APEX: Emirates and Etihad score high in World Passenger Choice awards for IFE

The  award winners  were announced today during the APEX Annual Conference & Exhibition in Long Beach, California, which is seen as the venue for the IFE industry to showcase new products and innovations that will improve the airline cabin environment in the future and further enhance the air travel experience.

The Passenger Choice Award was created by APEX and voted on by the traveling public and was designed to recognise the airlines for their service, products and innovations.

A dozen awards in a range of categories were given to the individual airlines that provided the best passenger experience service to the customer, based on their travels. Passengers voted via an online survey launched in June.

APEX, formerly known as the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), hosted the awards ceremony at the Long Beach Convention Center where more than 2,000 attendees from across the world have participated. The expo will continue through 16 September.

Emirates scooped the award for the best in the MENA region while Etihad was given an award for the best single achievement in IFE.

The Virgin group dominated the awards winning the best overall passenger experience for both small and large fleets.

The winners in each class were as follows:
Best Overall Passenger Experience (UP TO 25 IFE EQUIPPED IN FLEET) V Australia
Best Overall Passenger Experience (Over 25 IFE EQUIPPED IN FLEET) Virgin America
Best in Region: Europe British Airways
Best in Region: Asia and Australasia Singapore Airlines, Ltd
Best in Region: Americas Virgin America
Best in Region: Middle East Emirates
Best Inflight Publication TAM Airlines
Best IFE User Interface V Australia
Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications Virgin America
Best Inflight Video Air New Zealand
Best Cabin Ambiance JetBlue Airways
Best Ground Experience Virgin America

Receiving the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Awards were Joseph Barber, President of Cine Magnetics and Paul Margis, CEO of Panasonic Avionics Corporation. And the 2010 Outstanding Contribution Award winner was Bryan Rusenko, Senior Vice President of Special Projects at Crest Digital.

APEX also handed out two Avion Awards to member companies that have enjoyed tremendous success in their field and projects. These awards were judged by industry peers and members of the media. The winners were: Best Achievement in Technology: Thales Avionics and Etihads award for single achievement.