More Than 5,300 Industry Leaders Gathered in California for Record-Setting Airline Paxex Show

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) hosted a record-setting 5,300+ airline industry leaders at EXPO, the most anticipated airline PaxEx event of the year. The conference attracted more than 560 airline delegates from nearly 100 airlines with nearly 3,000 APEX member attendees alone.

For more than four decades, APEX has served as the only non-profit membership trade association dedicated to improving the entire airline passenger experience.  APEX, along with partners the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) Conference & EXPO and Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) Americas, co-located at the Long Beach Convention Center in California to create the comprehensive passenger experience industry event.

"Our record-breaking EXPO demonstrates the hunger of airlines to better passenger experience with billions of dollars being invested annually," APEX/IFSA CEO Joe Leader stated. "We are proud of the forward progress that our members are driving to enhance aviation worldwide with the best in-flight entertainment, connectivity, comfort, food, beverage, and service."

The opening session, emceed by BBC's Ben Thompson, featured prestigious keynote presentations from Emirates President Sir Tim Clark, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes,  United Airlines VP Marketing Mark Krolick, oneworld VP Membership & Customer Experience Dennis Tierney, and Netflix VP Finance & Investor Relations Spencer Wang.  Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in world-class workshops and panel discussions about the future of travel.

During APEX EXPO, airline and vendor dedication to passenger experience was honored during the annual APEX Award Ceremony, which was hosted by The Points Guy CEO and Founder Brian Kelly.

Awards included:

• APEX Awards: Honoring innovators in passenger experience who have successfully implemented new programs and services this year.
• The Official Airline Ratings™: Four- and five-star airlines were recognized as part of the first airline rating program based solely on verified and certified passenger feedback.
• Passenger Choice Awards: Recognizing excellence in seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment and Wi-Fi.
• APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award: Emirates President Sir Tim Clark was honored by APEX with their coveted CEO Lifetime Achievement Award which celebrated his more than 45 years of dedicated service to the airline industry.
• APEX Outstanding Contribution Award: APEX presented Pierre Schuberth with the APEX Outstanding Contribution Award for his decades of selfless work, vision and dedication as a leader in developing technical solutions to some of the industry's biggest challenges.
• APEX Cool Award: Created to recognize the innovative APEX spirit showcased each year at the APEX EXPO, this year fellow exhibitors voted Thales the winner of the 2017 APEX Cool Award.

Based on early bookings during the event, APEX EXPO 2018 in Boston will be a sold-out event, with nearly 85 percent of booth space already booked before the conclusion of the Long Beach event. APEX will once again be co-locating with IFSA and AIX Americas in Boston.

In addition to its yearly EXPO, APEX hosts multiple industry gatherings around the world. Click here for a list of all upcoming events.  For more information about APEX, please visit apex.aero, sign up for the APEX Daily Experience e-newsletter, or follow APEX on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact: 
Robin Applebaum 
678-303-2980 
[email protected]

About The Airline Passenger Experience (APEX)
APEX encompasses a network of businesses and professionals that are committed to providing a world-class airline experience for passengers around the globe.  As a non-profit, APEX reinvests all of its resources to better serve its members.  Every day, APEX members evaluate the passenger experience through an influential community and are improving every aspect of the airline experience: from designing, building and installing seating, entertainment and communications systems on commercial aircraft, to airport lounges and in-flight dining. APEX works to strengthen the industry and enable business opportunities through education, innovation, networking and recognition.  For more information, please visit apex.aero.

SOURCE Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)

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