APEX Award Winners 2017 revealed
The awards that sort out the best from the rest in the Airline industry have been and gone, and we’ve got the lowdown on who the best really are.
For the uninformed, the APEX Awards recognise achievements that have been successfully carried out within the last financial year – but here’s the catch. They have to be brand new and innovative.
There are a ton of categories Airlines can be awarded in; like best cabin innovation, best inflight connectivity, best inflight entertainment innovation and best audio. But that’s not all.
Using the TripIt app from Concur, travellers rated over half a million flights between October 2016 and July 2017, from one star to five stars.
These ratings not only decide once and for all which airlines are the best, but also which ones will score awards in the ‘Passengers Choice’ category.
Some of the lucky (and deserving) ducks who got themselves a five-star rating include:
- Air New Zealand
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- Emirates
- Ethiad Airways
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Australia
Qatar Airways was ahead of the pack, winning Passengers Choice Awards for best cabin service and best food and beverage, whilst Emirates came out on top for the best entertainment on board.
And as for the much anticipated APEX Awards?
Virgin Australia won the Best Video Curation award – for pushing the boundaries of the standard inflight movie and TV shows.
The company sourced short films, educational content and even music videos from a plethora of sources: Aussie schools, film festivals and competitions. Sooo much better than watching the same episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ over and over again.
The award for Best Original Audio went to none other than the champs over at Air New Zealand, for basically doing the impossible.
With the help of Universal Music Group, Panasonic and Global Eagle, they managed to make Lorde’s latest album, Melodrama, available on-board the same day as it’s international release – over six weeks before any other airline.
The cabin crew even danced down the aisles to celebrate.
Airbus Operations dominated in the Best Cabin Innovation category; for the invention of ReTrolley, a recycling trolley that reduces waste volume by over 30 per cent.
It encompasses two compressible compartments, one for recyclables and one for non-recyclables. This obviously means more space for snacks, and those mini ice creams.
Inmarsat Aviation and Deutsche Telekom won the Best In-Flight Connectivity Innovation award for the creation of the European Aviation Network, which connects travellers in Europe with high-speed, inflight Internet access and the award for the Best Inflight Entertainment Innovation went to IAG for allowing passengers to pair their electronic devices with the seatback system.
One of the most notable awards, however, went to president of Emirates Tim Clark: the Lifetime Achievement Award. Stay tuned till next year, folks.
For the full awards list click here.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
APEX Awards 2017 Best Airlines European Aviation NetworkLatest News
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