaney says. “For elite travellers, it is a wash because they get more areas for free upgrades, but those upgrades are also available to non-elites.” Harteveldt warns that there is a limit to how high airlines can push up the base fare – because, at some point, it’s inevitable that customers are going to push back. “When airlines start charging us more, as consumers, we’re going to start expecting more beyond just that seat and seat belt,” he predicts. “And I think the airlines have to be very careful about how high up they push fares. Because I think that we are starting to see some resistance in the market.”

“If people would rather pay a lot more to see a lot fewer seats filled, then that’s an option, but I don’t think it’s what the masses want” JOHN HEIMLICH, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT AIRLINES FOR AMERICA (A4A)

IMAGES CORBIS, SUPERSTOCK

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The five-year mission Forthcoming research project’s aim is to seek out new technology to improve the inflight experience WORDS BY KERRY REALS IN LONDON

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anadian researchers are to embark on a five-year programme aimed at fi nding new technologies to improve airline passenger comfort, assess the impact of new air traffic management initiatives on crew workloads and address crew health and safety concerns, such as pilot fatigue. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will work with “global leaders in all areas” of the aviation industry, including airframers and aircraft interiors fi rms, to develop technologies to improve onboard

lighting, acoustics, air quality and thermal comfort, Anant Grewal, project lead for the NRC’s ‘Working and Travelling on Aircraft’ programme, explains. “We will look at how these factors relate to each other and how investment can be made by industry partners to address comfort,” says Grewal. Human subject testing will take place on an aircraft cabin demonstrator, which is being constructed by the NRC, to determine how “important environmental factors in the cabin” affect passengers. From these tests, a “global

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comfort index” will be drawn up, which it is hoped will be used by manufacturers “at the design stage, early on” to ensure that passenger comfort is taken into account when designing new interiors products. The cabin demonstrator will be reconfigurable to enable researchers to assess the impact on passengers of environmental factors on singleaisle aircraft, regional jets and “possibly twinaisle jets”, says Grewal. A key aim of the research is to provide passengers with “more personal control over their environment” when travelling on an aircraft. Top of Grewal’s personal agenda is fi nding a way of improving ventilation: “I like quite a bit of ventilation, but if you’re sitting in the inside seat on a twin-aisle aircraft there is very little air flow,” he says. “To me, this is a very unpleasant aspect of long-haul flying.” In addition to using the cabin demonstrator, the NRC plans to conduct fl ights using a combination of its own test aircraft and aircraft provided by industry partners. While specific aircraft models have not been disclosed, Grewal says the research will focus mainly on narrowbodies and regional jets. Testing will begin in 2015 and is scheduled to end in 2020, but Grewal anticipates that some of the fi ndings “will make their way” into new aircraft interiors products “along the way”. “The issue of passenger comfort and passenger experience will continue to evolve in that time frame,” says Grewal, adding that alternatives to the traditional “tube-and-wing” aircraft design, such as blended wing models, could move closer to becoming reality. “Having windows [on blended wing aircraft] will be a challenge – this is something we take for granted now. Addressing environmental factors on conventional tube-and-wing aircraft is key.” As well as looking at technologies aimed at improving the passenger experience, the NRC will focus on the human element of new air traffic management (ATM) programmes. While ATM initiatives such as the US’s NextGen and Europe’s Single European Sky (SES) will make fl ight paths more efficient in the future, Grewal points out that this will likely result in a “significant increase” in crew workloads. “There is an opportunity to reduce this workload through different interfaces, such as eye tracking and voice recognition,” he says. The third area of research will focus on pilot performance and fatigue. “We’ve done work to allow a pilot’s fatigue state to be evaluated and we will look at developing fatigue mitigation strategies,” says Grewal.

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learning As airline business models change rapidly, passenger education is paramount WORDS BY LORI RANSON IN WASHINGTON, D.C. | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROB COWAN @ THE ILLUSTRATION ROOM

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he decision by US-based, wannabe ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines to charge passengers up to $100 for carry-on baggage if they opt to book outside of the carrier’s website is the latest move by an airline to stoke the already intense flames of widespread passenger indignation. While Frontier is the latest carrier to provoke gnashing of teeth through unpopular fees that travellers feel continually diminish the passenger experience, its moves also illustrate the widening gap between treatment of higheryielding frequent travellers and customers that travel by air every one to three years.

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Frontier’s motivation with the changes – ushered in just in time for the busy summer travel season in the Northern Hemisphere – was to drive traffic to its own website, which is a much cheaper distribution mechanism. But the carrier also declared that its most loyal customers “have made it very clear that fi nding overhead bin space for carry-on bags has become unacceptably difficult.” In response, “Frontier will be introducing a charge for carry-on bags for customers buying ‘Basic’ fares through third party sites”. LOGIC DICTATES It is only logical that Frontier and other airlines would cater to regular travellers who frequently open their wallets to pay for airline tickets. But given the ample media scrutiny levelled on the airline industry, carriers should have a keen interest in avoiding news reports that seek to intensify the perception they are cold and uncaring. They can do this by working to ensure passengers are educated about various fees and how product unbundling is crucial in sustaining the nascent profitability most US carriers are now enjoying. Director of the US-based Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA), Charlie Leocha, believes that airlines shun educating passengers about various fees to give the impression they are still charging lower fares. He believes some carriers then use a APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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“bait and switch” manoeuvre with add-on fees, including baggage charges. During the last couple of years, the US government has made some attempts to protect the uneducated passenger by requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares and ensure customers are aware of baggage fees when they are purchasing tickets. But when it comes to expending effort to explain the evolution of fees to the less frequent traveller, long-time aviation consultant Robert Mann concludes that type of education is largely cost-prohibitive. “The idea of trying to inform the truly infrequent customer is beyond what airlines can do cost-effectively,” he says. Additionally, if airlines opted to improve their communication to a customer base spending less than the top tier elites, they are “essentially broadcasting a bad message”, concludes Mann, which is “you get screwed” unless you buy direct from the carrier’s website. Instead, airlines look to make information available through their partners, primarily companies that share their co-branded credit

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cards. Most card holders are exempt from baggage and other fees, which results in fi rms such as American Express and United – with its MileagePlus Chase Visa card – making a positive pitch about fees and other charges and the exemptions that card holders enjoy, explains Mann. He credits the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for advising passengers to be aware of certain types of fees during their journeys in press releases issued by the agency. But CTA’s Leocha believes airlines opt not to educate passengers about fees and other changes in their business model because, “Airlines fight talking to passengers.” BASIC EDUCATION Behind the headlines of passenger annoyance over additional fees, there are carriers who are bolstering their efforts to educate passengers about product options at the point of sale. American Airlines believes its new fare bundles unveiled earlier this year – Choice, Choice Essential and Choice Plus – allow for more transparency in communicating the different product attributes of each tier to passengers.

“THE IDEA OF TRYING TO INFORM THE TRULY INFREQUENT CUSTOMER IS BEYOND WHAT AIRLINES CAN DO COST-EFFECTIVELY”

As all the major US legacy carriers followed United’s lead in raising change fees earlier in the year – to roughly $200 for domestic itineraries – American placed messages on its website regarding the changes in fees, says the carrier’s managing director of digital marketing Rick Elieson. At the time he spoke to Airline Passenger Experience, American was conducting a phased rollout of the update as it worked to coin the right language for the message. But Elieson stresses that American is attempting to communicate the changes early in the passenger’s decision-making process as customers determine the best fare class for their needs. Even as American works to determine the best methods of communicating all the elements included in each of its fare bundles, Elieson acknowledges the carrier’s efforts to improve passenger awareness are a work in progress. He cites a customer letter inquiring about dispensation after the passenger was unable to travel on a booked trip, concluding that this passenger’s “life could have been made easier” if he or she had knowledge of the varying levels of flexibility that accompanies each Choice product. From the onset of Spirit Airlines ushering in the ultra-low-cost business model in the US

ROBERT MANN, LONG-TIME AVIATION CONSULTANT

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during 2007, the carrier has been at the forefront of product unbundling as a means to charge the lowest fares possible. Spirit was the fi rst carrier to charge for checked luggage and carry-on bags – and has caused its fair share of passenger consternation for additional charges it has introduced, including fees for printing boarding passes by a check-in agent. Spirit’s entire business model rests on the premise that the lowest fare remains the main driver among its target passenger base – leisure customers and the ‘visiting friends and relatives’ (VFR) segment. Even as its unconventional methods of charging for everything outside of the base fare still draws ire from some customers, that angst is paralleled by one of the strongest fi nancial performances in the airline industry: for the full-year 2012, its net profit jumped 42% year-on-year while traffic increased 28%. “Whenever you are different you get more scrutiny,” explains a Spirit spokeswoman, who adds that the carrier’s business model is not always understood. Similar to American, Spirit is bolstering its efforts to improve passenger understanding of add-on options during the booking process. The carrier’s spokeswoman states Spirit aims to make passengers wellaware of their options. “We don’t want you to be surprised when you get to the airport,” she explains. Among the actions Spirit is taking to improve passenger awareness is providing airport personnel with additional training to enhance customer relations. ENHANCING COMMUNICATION As customers travel through Spirit’s booking path on the carrier’s website, the airline attempts to communicate various options, including bag fees, and notifies customers they can save money by opting to pay at the time of booking rather than at the airport. Enhancements Spirit is developing include working with different colours on pop-up menus to alert customers to their options and improving the language used in notifications to make them more conversational. The carrier is also stepping up its efforts in working with third party distribution channels, such as Expedia and Orbitz, to ensure passengers have a clearer understanding of certain fees. The carrier’s spokeswoman notes Spirit does not have as much control of how items are presented in the online travel agent (OTA) environment and, as such, a higher number of customer complaints are generated from those sites.

“WE DON’T WANT YOU TO BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU GET TO THE AIRPORT” SPOKESWOMAN, SPIRIT AIRLINES Despite some carriers recognising the importance of improving passenger communication, the reality is that the moves airlines make to strengthen their bottom lines often makes customers feel as if their experience is diminished. Social media seems like a natural outlet to alert passengers to various fee structures or other changes in their business schemes, but Mann concludes Twitter or Facebook are not sites where you want to communicate bad news, citing change fees as an example. Instead, it seems that many carriers use social media to play defence, often using the aforementioned services to respond to inquiries and complaints, says Mann. In essence, those venues are the equivalent of writing a letter during the 1980s to an airline’s customer relations department, he explains. American Airlines’ social media is not a checkbox where “you communicate every fare increase”, says the carrier’s director of social media communications Jonathan Pierce. Communicating some fee changes or other price adjustments in real time on Twitter may not be ideal, he explains, as user monitoring habits vary. But he does believe American’s approach to social media does incorporate many proactive aspects – such as communicating travel-day travel weather issues. The carrier makes the assumption that customers “connect to a social network more frequently” on the day they are travelling, says Pierce. But in terms of communicating changes to fee structures or

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other aspects that may affect future travel, Pierce says social media “is not the right vehicle for that”. With such sweeping changes to the three emerging airline business models – ultra-lowcost, hybrid and full-service network carriers – the need to educate passengers about the various distinctions among those models is becoming more intense. Even airlines falling within those brackets recognise that some level of communication about various business model changes is necessary, but no single carrier seems to be taking a commanding lead in ensuring passenger angst among infrequent travellers is kept at bay. As Frontier’s latest moves illustrate, it seems that – for now, at least – airlines will retain their near-singular focus on “throwing their money where the money is”, says Mann – in the direction of the high-margin traveller.

09/09/2013 09:43

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Opportunities abound to dampen aircraft cabin noise and

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dvances in aircraft cabin noise reduction and air quality have progressed significantly since the 1930s when the Douglas DC-1 “set a new standard for passenger comfort”, according to Boeing’s historical account of the aircraft model that debuted during the 1930s as the predecessor for the DC-2 and DC-3 models. “Great efforts were made to insulate the passenger compartment from the noise of the plane’s engines”, as the cabin was lined with noise-absorbing fabric and engines were mounted on rubber insulators. Passenger comfort evolved further in the 1940s when Boeing introduced the pressurised 307 Stratoliner with a cabin altitude of 2,438m. Fast-forward to 2013: Boeing operates the 787 with a cabin altitude of 1,828m while featuring new technologies to further improve cabin humidity and fi ltration to decrease passenger fatigue and other common maladies associated with air travel. The surprisingly quiet cabin on the Airbus A380 has actually produced some complaints amongst passengers and cabin crews that the aircraft is too quiet, as noise previously drowned out by the engines becomes more pronounced to the naked ear. Boeing’s long-awaited debut of the 787 in late 2011, on a maiden voyage operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA), not only closed the chapter on a difficult developmental campaign for the aircraft, but also marked the

clean up the air

debut of new cabin innovations, including 20% larger dimmable windows and technology to ease the effects of turbulence. Improvements were also made not only in cabin humidity levels but also in fi ltration, with the introduction of new technology based on research the airframer carried out with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). APPLYING NEW TECHNOLOGY According to Boeing’s air purification system supplier Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, Boeing and DTU simulated long-haul fl ights during two years of laboratory tests, with participants spending up to 11 hours in an aircraft with and without air purification systems that featured varied airflow and humidity levels. As a result of these studies, carried out in conjunction with DTU, Boeing concluded that while improving cabin humidity levels did increase passenger comfort, using a gaseous fi ltration system was most effective in reducing the most common symptoms associated with the dryness of aircraft cabins – eye and throat irritation, headaches and occasional dizziness. Boeing determined that the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fi lters that fi rst emerged nearly 20 years ago could rid aircraft cabin air of particulates “down to the size of viruses”. However, “they are not

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WORDS BY LORI RANSON IN WASHINGTON, DC | ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRITT SPENCER @ ILLUSTRATION WEB

equipped to fi lter gaseous molecules”, the airframer states. “If it weren’t for the research, we might have just decided to increase the humidity,” said Boeing, once the testing was complete. “But the results clearly showed that we could do even more to improve passenger and crew comfort by also applying new air purification technology.” In a product description of its air purification system (APS), Donaldson explains that even as an HEPA fi lter traps more than 99.97% of 0.3 micron-sized airborne particulates, they cannot remove gaseous contaminants from cabin air. The chemical fi lter Donaldson uses in its air purification system utilises a gas-phase adsorption process that captures gas molecules on its surface and removes contaminants. Boeing’s rival Airbus states that high-efficiency HEPA fi lters “remove 99.99% of organic material and carbon odours from re-circulated air”. For hydrocarbon odours originating outside a jet, particularly in the airport environment, Airbus says a volatile organic compound converter (VOC) to rid the cabin of kerosene odours will be standard on the A350 XWB. The manufacturer also highlights its use of gaseous fi lters installed in cabin re-circulation systems to remove odours emitted during meal service. Donaldson says its APS is easy to install, both on new aircraft and retrofit for in-service jets, but for now Boeing is keeping any plans to feature the

improved cabin fi ltration technology on next-generation aircraft close to its chest. “Any retrofit on existing models (other than the 787) or inclusion of additional fi ltering technology on future models would be made on a case-by-case basis,” the airframer states. Based on that information, it remains uncertain if the airframer will opt to include gaseous fi ltration technology on its forthcoming 737 Max narrowbody or the planned upgrade of its 777 widebody, currently dubbed the 777X. TOUGH TOXINS Boeing’s advances in cabin fi ltration on the 787 also rely on the aircraft’s no-bleed architecture system. Typically, cabin air is a mix of outside air compressed by the jet’s engines – bleed air – and re-circulated air. But, as Boeing has explained in the past, electrically driven compressors provide the 787’s cabin pressurisation function, with fresh air being brought onboard through cabin air inlets. The airframer acknowledges that, on rare occasions, contaminants from bleed air used for air circulation on other aircraft models may enter the cabin. “The contaminant levels are expected to be lower than occupational health thresholds established by toxicologists who have studied these contaminants extensively,” explains Boeing. However, the airframer also notes that it has supported research conducted by

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“We look at the environmental control system (ECS) as a complete package, which consists of outside air, re-circulated air and exhaust air conditioned by heat exchangers, compressors and air purification equipment”

the UK and US governments examining cabin air quality. During 2011, Boeing settled a lawsuit fi led by former fl ight attendant Terry Williams, who claimed that exposure to toxic cabin air on a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 resulted in a spate of conditions including migraine headaches, neurological impairment, cognitive deficiencies and uncontrollable tremors, according to court PAUL LEBBIN, VICE-CHAIR OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, documents. The suit was fi led against REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING’S PROJECT COMMITTEE 161 Boeing after it purchased rival McDonnell (AIR QUALITY WITHIN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT) Douglas in 1997. Since Williams fi led her lawsuit, reported incidents of odd cabin odours or fumes have continued to build. The Association of Flight AttendantsCWA published a paper in 2011 in which an industrial hygienist built a dataset of air supply contamination reports from a major US carrier spanning a two-year period. In short, 87 fume events were identified on 47 aircraft fleet-wide. Crews reported unusual odours on 83 of 87 fl ights “most commonly described as dirty socks”, the report states. Of those 87 fume events, one or more crewmembers had symptoms serious enough to require emergency medical care after 27 fl ights. Asked by Airline Passenger Experience if Boeing is conducting its own research with respect to contaminants in bleed air, a company spokesman declined to comment. JUSTIFYING INNOVATION Airbus addressed growing concern over cabin air quality in an article in its FAST technical publication that appeared during August 2012. “A top priority is clean air supply,” the article read, “starting with the sources of pressurised air for the aircraft ventilation, engines, APUs [auxiliary power units] and air conditioning systems. Since the 1990s, Airbus has defi ned additional requirements for bleed air cleanness on the top of the requirements used for the certification of engines and APUs by the authorities.” The airframer remarks it is supporting and promoting international research projects “to acquire independent external expertise and scientific knowledge by promoting best standards for an ideal cabin environment and its verification”. Airbus explained in its technical publication that a measurement system was installed on several A330/A340 aircraft featuring a mass spectrometer and a multifunctional sampling system “to elucidate the origin of a particular smell that occurred during production fl ights only”. The system consists of two trolleys that can be installed in aircraft galleys and contain up to 36 sampling tubes tailored for different compound classes and several sensors. “With this analytical system, a marker substance – and fi nally the root cause for the smell – could be identified unambiguously, based on the results or air quality measurements on the aircraft during fl ight,” Airbus explained. “Knowing the precise root cause and having clear evidence at hand, corrective actions could be implemented at the supplier which is manufacturing the component responsible for the smell and will be further followed up.” But as Airbus supports independent research and conducts its own studies to improve air quality, the company concluded in its technical publication it is tempting to “combine sophisticated measurement technologies in order to revolutionise troubleshooting and aircraft system monitoring”. Also, “Airbus continually reviews whether any air fi ltration or cleaning technology could add any value to the passengers, crews and aircraft operations... the introduction of such technologies needs to be thoroughly justified.” Outside the work done by manufacturers and governments, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (ASHRAE) has a committee dedicated to developing a cabin air quality research plan. “We look at the environmental control system (ECS) as a complete package, which consists of outside air, re-circulated air and exhaust air conditioned by heat exchangers, compressors and air

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AMBIENCE

purification equipment,” says Paul Lebbin, vice-chair of the ASHRAE project committee 161 (Air Quality within Commercial Aircraft). “We feel the design and operation of the ECS can be optimised to improve cabin air quality while reducing energy consumption,” Lebbin concludes. “The challenge is to comply with or receive special exemption the [US] FAA part 25 prescriptive regulations on outside air supply.”

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ENGINE HUM Th roughout the A380’s development campaign and during its nearly six years in commercial service, Airbus repeatedly stated its jumbo jet would feature a cabin 50% quieter than the 747-400. A key element in Airbus delivering that target was the development of a new material lining for the A380’s engine nacelles that wiped out acoustic scattering – a phenomenon experienced in previous engine designs caused by gaps between sections of an individual linings, which essentially caused the engines to rattle, says the European Patent Office. As the A380 built its service life, some passengers and crew complained the aircraft was too quiet, as travellers could hear attendant call bells, or conversations across the cabin. Some fl ight crews complained of disrupted rest on long-haul fl ights as cabin noise previously drowned out by the roar of the engines was heard more acutely. Queried about the remedies it has introduced to create some ambient noise in the A380’s cabin, Airbus says, “We didn’t over-deliver. Passenger and crew feedback on the A380 cabin is overwhelmingly positive and low cabin noise is one of the most frequently mentioned items. It is well-known that noisy environments create stress, so the quiet cabin is inherently better to relax or work in.” But research conducted by Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) on human perception of noise shows that “in an office environment, a certain background noise level is desired”, explains Anant Grewal, programme lead for a NRC research programme dubbed Working and Travelling on Aircraft, an initiative that is partly dedicated to looking at new technologies to increase passenger comfort. The NRC aims to examine ways to add ambient noise in aircraft to preserve speech privacy, perhaps through an aircraft’s PA system, “as ironic as it seems,” he says.

Boeing also dedicated a significant amount of effort to reduce cabin noise on the 787. Its engine innovation is built on serrated chevrons in the nacelle that drown out engine sounds inside the aircraft. United Airlines, which has increased its order for the widebody jet to 65, despite the aircraft’s multiple service-entry issues, also touts the twin-aisle jetliner’s advanced vibration isolation in the sidewalls and ceilings and greater control over engine vibration. Given the advances in engine design to reduce cabin noise, Grewal of the NRC concludes airframe noise is the next opportunity for improvement, particularly components including aircraft flaps and landing gear. The NRC has done some work in evaluating landing gear design for potential improvements to cut back on cabin noise, he says. DRAW THE SHADES Other immediate options are available to cut down on cabin noise. InspecTech Aero Service cites conclusions from NASA that aircraft windows are “a main path for noise transmission”. The company has developed a product branded iShade iQ, an electronically dimmable window comprised of a seven-layer stack of lightweight and shatterproof substrates, interlayer fi lms and transparent viscoelastic damping materials that work to provide cabin soundproofi ng and a reduction in noise vibration. Company CEO Jim Lang explains that the iShade iQ’s noise attenuation ultimately benefits from a configuration common in architecture – the use of an insulated glass unit – adapted for the aircraft environment. He also explains operators would not incur a weight penalty as the iShade iQ – in fact there is a weight saving, with Lang noting that retrofitting a 757 with the iShade iQ would shave off about 28 pounds. Lab tests also show the iShade iQ offers a noise reduction of 5-9 decibels, says Lang. There is a price differential, as it is more expensive than conventional knife-shade window shades, but he believes that an operator could recoup the investment within a couple of years, given the weight savings and the longer product life cycle, Lang also notes that OEMs and operators invest substantially more in thermal insulation than the cost of a shipset of iShade iQ and, in addition to its primary purpose of light and glare control, it provides the “missing link” in combating cabin noise – the windows. The iShade iQ is currently featured on private jets. Lang says InspecTech is in talks with OEMs and high-end airlines and is “close to nailing down a launch customer”. The push and pull in attempting to improve the passenger experience at a reasonable cost is something that is constantly felt among airlines and manufacturers working to evolve passenger comfort and safety while balancing budgets. “Trying to put a price on passenger comfort is difficult,” concludes Lang. With that balancing act identified, perhaps Airbus has managed to capture the sentiment that prevails in the industry most accurately. “Rational decisions in design and operation of aircraft are key to safe air travel,” the manufacturer believes. “Considering that civil aviation is still the safest mode of public transportation, this basic principle seems to work well so far.”

With respect to the A380, Airbus says: “We didn’t over-deliver. Passenger and crew feedback on the A380 cabin is overwhelmingly positive and low cabin noise is one of the most frequently mentioned items. It is well-known that noisy environments create stress, so the quiet cabin is inherently better to relax or work in”

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MORE COMFORT FOR PEOPLE. MORE SEATS ON BOARD. MORE SPACE IN THE SAME SPACE.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS A PROMISE DIRECTOR: PATRICE LECONTE STARRING: REBECCA HALL, ALAN RICKMAN, RICHARD MADDEN

This romantic drama – the English language debut of acclaimed director Leconte – concerns the love triangle between a wealthy factory owner (Rickman), his beautiful, much younger wife (Hall) and his private secretary (Madden), an ambitious graduate from a modest background. When WWI breaks out, the

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young lovers are separated, but can passion overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles?

A TURTLE’S TALE 2: SAMMY’S ESCAPE FROM PARADISE

DIRECTOR: ANNE FONTAINE

DIRECTOR: DAVID O. RUSSELL

DIRECTORS: VINCENT KESTELOOT, BEN STASSEN

STARRING: ROBIN WRIGHT, NAOMI WATTS,

STARRING: CHRISTIAN BALE, BRADLEY COOPER,

STARRING: WESLEY JOHNNY, CARLOS MCCULLERS II

BEN MENDELSOHN, XAVIER SAMUEL

AMY ADAMS, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, JEREMY RENNER

Leatherback turtles Sammy and Ray are shepherding

Two mothers living in a sleepy seaside town find their

new hatchlings Ricky and Ella out to sea. Suddenly,

lifelong friendship put to the test when the community

a poacher swoops and ships them all off to be part

learns that they have fallen in love with each other’s

of a spectacular aquarium show. Big D the seahorse

sons – and attempted to keep the relationships

enlists them in his plans for a great escape, but Sammy

secret – in director Anne Fontaine’s adaptation of

and Ray hatch breakout plans of their own. The turtles

Doris Lessing’s 2003 novella The Grandmothers.

American Hustle is the story of brilliant con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Bale) who, along with his seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Adams), is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a mafia world that’s as dangerous as it is seductive. Could Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Lawrence) be the one to pull the thread that brings his world crashing down? Carmine Polito (Renner) is the volatile New Jersey political operator caught between the con artists and the Feds in this exciting drama.

embark on a series of thrilling adventures – including an encounter with Shelly, Sammy’s true love. I Entertainment in Motion/Bill Grant

ADORE

I Entertainment in Motion/Bill Grant

AMERICAN HUSTLE

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W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE IMAGE © 2013 ASK THIS OF RIKYU PRODUCTION COMMITTEE

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ASK THIS OF RIKYU DIRECTOR: MITSUTOSHI TANAKA STARRING: EBIZO ICHIKAWA, MIKI NAKATANI, NAO OMORI

Talented young Rikyu (Ichikawa) is tea master and close advisor to the most powerful man in Japan, chancellor Hideyoshi (Omori). Hideyoshi’s respect for Rikyu’s fine skills gradually blossoms into jealousy of

THE ANGELS’ SHARE

Rikyu’s virtuosity and – as the despot begins to do away with everyone around him – he finally orders his

DIRECTOR: KEN LOACH

tea wizard to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Based on

STARRING: PAUL BRANNIGAN, JOHN HENSHAW, GARY MAITLAND, JASMIN RIGGINS, WILLIAM RUANE

the life of the most influential figure on the Japanese

While on community service, Robbie (Brannigan) meets Rhino (Ruane), Albert (Maitland) and Mo (Riggins) –

tea ceremony, Ask This of Rikyu is a thrilling

all cast out from society and trying make ends meet. A drink of the finest malt whisky changes all their lives.

combination of the elegance of ritual and high drama.

Robbie’s newly discovered palate and delicate nose leads this hard-up crew to a brave new world – the Scottish

W (except Japan) Encore Inflight Limited/ Anita Chung

Highlands – on the biggest gamble of their lives. The Angels’ Share is a heart-warming comedy about redemption

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from the master of social realist cinema, Ken Loach.

BADGES OF FURY DIRECTOR: TSZ MING WONG

BAGGAGE CLAIM DIRECTOR: DAVID E. TALBERT

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W (except Canada, UK, Italy, Eire, France, Germany, Austria) Terry Steiner International/Nadja Rutkowski

CHRISTMAS ROSE DIRECTOR: CHARLIE YEUNG

STARRING: JET LI, ZHANG WEN, MICHELLE CHEN

STARRING: PAULA PATTON, ADAM BRODY

STARRING: AARON KWOK, GWEI LUNMEI, CHEN CHANG

Huang Fei Hong (Li) may be an experienced detective

Determined to become engaged before her younger

Tim (Kwok) is a defence attorney with a heart of gold.

with exceptional kung fu skills, but he only wants one

sister’s wedding in just 30 days time, flight attendant

Refusing to be a hired gun for his wealthy clients, he

thing: to retire. While he tries to stay away from trouble,

Montana Moore (Patton) pulls in her airline contracts

quits his well-paid job to become a prosecutor at the

his sergeant Angela (Chen) assigns him an inexperi-

to set her up with eligible Mr Rights – only to discover

Justice Department. A chance encounter with a

enced and reckless partner – Wang Bu Er (Wen).

that the man she really loves is her childhood friend

handicapped piano teacher Jing (Lun-mei), results in

During their first mission together – an undercover

and neighbour.

a plea for help: she is accusing her doctor, renowned

sting – they miss the target, damaging the whole

W 20th Century Fox/Neal Rothman

surgeon Zhou (Chang), of sexual misconduct during a

operation in the process. The commissioner is furious

medical check-up. When both the accused and the

and, as punishment, orders Angela and her two juniors

accuser offer contradictory testimony, the case soon

to an unsolved case known as ‘the smile murders’.

turns into a mystery worthy of Rashomon.

W (except China)

Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited/Grace Lau

W (except China) Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited/Grace Lau

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CLEAR HISTORY DIRECTOR: GREG MOTTOLA STARRING: LARRY DAVID, JON HAMM, BILL HADER, PHILIP BAKER HALL, KATE HUDSON

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In this comedy vehicle for the Curb Your Enthusiasm star, Nathan (David), a marketing executive at a start-up electric car company, is publicly humiliated for walking away from his share of a company that comes to be worth billions. Ten years later, his marriage over and his reputation in tatters, Nathan has changed his identity

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COLD COMES THE NIGHT DIRECTOR: TZE CHUN STARRING: BRYAN CRANSTON, ALICE EVE, URSULA PARKER

A struggling motel owner (Eve) and her daughter (Parker) are taken hostage by a nearly blind career criminal (Cranston) and forced to be his eyes as he attempts to retrieve his missing cash from a crooked cop in this tense thriller. W Sony Pictures Releasing/Rana Matthes

and lives a simple life on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts – until something from his past threatens the new life he’s made for himself.

THE COUNSELOR DIRECTOR: RIDLEY SCOTT

DESPICABLE ME 2

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W HBO/Kalliope Diakos

DIANA

DIRECTORS: PIERRE COFFIN, CHRIS RENAUD

DIRECTOR: OLIVER HIRSCHBIEGEL

STARRING: MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JAVIER BARDEM,

STARRING: STEVE CARELL, KRISTEN WIIG, BENJAMIN BRATT

STARRING: NAOMI WATTS, NAVEEN ANDREWS,

BRAD PITT, PENÉLOPE CRUZ, CAMERON DIAZ

Now that he has left behind a life of crime to raise

DOUGLAS HODGE, JULIET STEVENSON, GERALDINE JAMES

With a tense screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy

Margo, Edith and Agnes, Gru (voiced by Carell) and his

Diana, starring Naomi Watts, concerns the last two years of Princess Diana’s life – her crusade against land mines and her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan. In May 1997, Diana went to Pakistan to meet the family of Dr. Khan, the man she wanted to marry. One of the most famous women in the world, she hoped to persuade Dr. Khan’s mother that she would make a suitable wife for her son. Had she succeeded, the events of that summer might have been very different... Diana is a love story about family, friendship and the calamity of fame.

(No Country for Old Men), The Counselor is the story of

henchmen have some free time on their hands. But as

a respected Texan lawyer (Fassbender) who finds

Gru adjusts to his new role of suburban family man,

himself way over his head in a one-time dalliance with

the Anti-Villain League – an organisation dedicated

drug trafficking. During in a Mexican cocaine deal, a

to fighting evil around the world – comes knocking.

dead courier turns out to be the son of one of his clients,

Now, it’s up to Gru and his new partner, Lucy (Wiig),

triggering events that rapidly spiral out of control.

to discover who is responsible for the theft of the top

W 20th Century Fox/Neal Rothman

secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle and bring him to justice. After all, it will take the world’s greatest ex-villain to catch the one vying to take his place. W Universal/Phyllis Bagdadi

W Jaguar Distribution Corp./Peter George

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© Disney Enteerprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Speaking the language of families worldwide.

Family Airline Program

No.82702 Disney.indd 1

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DON JON DIRECTOR: JOSEPH GORDONLEVITT STARRING: JOSEPH GORDONLEVITT, JULIANNE MOORE, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, TONY DANZA

In this funny-yet-earnest psychological drama, womaniser Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt) may have earned himself the nickname ’Don Jon’ thanks to his

DISNEY’S PLANES 100

ability to charm beautiful women, but he is still unable to forge a meaningful connection with the opposite

DIRECTOR: KLAY HALL

sex. The reason? His all-consuming internet porn

STARRING: VAL KILMER, STACY KEACH, DANE COOK

addiction. As Jon struggles to free himself from the

This action-packed animated comedic adventure from Disney is the story of Dusty (voiced by Cook), a big-hearted,

realm of online debauchery, he connects with two

fast-flying crop duster who dreams of competing in an epic around-the-world air race, despite his fear of heights.

disparate women (Johansson and Moore) who teach

Dusty overcomes his fear and qualifies for the competition, rattling the defending champ, who will stop at nothing

him the true value of intimacy. I Jaguar Distribution Corp./Peter George

to see him fail. When disaster strikes during the final race, Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test. With the support of his friends, Dusty reaches heights he never dreamed possible.

EUROPA REPORT DIRECTOR: SEBASTIÁN CORDERO

EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL

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THE FAMILY

DIRECTOR: ALEXANDRE COFFRE

DIRECTOR: LUC BESSON

STARRING: SHARLTO COPLEY, MICHAEL NYQVIST

STARRING: DANY BOON, VALÉRIE BONNETON

STARRING: ROBERT DE NIRO, MICHELLE PFEIFFER,

Europa Report follows a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to investigate the possible existence of alien life. When probes suggest that a hidden ocean could exist and may contain single-celled life, the Europa Ventures exploration company sends six astronauts to explore. After a technical failure that leads to loss of communication with Earth and the death of a crew member, the survivors must survive a discovery on Europa more profound than they had ever imagined.

In this crazy comedy, divorced couple Alain (Boon) and

TOMMY LEE JONES, DIANNA AGRON, JOHN D’LEO

Valérie (Bonneton) are both going to their daughter’s

In The Family, mafia boss Giovanni Manzoni (De Niro)

big wedding in Greece – separately. When their plane

and his family are relocated to a sleepy French town

is unable to take off, thanks to an eruption of the

under the witness protection programme. Despite the

Icelandic volcano of the title, the only way to make it

best efforts of agent Stansfield (Jones) to keep them

to the ceremony is to get along (for once) and hit the

in line, Giovanni, his wife Maggie (Pfeiffer) and their

road together. The estranged pair soon find themselves

children, Belle (Agron) and Warren (D’Leo), can’t help

in plenty of trouble on their funny-as-hell adventure.

but revert to old habits, blowing their cover by handling

W (except China and Taiwan)

Paramount Pictures/Joan Filippini

W (except France, Australia, Canada, Germany)

Skeye Entertainment/Isabelle Bégin

their problems the family way. Chaos ensues as old scores are settled in the unlikeliest of settings in this darkly funny film. I Entertainment in Motion/Bill Grant

OCTOBER 2013

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Jeff Crawford [email protected] Angelica McCoy

GRUDGE MATCH

[email protected] wbnts.warnerbros.com

© 2013 Warner Bros. Pictures. All rights reserved.

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FUKREY

DIRECTOR: MRIGDEEP SINGH LAMBA STARRING: PULKIT SAMRAT, MANJOT SINGH, ALI FAZAL

Craziness ensues when four fukrey (slackers) who

dream of hitting the big time come together to try and make some easy money. The madcap quartet’s lives are turned upside down when they take out a loan

FRUITS OF FAITH

from a gangster to attempt to realise their moneymaking scheme. W Eros International Media Ltd/Prashant Gaonkar

DIRECTOR: YOSHIHIRO NAKAMURA STARRING: SADAO ABE, MIHO KANNO

After his arranged marriage to Mieko (Kanno), a young woman from a fruit-farming family, Akinori (Abe) starts to

103

help out in the orchards. When his wife’s health deteriorates, he realises that pesticides are at the root of her illness – leaving him determined to grow apples free from harmful chemicals. Abe puts a fortune into the business, but not a single apple is produced in almost a decade. Will the fruits of faith ever yield a bountiful harvest?

GRAVITY

GRUDGE MATCH

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HER

DIRECTOR: ALFONSO CUARÓN

DIRECTOR: PETER SEGAL

DIRECTOR: SPIKE JONZE STARRING: JOAQUIN PHOENIX, AMY ADAMS,

STARRING: SANDRA BULLOCK, GEORGE CLOONEY

STARRING: ROBERT DE NIRO, SYLVESTER STALLONE,

Brilliant medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is

KEVIN HART, ALAN ARKIN, KIM BASINGER, JON BERNTHAL

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, OLIVIA WILDE

on her first Space Shuttle mission with veteran

In this sporting comedy from the director of Get Smart,

astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney), in command of

retired boxers – and lifelong rivals – Henry ’Razor’

his last flight before retiring. On a seemingly routine

Sharp (Stallone) and Billy ’The Kid’ McDonnen (De Niro)

spacewalk, disaster strikes – the Shuttle is mostly

are coaxed out of retirement for one final grudge match

destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky alone, tethered

– decades after their last title fight.

Her is a thought-provoking love story that speaks to the impact of ever-evolving technology on our personal lives. Lonely writer (Phoenix) develops an unlikely relationship with a newly purchased operating system that is designed to meet his every need.

to nothing but each other and spiralling out into the

W Warner Bros. Pictures/Jeff Crawford

N Warner Bros. Pictures/Jeff Crawford

blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost their link to Earth – and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every breath eats away at what little oxygen is left… W Warner Bros. Pictures/Jeff Crawford

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No.93242 GuestLogix 1pp.indd 1

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IRON MAN & HULK: HEROES UNITED DIRECTOR: ERIC RADOMSKI STARRING: ADRIAN PASDAR, FRED TATASCIORE

In this animated feature, Iron Man and the Hulk join forces to save Earth from its greatest-ever threat. When two Hydra scientists attempt to supercharge

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

a Stark Arc Reactor with Hulk’s Gamma Energy, they unleash the Zzzax – a being of pure electricity who’s

DIRECTOR: PETER JACKSON

hungry for destruction. Only Iron Man and Hulk stand

STARRING: IAN MCKELLEN, MARTIN FREEMAN, RICHARD ARMITAGE, CATE BLANCHETT, ORLANDO BLOOM,

in the way of the Zzzax’s planetary blackout. But first

CHRISTOPHER LEE, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

the mighty duo must battle snarling Wendigos, deadly

The second in a trilogy of films adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s enduringly popular masterpiece, The Hobbit: The

robots and the scaly powerhouse, Abomination. Can

Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (McKellen) and the 13 Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Armitage), on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

two of Marvel’s mightiest heroes find a way to work together before time runs out? W Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Non-Theatrical/Ruth Walker

KICK-ASS 2

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W Warner Bros. Pictures/Jeff Crawford

JOBS

KILL YOUR DARLINGS

DIRECTOR: JOSHUA MICHAEL STERN

DIRECTOR: JEFF WADLOW

DIRECTOR: JOHN KROKIDAS STARRING: DANIEL RADCLIFFE, DANE DEHAAN,

STARRING: ASHTON KUTCHER, DERMOT MULRONEY

STARRING: AARON TAYLORJOHNSON, CHLOË GRACE

It only takes one person to start a revolution… This is

MORETZ, JIM CARREY, CHRISTOPHER MINTZPLASSE

MICHAEL C. HALL, JACK HUSTON, BEN FOSTER

the extraordinary story of Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs

After Kick-Ass’s (Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery

(Kutcher), the original innovator and groundbreaking

inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders,

entrepreneur who let nothing stand in the way of

led by the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Carrey),

greatness. The film tells the epic and turbulent story of

our hero joins them on patrol. When the amateur

a man who blazed a trail that changed technology –

superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Mintz-

and the world – forever.

Plasse) – the world’s first supervillain – only the

Kill Your Darlings is the previously untold story of the killing that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg (Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Huston) and William Burroughs (Foster) at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to their Beat Generation revolution. This is the true story of friendship and murder that birthed a new literary movement.

W (USA only) Paramount Pictures/Joan Filippini

blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation. As Red Mist discovers, if

105

N Sony Pictures Releasing/Rana Matthes

you mess with one member of Justice Forever, you mess with them all. W Universal/Phyllis Bagdadi

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W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE IMAGE © 2013 THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I = OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

IMAGE © WILD BUNCH 2013

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

THE BUTLER DIRECTOR: LEE DANIELS STARRING: FOREST WHITAKER, OPRAH WINFREY, JOHN CUSACK, JANE FONDA, CUBA GOODING, JR.

This is the story of fictional White House butler Cecil Gaines (Whitaker), who serves during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986. The film traces

LA GRANDE BOUCLE 106

the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time – from the civil rights movement to

DIRECTOR: LAURENT TUEL

Vietnam and beyond – and how those changes

STARRING: CLOVIS CORNILLAC, ÉLODIE BOUCHEZ

affected this man’s life and family. The film is inspired

Cycling fan François Nouel (Cornullac) decides to live his childhood dream: to do the Tour de France. The race

by Wil Haygood’s 2008 Washington Post article

begins tomorrow, but if he leaves now, one day ahead of the pros, he could even get to Paris before them.

A Butler Well Served by This Election which chronicled

François takes off. Alone at first, others quickly join him, inspired by the challenge he has embraced. The media

the real life of former White House butler Eugene Allen.

goes crazy, but the race’s yellow jersey is furious – François must be stopped. When all seems lost, François

N (except Canada) Terry Steiner International/ Nadja Rutkowski

resolves to go on to the bitter end. Has his moment finally come?

IMAGE EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD

IMAGE ©2013 MARVEL

IMAGE © METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER, COURTESY OF PICTUREHOUSE

W (except France, Australia, New Zealand and Benelux) Skeye Entertainment/Isabelle Bégin

DIRECTOR: VIKRAMADITYA MOTWANE

MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD

METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER

LOOTERA STARRING: RANVEER SINGH, SONAKSHI SINHA

DIRECTOR: ALAN TAYLOR

DIRECTOR: NIMRÓD ANTAL

Inspired by O. Henry’s short story The Last Leaf,

STARRING: CHRIS HEMSWORTH, NATALIE PORTMAN

STARRING: DANE DEHAAN, JAMES HETFIELD, LARS ULRICH,

Lootera is an uplifting story of two lovers. Archaeologist Varun Shrivastav (Singh) comes to the village of Manikpur, West Bengal, to excavate the temple grounds. Here he meets the beautiful Pakhi (Sinha). Mutual attraction turns to deep love, but Varun is forced to choose between her and his past. Making his difficult choice, Varun disappears. Pakhi struggles to move on with her life, determined to forget him and their relationship – until one day, when he returns under the most extraordinary circumstances.

The Dark World continues the adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger (Hemsworth), as he battles to save Earth and the Nine Realms from an enemy that predates the universe. Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor embarks on his most perilous and personal journey yet.

W Eros International Media Ltd/Prashant Gaonkar

KIRK HAMMETT, ROBERT TRUJILLO

Award winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators and

Kontroll) unveils his groundbreaking 3D motion picture event, Metallica Through the Never. The music-driven feature film combines a bold narrative and spectacular live-performance footage of one of the most popular and influential rock bands in history, to produce a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience. W Terry Steiner International/Nadja Rutkowski

W (except Germany, Austria) Walt Disney Studios

Motion Pictures Non-Theatrical/Ruth Walker

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W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE

THE MONUMENTS MEN

IMAGE © 2013 COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I = OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

IMAGE © 2013 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK, INC. AMUSE INC. BUNGEISHUNJU LTD. FNS27

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

DIRECTOR: GEORGE CLOONEY STARRING: GEORGE CLOONEY, MATT DAMON, BILL MURRAY

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is a dramatic thriller focusing on an unlikely WWII platoon, tasked with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces

MIDSUMMER’S EQUATION 108

from Nazi thieves to return them to their rightful owners. With the art trapped behind enemy lines and

DIRECTOR: HIROSHI NISHITANI

the German army under orders to destroy everything as

STARRING: MASAHARU FUKUYAMA, YURIKO YOSHITAKA, HIKARU YAMAZAKI, ANNE WATANABE

the Third Reich falls, how can seven museum directors,

Physicist Manabu Yukawa (Fukuyama) is invited to Harigaura to speak on a panel set up to appraise a potential

curators and art historians – all more at home with

seabed mining venture on its beautiful coast. Staying at the family-owned Rokuganso Inn, he meets schoolboy

Michelangelo than the M-1 rifle – possibly succeed?

Kyohei (Yamazaki), the nephew of the proprietress who is visiting his aunt and uncle. When a man is found dead

N (and Canada) Sony Pictures Releasing/ Rana Matthes

on the shore, the physicist’s detective instinct kicks in and he begins to unravel the connections that tie the victim to Kyohei and local environmental activist Narumi (Watanabe).

IMAGE RED GRANITE, 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

IMAGE 40 ACRES & A MULE FILMWORKS PRODUCTION, LLC

IMAGE © NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING LTD / CREATIVE SCOTLAND MMXIII

W (except Japan) Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited/Grace Lau

DIRECTOR: SPIKE LEE

DIRECTOR: SCOTT COOPER

DIRECTOR: JOHN MCKAY

STARRING: SAMUEL L. JACKSON, JOSH BROLIN, ELIZABETH

STARRING: CHRISTIAN BALE, WOODY HARRELSON,

STARRING: KAREN GILLAN, STANLEY WEBER

OLSEN, JAMES RANSONE, SHARLTO COPLEY

CASEY AFFLECK, FOREST WHITAKER, WILLEM DAFOE

With her debut novel Happy Ending, Jane Lockhart

Oldboy follows the story of an advertising executive (Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor’s motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre incarceration, only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy. His quest leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Olsen) and to a mysterious man (Copley) who holds the key to his salvation.

Russell Baze (Bale) has a tough life: he works a

(Gillan) pulled off both critical acclaim and mainstream success, but she has encountered crippling writer’s block trying to write her follow-up novel’s last chapter. Her publisher, Tom (Weber) knows he has to unblock her or his company is finished. His unusual answer to the problem is to make her life a misery. Meanwhile, Jane’s writer's block spirals out of control – to the point where her fictional characters intrude into her real life. Will Tom get Jane writing again? W Encore Inflight Limited/Anita Chung

OLDBOY

OUT OF THE FURNACE

NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING

N Sony Pictures Releasing/Rana Matthes

dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When his brother Rodney (Affleck) returns home from Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast and mysteriously disappears. The police fail to crack the case, so Russell decides to take matters into his own hands. W (except US, Africa, Germany, Austria, French-speaking territories) Jaguar Distribution Corp./Peter George

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W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE IMAGE © EXCLUSIVE RELEASING

I = OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

IMAGE IM GLOBAL

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

PARKLAND DIRECTOR: PETER LANDESMAN STARRING: ZAC EFRON , PAUL GIAMATTI , BILLY BOB THORNTON, MARCIA GAY HARDEN

This powerful movie recounts the chaotic events that occurred at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 – the day President John F.

PARANOIA

Kennedy was assassinated. Parkland is the ferocious, heart-stopping true story of the people behind the scenes of one of the most scrutinised events in history.

DIRECTOR: ROBERT LUKETIC

N Paramount Pictures/Joan Filippini

STARRING: AMBER HEARD, HARRISON FORD, LIAM HEMSWORTH, GARY OLDMAN, RICHARD DREYFUSS

Adam Cassidy (Hemsworth) is a regular guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at the Wyatt Corporation.

111

But after one costly mistake, Adam’s ruthless CEO, Nicholas Wyatt (Oldman), forces him to spy on corporate rival, Jock Goddard (Ford). Adam soon finds himself occupying the corner office and living the life of his dreams, but behind the scenes he is simply a pawn in Wyatt’s corporate game and realises he must find a way out from under his boss who will stop at nothing – even murder – to win a multi-billion dollar advantage.

PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS

PRISONERS DIRECTOR: DENIS VILLENEUVE

IMAGE EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD

IMAGE © 2013 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

IMAGE © 2013 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I Entertainment in Motion/Bill Grant

RAANJHANAA DIRECTOR: AANAND L. RAI

DIRECTOR: THOR FREUDENTHAL

STARRING: HUGH JACKMAN, JAKE GYLLENHAAL,

STARRING: DHANUSH, SONAM KAPOOR, ABHAY DEOL

STARRING: LOGAN LERMAN, ALEXANDRA DADDARIO,

MELISSA LEO, PAUL DANO, MARIA BELLO, VIOLA DAVIS

Raanjhanaa is the spirited story of Kundan’s (Dhanush) emotional journey from lovestruck 13-year-old to a determined young adult and his quest to win over his childhood sweetheart. Can this smalltown boy break through the class divide and gain acceptance from the love of his life – who is in turn in love with the big city?

BRANDON T. JACKSON, ANTHONY HEAD, STANLEY TUCCI

In the rural New England town of Brockton,

Percy Jackson (Lerman), the son of Poseidon,

Massachusetts, friends and neighbours the Dovers

continues his epic journey to fulfil his destiny. In this

and the Birches gather for Thanksgiving dinner, but by

adventure, he joins forces with his demigod friends to

the end of the night, their celebration turns to panic

retrieve the Golden Fleece, which has the power to

– the families’ two youngest daughters have gone

save their home and training ground, Camp Half-Blood.

missing. As the hours pass and the girls don’t turn up, it

W 20th Century Fox/Neal Rothman

W Eros International Media Ltd/Prashant Gaonkar

becomes terrifyingly apparent they’ve been kidnapped. After the cops fail to find them, Keller Dover (Jackman) decides to take the law into his own hands, running up against dedicated detective Loki (Gyllenhaal). N Warner Bros. Pictures/Jeff Crawford

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W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE IMAGE UNIVERSAL PICTURES

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

ROCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR DIRECTOR: NAM TAEKSOO STARRING: LEE HONGKI, BAEK JINHEE, MA DONGSEOK

After getting into trouble with the law, headstrong K-pop star Choong-Ui (Hong-Ki) is sentenced to 300 hours of community service. To comply with the order, he must

RIDDICK

threatened with closure. Desperate to escape from

DIRECTOR: DAVID TWOHY

compulsory labour, he jumps at the chance of reducing

STARRING: VIN DIESEL, KARL URBAN, KATEE SACKHOFF

his sentence by helping the inept hospice band,

The latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black reunites

Phoenix, take part in a rock music competition. Under

writer/director David Twohy and star Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious and xXx). Diesel reprises his role as

his guidance, the patients put their heart and soul into

antihero Riddick, a dangerous escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy. Left for dead

preparing for the performance of a lifetime.

on a sun-scorched planet, he finds himself up against an alien race of predators. The only way off is for Riddick to

W (except Korea, Japan & Taiwan) Emphasis Video Entertainment Limited/Grace Lau

activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

ROMEO AND JULIET

RUNNER RUNNER

IMAGE © 2013 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Entertainment in Motion/Bill Grant IMAGE © 2013 RELATIVITY MEDIA

I

IMAGE © EXCLUSIVE MEDIA, 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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report to a hospital for the terminally ill, a facility also

RUSH

DIRECTOR: CARLO CARLEI

DIRECTOR: BRAD FURMAN

DIRECTOR: RON HOWARD

STARRING: HAILEE STEINFELD, DOUGLAS BOOTH,

STARRING: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, GEMMA ARTERTON,

DAMIAN LEWIS, KODI SMITMCPHEE, ED WESTWICK

BEN AFFLECK

OLIVIA WILDE, ALEXANDRA MARIA LARA

Romeo (Booth) and Juliet (Steinfeld) grace the silver

When Richie (Timberlake), a college student who

In a sport with no margin for error, if you make a

STARRING: CHRIS HEMSWORTH, DANIEL BRÜHL,

screen in Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes’

cracks an online poker game, goes bust he travels to

mistake, you die. Based on the true story of the great

inspired take on William Shakespeare’s epic story.

Costa Rica to confront the man who he thinks swindled

sporting rivalry between handsome English playboy

In this classic tale, when the star-crossed lovers of two

him – Ivan (Ben Affleck), a sly offshore entrepreneur.

James Hunt (Hemsworth) and his methodical, brilliant

enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.

Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and draws the

opponent Niki Lauda (Brühl), and set against the sexy,

younger man into his operation. But when the stakes

glamorous golden age of 1970s Formula 1 racing,

N (USA only) Paramount Pictures/Joan Filippini

get incredibly high and increasingly dangerous, Richie

Rush follows their distinctly different personal styles

comes to fully understand the deviousness of his new

on and off the track, their loves and the astonishing

boss and aims to turn the tables on him.

1976 season in which both drivers were willing to risk

W 20th Century Fox/Neal Rothman

everything to become world champion. I Jaguar Distribution Corp./Peter George

OCTOBER 2013

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24/09/2013 17:03

Genuine Plug & Play Retrofit Solution For Hi8 Tape Players

Donica provides the DMR series to replace all existing Hi8 Tape Players !

Donica Digital Media Reproducer (DMR) The AE-DMR300 is the second generation of Donica digital video player that can replace the in-flight video cassette player and DVD player directly. Inheriting all basic functions of the previous version, the AE-DMR300 has a more convenient and user-friendly operation interface and mass storage capacity. The AE-DMR300 can produce a greater big screen image. The end to end total solution offers customers the most economical way to retrofit the IFE system. Currently there are 1000+ DMRs flying with our airline customers all around the world. Donica provides a total solution. Apart from the Digital Media Reproducer (DMR), we developed content editing software and a ground integration station to facilitate content editing and management.

http://www.donica.cn

No.96611 Donica.indd 1

Donica Aviation Engineering Co., Ltd. Tel: +86 755 26983727 [email protected]

Donica International Inc. USA Tel: +1-954-526-0000 [email protected]

Donica International Inc. UK Tel: +44 7979 505065 [email protected]

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INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT | UPCOMING AIRLINE MOVIE RELEASES

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I = OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

IMAGE SHORT TERM HOLDINGS, LLC

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

THE SPECTACULAR NOW DIRECTOR: JAMES PONSOLDT STARRING: MILES TELLER, SHAILENE WOODLEY, BRIE LARSON, JENNIFER JASON LEIGH

Based on the acclaimed novel by Tim Tharp,

The Spectacular Now captures the insecurity and confusion of adolescence without looking for tidy

SHORT TERM 12

has no plans for the future. When his girlfriend dumps

DIRECTOR: DESTIN CRETTON

him, he wakes up drunk on a lawn with single Aimee

STARRING: BRIE LARSON, KAITLYN DEVER, RAMI MALEK, JOHN GALLAGHER JR.

(Woodley). Amiee has dreams of a future. Sutter lives

In this superb independent drama, we enter the world of passionate, 20-something foster care supervisor Grace

in the delusion of a spectacular now. But, somehow,

(Larson, in her first lead role) and the troubled teenagers under her care. When Jayden (Dever) – a gifted but

these polar opposites are drawn together.

difficult teen – enters her life, Grace confronts her own tough past, carving out a surprising future in the process.

W Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Non-Theatrical/Ruth Walker

TEEN BEACH MOVIE

TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE

IMAGE © 2013 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

IMAGE© 2013 DISNEY

N (plus Latin American rights) Terry Steiner International/Nadja Rutkowski

WALTZ FOR MONICA

DIRECTOR: JEFFREY HORNADAY

DIRECTOR: STEVE MCQUEEN

STARRING: ROSS LYNCH, MAIA MITCHELL, GRACE PHIPPS

STARRING: CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, MICHAEL FASSBENDER,

STARRING: EDDA MAGNASON, SVERRIR GUDNASON

Teen surfing sweethearts Brady (Lynch) and McKenzie

BRAD PITT, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

Monica (Magnason), a young, rebellious smalltown

(Mitchell) ride the last epic wave of summer together –

Twelve Years a Slave is based on an incredible true

girl is not only determined to make it as a singer in the

one that mysteriously carries them into Brady’s

story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the

jazz clubs of Stockholm, but also in New York City.

favourite movie, retro surf musical Wet Side Story. It’s

pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Ejiofor),

Embarking on the career of her dreams, she emerges

a world where bikers take on surfers for control of the

a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted

as an exquisite singer and actress in the golden era of

local hangout and where people spontaneously break

and sold into slavery. Enduring unbelievable cruelty

jazz. But, behind the glamour, Monica struggles to face

into song and dance. McKenzie and Brady hatch a plan

from a slave owner (Fassbender), Solomon struggles to

the dark side: as late nights of working and partying

to blend in while they try to find a way to return home,

stay alive and retain his dignity. But in the twelfth year

play bigger parts in her life, the walls around her begin

but their lives may be changed forever when they inad-

of his bondage, Solomon’s chance meeting with

to close in. When morning breaks, she’s alone, cocktail

vertently alter the movie’s romantic storyline.

a Canadian abolitionist (Pitt) alters his life.

in hand. Is this a road with no turning back?

W Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Non-Theatrical/Ruth Walker

N 20th Century Fox/Neal Rothman

DIRECTOR: PER FLY

IMAGE 2013 © STELLANOVA FILMPRODUKTION AB, AB SVENSK FILMINDUSTRI, FILM I VÄST, SVERIGES TELEVISION AB, EYEWORKS FINE & MELLOW APS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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truths. Hard-partying high school senior, Sutter (Teller)

W (except Scandinavia) Encore Inflight Limited/ Anita Chung

OCTOBER 2013

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19/09/2013 16:27

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No.74583 IFE Products.indd 1

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INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT | UPCOMING AIRLINE MOVIE RELEASES

W = WORLDWIDE RELEASE IMAGE RED GRANITE PICTURES, 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I = OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

IMAGE © 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY GOLDEN SCENE COMPANY LTD. AND HKSAR GOVERNMENT

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS CODES: N = NORTH AMERICA

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET DIRECTOR: MARTIN SCORSESE STARRING: LEONARDO DICAPRIO, MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, JONAH HILL, JEAN DUJARDIN, ROB REINER, JON FAVREAU, KYLE CHANDLER, MARGOT ROBBIE

In the Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a New York stockbroker who served

THE WAY WE DANCE 116

20 months in prison for refusing to cooperate in a massive securities fraud case in the 1990s which

DIRECTOR: ADAM WONG

involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in

STARRING: CHERRY NGAN, BABYJOHN CHOI, LOKMAN YEUNG

the corporate banking world, even including mob

Fleur (Ngan) lives for dance, constantly working out new hip-hop moves in her head. Unfortunately, she is trapped

infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort’s autobiography.

working at the family restaurant, scooping tofu all day long. Her prayers are answered when her university

I (except French-speaking territories) Jaguar Distribution Corp./Peter George

application is accepted – and as soon as she sets foot on campus, she joins a local hip-hop dance crew. It doesn’t take Fleur long to notice that her idiosyncratic moves are far too advanced for the other dancers, but she finds approval from the chairman of the Tai Chi club, who encourages her to embrace her inner martial artist.

IMAGE EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA LTD

IMAGE © JOSE HARO

W Encore Inflight Limited/Anita Chung

DIRECTOR: AYAN MUKERJI

YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI

ZIP & ZAP AND THE MARBLE GANG

STARRING: RANBIR KAPOOR, DEEPIKA PADUKONE,

DIRECTOR: OSKAR SANTOS

ADITYA ROY KAPUR, KALKI KOECHLIN

STARRING: JAVIER GUTIÉRREZ, ÁLEX ANGULO

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani tells the story of the relationship between Bunny (Kapoor) and Naina (Padukone) at two separate but defining times in their lives. The first is when they are out of college and standing on the crossroads of multiple decisions. The second is when they meet again in their late 20s, holding on to dreams and at a crossroads of another nature. How these two characters change, befriend and eventually fall in love with each other is the fantastic journey Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani takes us on.

Zip and Zap are Spain’s most beloved comic book characters, entertaining children over seven decades. In this big screen outing, the naughty twins are sent to a strict summer school where all entertainment is forbidden. They form the Marble Gang, the children’s resistance to defy the evil headmaster, who end up uncovering a mysterious secret hidden deep within the school, leading to the biggest adventure of their lives. W (except North America and Spain) Encore Inflight Limited/Anita Chung

W Eros International Media Ltd/Prashant Gaonkar

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BOARD NEWS The APEX Board of Directors will use this space to inform members on ongoing Board work and decisions. In addition to APEX association information in the magazine, the Board also sends emails after each Board meeting to update the membership in an effort to be as transparent as possible, in addition to sharing news in SmartBrief and the Digest.

The APEX membership in August voted for the 2013-2014 APEX Board of Directors. Your new Board is listed here

118

Kevin Bremer, Director, Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Linda Celestino, President

Alfy Veretto, Vice President, Virgin America

Dominic Green, Secretary, Thales Avionics, Inc.

Joan Filippini, Treasurer, Paramount Pictures

Chris Babb, Immediate Past President, Delta Air Lines

Ingo Wuggetzer, Director, Airbus

Jennifer Clark, American Airlines (airline)

Michael Childers, Lufthansa Systems (vendor)

Mary Rogozinski, Gogo (vendor)

Gloria Chow, Cathay Pacific Airways (airline)

APEX ASIA CONFERENCE – Exploring Global Trends, IFE, Connectivity and Beyond – As the Board announced earlier this year, APEX will expand its educational programming into Asia. The first such event is scheduled for 4-5 November in Shanghai, China at Le Royal Meridien Shanghai. Details are as follows: • We expect more than 150 participants from airlines and suppliers around the world. • Program topics will cover Brand & Passenger Experience: Strategies for Enhancing Loyalty & Yield; Connectivity Solutions Tailored for the Chinese Market; IFE Cost Models: Ancillary Revenue; Wireless Streaming & Portable Devices; Flight Services & Catering; Featured Content for the Chinese Audience; and Digital Strategies Encompassing Apps, Websites, GUI. • Please contact Lauren Beneri, [email protected], for exhibit and sponsorship information and Jean Xu, [email protected], for general meeting inquiries in China. PASSENGER CHOICE AWARDS – the 2014 awards cycle is currently OCTOBER 2013

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underway. See page 26 for detailed information on how you can access association-provided promotional collateral. The 2013 award winners are listed on page 24. And – airlines! – remember to send your passengers to www.passengerchoiceawards.com year-round! EXPANDING APEX BEYOND IFE – As you likely have seen, the Board in recent months has made a priority of bringing more non-IFE members into the fold. The co-located and revamped EXPO layout is one example. We also continue to do outreach to new companies and are in the midst of an aggressive marketing campaign. Just last year, non-IFE vendor members made up a majority of new APEX applications. NOVEMBER TC MEETING – The Board reminds you to register now for next month’s Technical Committee meeting, 19-20 November at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach, California USA. This meeting is open to all APEX members, and is free of charge to members. At the meeting, you’ll hear from leading technical experts in the airline passenger experience industry, as well as from external industry specialists. We hope to see you there.

FOR MORE NEWS, VIEWS AND A PLATFORM TO SPEAK YOUR MIND, GO TO THE APEX EDITOR’S BLOG AT BLOG.APEX.AERO

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ONE-ON-ONE WITH 2012-2013 TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE CHAIR IAN WALBERG Most recently, one of our TC Groups has been working on revising the HD 0403 specification. The goals are to develop and improve member knowledge, including, but not limited to, technical, industry and professional development education; to establish, communicate and promote industry best practices; and to be the primary source of industry news and information via our events and media.

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The APEX Technology Committee works year-round to bring you regular industry updates, organise TC meetings with technologyfocused educational sessions and the development of standards/best practice guidelines. 2012-2013 committee members and regular contributors include Ian Walberg (2012-2013 Chair), Airborne Interactive; Andy Beer, IFP; Michael Childers, Lufthansa Systems; Ken Henshaw, Boeing; Victor Hernandez, IFE Services; Mary Kirby, APEX Media Platform; Erik Miller, American Airlines; Jonathan Norris, Lumexis Corporation; Rich Salter, Lumexis Corporation. Below, find an informative Q&A with APEX board member and 2012-2013 Committee Chair Ian Walberg. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE ROLE AND DUTIES OF THE APEX TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE? The Technology Committee is charged with advising and educating the membership of emerging and updated technologies in the industry. These are presented at the Technology Committee (TC) Meetings during the year, as well as through dedicated tracks at the annual EXPO. Information or white papers are also shared via email or teleconference for timely stories, such as the recent progress the FAA PED ARC has been making regarding inflight portables. APEX TC Working Groups function as subcommittees of the TC, each one focusing on a particular new technology or technical issue as identified by the TC. These Working Groups comprise multiple disciplines, and member company representatives examine the potential impact of these technologies and issues on the passenger experience and develop recommendations, guidelines, technical specifications and other documents to address the challenges and opportunities presented. OCTOBER 2013

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HOW DOES THE APEX TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE DETERMINE TOPICS FOR EVENTS? It’s all about the members. The committee is made up of members and we look for topics that we and our colleagues need to hear about. Emerging technologies? We want to cover the latest and cutting-edge topics on the ground and in the air. Trends? What technology topics are active across the globe? We review topics that have been addressed at our previous meetings and present any updates. If there’s more to say – we reach out to those players to join us and inform our members. We have a huge wealth of knowledge within our membership that we can access. Members are encouraged to submit proposals for upcoming events. The committee then considers the merits of each and how relevant each would be to the APEX members. We do this in tandem with the Education Committee. Although we send frequent formal requests, we also welcome suggestions from members at any time, whether the member recommends a speaker or not. Ideas can be sent to [email protected]. We do take a close look at our surveys, too, so any suggestion shared after events are explored. HOW CAN INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS GET INVOLVED? We invite feedback on past events and suggestions for upcoming meetings. Contributing is rewarding professionally and personally – and I encourage all members to get involved. Those who can devote time and effort are welcome to serve as committee members. WHAT EVENTS ARE IN STORE FOR COMING MONTHS? The next TC Meeting is just around the corner, taking place in the IFE systems suppliers’ backyard on 19–20 November in Newport Beach, California, USA. The Board feels strongly that it is important to invest in the membership and grow industry knowledge. To meet those initiatives, this meeting is free for members. See you there! Our following meeting will be May 2014 in Hollywood. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE’S BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO THE MEMBERSHIP? This association offers opportunities for learning and networking. Through this committee’s work, we offer members both. Join us – learn something new, share something stimulating, create connections, strengthen relationships and even have some fun. It’s our goal to make sure you’re on the cutting-edge in this fantastic industry of ours. For more information about APEX committees, please visit apex.aero, hover over the ‘About APEX’ tab and click the ‘Committees’ link.

FOR MORE NEWS, VIEWS AND A PLATFORM TO SPEAK YOUR MIND, GO TO THE APEX EDITOR’S BLOG AT BLOG.APEX.AERO

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MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS To thrive in this industry, you have to be savvy to trends and technical details. You must take advantage of every educational resource available – and this association makes it that much easier. APEX provides its members with an exhaustive knowledge base. APEX Educational Sessions are a crucial resource for members, but it’s equally important to have that information at your fingertips. As an APEX member, you’re an informed industry insider. But what do you get out of your membership and what does this association contribute to the industry as a whole? Plenty, is the answer…

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IFE RESOURCE LIBRARY APEX hosts a plethora of insightful inflight entertainment-related articles. While the association also houses more technical information (more on this below), these resources are largely digestible for any APEX member who wants to be on the cutting-edge, or simply to brush up on trends. The documents in the APEX IFE Resource Library are packed with detailed information for new entrants and seasoned IFE veterans alike. Categories include Audio/Video Production, Content, IFE Economics/Administration, Licensing, IFE & APEX/WAEA History and Technical. To access the library, go to www.apex.aero, hover over the Resources tab and click the IFE Resource Library.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS It isn’t all trends and overviews. As an APEX member, you have access to the association’s online library of Technical Specifications. The APEX Technology Committee works tirelessly to ensure that members have useful technical information and industry best practices. Documents outline digital content delivery methodology, watermarking, official association responses to government actions related to the passenger experience and more. Documents are highly technical in nature. To access them, hover over the Resources tab and click the link for Technical Specifications.

APEX CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE BASE APEX members aren’t just privy to existing industry knowledge – you help create it. Take the recent collaboration with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), for example. As the U.S. government deliberated restrictions on portable electronic devices inflight, APEX teamed up with CEA to conduct a comprehensive survey of the people who would be affected the most by any changes: the passengers. As a result, APEX can share concrete industry statistics from that study, also available to our members. Efforts like these make the association – and you – an authority on the passenger experience.

FOR MORE NEWS, VIEWS AND A PLATFORM TO SPEAK YOUR MIND, GO TO THE APEX EDITOR’S BLOG AT BLOG.APEX.AERO

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APEX UPCOMING CALENDAR REMAINING 2013 APEX EVENTS*

*Schedule is subject to change. Please visit apex.aero for the most up-to-date event calendar.

28-30 APRIL 2014 TV Market Conference, Dublin, Ireland

4-5 NOVEMBER 2013 APEX Asia Conference, Shanghai, China

19-20 NOVEMBER 2013 TC Meeting, Newport Beach, California, USA

MAY 2014 TC Meeting, Burbank, California, USA

15-18 SEPTEMBER 2014 APEX/IFSA 2014 EXPO, Anaheim, California, USA

PLANNED 2014 APEX EVENTS*

NOVEMBER 2014

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

18-19 NOVEMBER 2014

APEX Australasia Conference, Australia

APEX Middle East Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE TC Meeting, Newport Beach, California, USA

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AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE APEX CONTENT As you are aware, APEX membership is a must for everyone interested in the airline passenger experience industry. But are you making the most of all that APEX has to offer? In addition to the benefits APEX provides the industry as a whole, such as APEXnews Daily SmartBrief, APEXnews Digest, and the Airline Passenger Experience magazine, there are important events that members have exclusive access to:

A PEX EXPO

E DUC ATIONAL WORK SHOPS

Attend the industry’s largest trade show featuring nearly 100 exhibitors and thousands of the latest inflight products, systems and services.

Participate in interactive sessions given by industry leaders and early adopters as they share their knowledge on issues related to comprehensive, high-interest passenger experience-related topics.

TV M A RKET CON FEREN CE Attend the only global industry event focused specifically on bringing together inflight TV content buyers and leading providers of shortsubject and TV movie programming.

TE CHNOL OGY C OMMIT TE E ME E TINGS Join industry leaders in creating industry-wide quality and compatibility standards.

OCTOBER 2013

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Make the Most of APEX Membership APE X .AE RO Access the members-only section of the APEX website, including the Member Directory, a virtual “Who’s Who” of the airline passenger experience industry. As a member, you also have exclusive access to educational reference materials, such as APEX Research Reports and APEX EXPO/TVMC transcripts and presentations. It is the APEX mission to offer members a wide range of opportunities to excel in the airline passenger experience industry by keeping them current with the latest industry news, trends and developments, and providing the means to foster relationships with clients and colleagues from around the world.

IF YOU DON’T ALREADY, FOLLOW APEX ON TWITTER: @THEAPEXASSOC AND FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/APEX.AERO

HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT APEX? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AT [email protected]

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Presents its catalogue of great classic French movies

www.skeye.tv

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IFSA PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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It is a distinct honor to assume the role of IFSA President for the 2013-2015 term. For those of you who attended the 2013 APEX/ IFSA EXPO, I hope you enjoyed yourself in Anaheim and benefited from the camaraderie, education and inspiration of the event. I always leave more motivated and inspired, especially this year. IFSA experienced a record number of attendees, of which 29% were airline representatives, making the event a huge success. We have not seen these attendance numbers in quite some time, which demonstrates the value of the APEX/IFSA EXPO to our respective memberships. I am truly excited about the various opportunities to make IFSA even more valuable to the membership in the future. My goal as President will be to ensure IFSA continues to strengthen its role as a global forum for innovation, communication and education. We are looking at further expanding IFSA’s membership into additional sectors suppliers or services beyond traditional food and beverage offerings, in order to generate new ideas and ways to improve the overall passenger experience, and to provide additional resources for all our members. The first step in this process is to continue working closely with APEX. Last month, APEX and IFSA further integrated our conference by opening the walls between the trade show floors. Feedback during the conference was extremely positive, and it is certainly our intent to continue this alliance. I want to express my gratitude to the IFSA Annual Conference Planning Committee and Committee Chair Cathy Sachse of FedEx Express for a spectacular line-up of education sessions, trade show and networking events. To further enhance our association and add even more value for our members in 2014 and beyond, the IFSA Board of Directors and I will continue to work in advancing IFSA’s mission and strategic objectives for the benefit of all in the industry. These objectives include representing the global interests of the Association before legislative and regulatory entities, growing our membership, maximizing industry participation worldwide, and investing in leaders of tomorrow through the IFSA foundation. I encourage everyone to get involved. In order to do so, visit ifsanet.com and reach out to the committee or function that you’d like to support, or to share your ideas and feedback. I also want to take this time to highlight IFSA’s long-term members who have participated in the association for over 25 years. We appreciate their long-time support. I would also like to welcome the members who joined IFSA in 2013. Please see the list of IFSA’s long-term and newest members opposite. We truly appreciate our members’ support and remain committed to creating value for each and every one. I look forward to serving as your President. Best, Pam Suder-Smith, IFSA President

2013-2014 IFSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT – PAM SUDER-SMITH Vice President of Sales, The Americas gategroup VICE PRESIDENT – JANE BERNIER-TRAN Managing Director, Food & Beverage Planning & Design, United Airlines TREASURER – PAUL PLATAMONE Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Harvey Alpert & Company SECRETARY – PETER WILANDER Managing Director, IFS On-Board Services, Delta Air Lines CHAIRPERSON – DAVID LOFT Vice President, International Catering, dnata DIRECTORS CESAR FORNO Vice President, Sales & Service, LSG Sky Chefs CHRIS JACKSON Global Vice President, Airline Business Solutions, DHL Supply Chain MARCEL LAGNAZ Senior Vice President, Operations, Gourmet Foods, Inc. KEITH MCGRATH Regional Sales Director, The Americas deSter Corporation HIDEO MIYABE Managing Director-Customer Sales and Service, TFK Corporation DENISE POOLE Chief Executive Officer, AMI Inflight JILL SURDEK Managing Director of Brand and Customer Experience, American Airlines

CONGRATULATIONS TO 2013 IFSA FOUNDATION RECIPIENTS The IFSA Foundation works to educate the public about the onboard services industry, and provides scholarships to college students and seasoned industry professionals. This year, the IFSA Foundation received nearly 200 scholarship applications, and awarded over $47,000 in scholarship funds. The IFSA Foundation is pleased to announce the following 2013 scholarship winners: HARVEY AND LAURA ALPERT Frederic Nicholas, Yale University WESSCO INTERNATIONAL Diana Murillo, Loyola Marymount University KING NUT COMPANIES Mandi Roan, Pfeiffer University JOHN & GINNIE LONG Ronald Amiscaray, Loyola University, Chicago THE HOFFMAN GROUP Zachary Inouye, University of California, Berkeley OAKFIELD FARMS SOLUTIONS Haben Ghebregergish, University of Chicago

OCTOBER 2013

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GOURMET FOODS Atara Muhammad, University of Miami IFSA MEMBER FAMILY Matthew Armstrong, University of San Antonio, Texas DHL SUPPLY CHAIN Alia Lahr, University of Pennsylvania JOHN LOUIS FOUNDATION Emma Kautz, Loyola University, Chicago AMI Melissa Gonzalez Pena, Seton Hall University IFSA MEMBER FAMILY Teresita Alexandra Viola, Westminster Kingsway College, United Kingdom FLYING FOOD GROUP Adriana Hoak, The College of Wooster

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IFSA NEW MEMBERS IFSA is the professional association created to serve the global needs and interests of airline and railway personnel, inflight and rail caterers and the suppliers responsible for providing onboard services on regularly scheduled travel routes. IFSA’s mission is to lead, develop and represent the global business interests of the onboard services industry. Current IFSA member companies include airlines, caterers and suppliers to the onboard food and service industries around the globe. Here are the IFSA members who joined in 2013: 4Inflight International Limited AK-Service, Ltd. Global C Sunberry Limited, LLC Zibo Rainbow Airline Appliance Co., Ltd. AIRC/Perfetti Van Melle Andy Frain Services

ITW Envopak AirMeals, LLC Buzz Products MicroGreen Tyden Brooks Starbucks Coffee Company

IFSA LONG TERM MEMBERS IFSA would like to thank the following members for their 25 years of participation: Aer Lingus Celeste Industries Corporation gategroup Miller Brewing Company Alaska Airlines The Coca-Cola Company Harvey Alpert & Company, Inc. Southwest Airlines Bay Valley Foods/Naturally Fresh Diversey Michael J. Devine & Associates APEX | AIRLINE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE

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ADVERTISERS INDEX

OCTOBER 2013

Aero Vista Entertainment www.aerovistaent.com SEE PAGE 125

Gogo LLC www.gogoair.com SEE PAGE 31

OnAir www.onair.aero SEE PAGE 53

Telefonix www.telefonixinc.com SEE PAGE 36

A Look At Media Ventures www.alookat.net SEE PAGE 102

Guest Logix www.guestlogix.com SEE PAGE 104

Onboard International www.onboard-intl.com SEE PAGE 70

Thales Avionics Inc www.thales-ifs.com SEE PAGE 29

Airborne Interactive Ltd www.airborne.aero SEE PAGE 53

Imagik International Corporation www.imagikcorp.com SEE PAGE 109

Optimares www.optimares.com SEE PAGE 95

T-Mobile www.telekom.com SEE PAGE 27

Panasonic Avionics Corporation www.panasonic.aero SEE PAGE 132

Touch www.touch.aero SEE PAGE 06

Aircraft Cabin Systems www.aircraftcabin systems.com SEE PAGE 82

Inflight Dublin Ltd www.inflightdublin.com SEE PAGE 39

Airbus www.airbus.com FRONT COVER GATE FOLD

Inflight Entertainment Products www.ifeproducts.com SEE PAGE 115 & GF

Paramount Pictures www.paramount.com SEE PAGE 131 Phitek Systems Limited www.phitek.com SEE PAGE 89

VT Miltope www.miltope.com SEE PAGE 53 Video Technology Services www.videotechnology services.com SEE PAGE 59

Arinc www.arinc.com SEE PAGE 48

Inflight Peripherals Ltd www.ifpl.com SEE PAGE 113

Astronics www.astronics.com SEE PAGE 20

Inflight Productions Ltd www.weareifp.com SEE PAGE 5

Post Modern Group www.postmoderngroup. com SEE PAGE 02

BAE Systems www.baesystems.com SEE PAGE 13

Inmarsat www.inmarsat.com SEE PAGE 33

PRS For Music Ltd www.prsformusic.com SEE PAGE 110

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures www.ebvnt.disney.com SEE PAGE 99

DigEcor www.digecor.com SEE PAGE 54

Interact www.interact.aero SEE PAGE 15

SATS www.sats.com.sg SEE PAGE 17

WOI www.woi.aero SEE PAGE 119

Donica www.donica.cn/en SEE PAGE 113

Jaguar Distribution Corporation www.jaguardc.com SEE PAGE 107

Skeye www.skeye.tv SEE PAGE 125

Zodiac In-Flight Entertainment www.imsco-us.com SEE PAGE 23

E-Leather www.eleathergroup.com SEE PAGE 57 Emphasis Video www.emphasis-video.net SEE PAGE 117 Eros International Media PVT Ltd www.erosnow.com SEE PAGE 123

Linstol www.linstol.com SEE PAGE 121 Long Prosper Enterprise Company Ltd www.longprosper.com SEE PAGE 128 LSG Sky Chefs www.lsgskychefs.com SEE PAGE 76

Warner Bros www.warnerbros.com SEE PAGE 101

Soundchip www.soundchip.ch SEE PAGE 19 TDI Power www.tdipower.com SEE PAGE 68 Technicolor www.technicolor.com SEE PAGE 60

HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT APEX? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AT [email protected]

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CLOSING

Investors, take notice: the IFEC industry is growing at a ferocious pace WORDS BY MARY KIRBY IN PHILADELPHIA

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aybe it’s because IFEC firms Gogo and Global Eagle Entertainment are now publicly traded companies. Or perhaps it’s the fact that investment firms are more actively sniffing around the IFEC space. It could be down to the significant role that the behemoth satellite industry is poised to play in the passenger experience. Or may even be the simple fact that aircraft order books are bulging and airframers are slowly but surely making room in their catalogues for new IFEC offerings. (See Boeing’s decision to work towards making Lumexis’ fiber optics-based IFE ‘linefit offerable’ on the 737-800 and 737900.) Whatever the reason – and it’s likely to be down to some, if not all, of the above – analysts have woken up, smelled the proverbial coffee and concluded that the IFEC industry is hot, hot, hot. It’s little wonder, then, that we’ve seen the publication of multiple analyst reports about IFEC in recent weeks. Suffice it to say, more and more people want a piece of the action. Take Frost & Sullivan’s analysis, for instance. Saying that the market will witness strong consolidation as IFEC suppliers aim to create a one stop shop for customised content solutions (with Global Eagle doubtlessly aiming to be among them), Frost & Sullivan estimates that earned revenues will more than double to $5.27 billion OCTOBER 2013

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in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8% for the period between 2011-2020. (This figure takes into account hardware, content and connectivity, the latter of which is expected to grow the fastest at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28%.) “The ‘always connected’ aircraft is revolutionising [the] passenger experience and airlines’ business processes,” notes Frost & Sullivan, an observation that could be characterised as a tad obvious at this juncture. J.P. Morgan also appears to be paying closer attention to the sector, saying in a recent ‘value chain insights’ report that Wi-Fi is “increasingly viewed as a critical differentiator”. I’d go a step further – as I have done in the past – and say that inflight connectivity is becoming a cost of doing business for airlines. And I’m not alone, apparently. An internal email exchange between US Airways’ executives – revealed as part of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit to stop American Airlines and US Airways from merging – has unwittingly shone the spotlight on the importance of inflight connectivity to airlines. That’s not to say that inflight connectivity service providers are netting big profits just quite yet. During its first public earnings conference call since going public, Gogo made the announcement that second quarter revenue

had grown 37% year-over-year to $79.4 million, driven by a 54% increase in service revenue. Its overall net loss attributable to common stock increased to $72.6 million compared with a net loss of $13.1 million for the prior year period, as expenses rose. These better than expected earnings prompted Bloomberg to publish a glowing news report about the firm. “Our need to remain constantly connected everywhere is definitely paying off for inflight Internet provider Gogo,” the agency said. “The company reported its first quarterly earnings in June and it shows that not only are more domestic flyers signing up for its pokey airborne connections, but that they’re also paying more for the privilege,” the report continued, citing increased take rates (nearly 6%), an apparent willingness of the flying public to shell out $20 a flight “for slower than dial-up speeds” and a near monopoly in the United States. (This monopoly will be challenged, however, as United and JetBlue ramp-up installs of satellite-supported connectivity, joining current Row 44 – ergo Global Eagle – customer, Southwest.) Additionally, Global Eagle, which also saw revenues increase in the second quarter but posted a net loss, says “this very significant increase in Wi-Fi revenue that we’ve seen” was a big driver in the services improvement it achieved.

HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT APEX? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AT [email protected]

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PROFITABILITY

CONSOLIDATION

REAL SOLUTIONS

COMPETITION

FOR REAL PROBLEMS

MANAGING COSTS

FUEL PRICES

Profitability, consolidation, managing operating costs, competition and fuel prices. These are just some of the things that face your airline each and every day. In order to be successful, you need key business partners that help you address each of these key areas. Partners that develop innovative solutions that generate revenue, reduce operating costs, and build brand loyalty. That’s why at Panasonic Avionics, we’re developing in-flight entertainment and communications solutions that help you address your most pressing needs. Visit panasonic.aero/proof/apexint to learn more about real solutions for real problems.

panasonic.aero © 2013 Panasonic Avionics Corporation. All Rights Reserved. AD193

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