Tag Archives: APEX

Episode 214 – Mary Kirby on the Passenger Experience

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Beechcraft B17R Staggerwing by Stephen Tornblom

Beechcraft B17R Staggerwing by Stephen Tornblom

Guest Mary Kirby is from the Airline Passenger Experience Association where she is Editor-in-Chief of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine and the APEX Media Platform.

Mary considers the passenger experience to start when the decision is made to take a flight and continue through to boarding, where the airline then has the passenger captive in terms of the experience.

We talk Inflight Entertainment (IFE) tech and how wireless is taking off with video streaming to personal devices. Also, how Southwest Airlines with their Row 44 satellite system is absorbing the AirTran fleet with their GoGo air-to-ground system. Mary maintains that the US carriers are ahead of others with inflight connectivity and long term revenue sharing agreements with vendors. Now that the pipe to the aircraft is in place, we’re seeing all manner of inflight connectivity business models: some free, some pay per use, and some supported by advertising and promotions.

Visit the APEX blog and follow Mary on Twitter as @APEXmary. Coming up 17 – 20 September 2012 is the APEX EXPO in Long Beach California. (Twitter hash tag #APEX12.)

We also talk about airport security, should it be privatized, the cost/benefit analysis, and the impact of airport security on the travel experience. American Airlines is in the news with the pilot contract, a Downs Syndrome flyer, and a 9/11 negligance law suit. Also, more bizarre behaviour in Philadelphia.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report:

Qantas announces an alliance with Emirates, along with major route structure and schedule changes, Tiger Airways resuming Melbourne – Adelaide operations from November, and outcry in New Zealand over massive aviation user fee hikes by their government.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

On Across The Pond this week we talk to our adopted student pilot Neil Bradon to monitor his progress flying in the USA. He gives us the great news that he has passed his check ride and is amassing flying hours at a rapid pace but not simply in the circuit, Neil is taking on some challenging cross country flights as well. We are absolutely delighted Neil is now a qualified pilot. Well done Neil.

Neil can be found on Twitter @Pilot_NGB and at his blog pilot_ngb’s aviation blog.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Mentions:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 180 – Mary Kirby from APEX

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The Aerobatic Project

Guest Mary Kirby is is Editor-in-Chief of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine and the APEX media platform. We talk about the current state of inflight internet connectivity, what passengers expect aboard the flight, the GoGo IPO, and why we’re going to see more announcements. Also, pressure on interior suppliers as a result of the huge numbers of narrow body orders going on the books, and how that’s delaying aircraft deliveries. We touch on airline alliance interior commonality, and the outlook for embedded IFE.

Find Mary at the APEX Editor’s Blog and on Twitter as @APEXmary. The Airline Passenger Experience Association is at apex.aero.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, also known as the Super Tweet.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: 12th A380 arrives for Qantas, more A380s coming to Melbourne as Emirates signals their intentions, cracks appearing in some A380s including one QF aircraft, 150 Qantas pilots now working for Gulf based airlines during their down time, tragic balloon crash in New Zealand kills 11 people.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to new aerobatic pilot and author of The Aerobatic Project, Lauren Richardson. Lauren explains what’s its like to transition from a 152 to a Pitts Special and what it was like in her first aerobatic competition. Lauren can be found on Twitter @Groovy_Nut, while Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.oba

Mentioned in the episode:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 163 – Bits and Pieces VII

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Micah and Harriet with the Cessna182

The Geeks take the week off in celebration of the Labor Day holiday, so instead of our normal format, we bring you these segments:

Rob Mark speaks with Louis Smith from FltOps.com about the hiring outlook for pilots. Louis was our guest back in Episode 102, Outlook for Professional Pilots. Rob Mark caught up with him at the Regional Airline Pilot Job Fair in Chicago.

David Vanderhoof provided some interviews from AirVenture 2011 at Oshkosh: Jonathan Hartman on the Firefly all-electric technology demonstration helicopter from Sikorsky, Dave Walsh, program Test Director for the Sikorsky X-2 record-breaking helicopter, Kevin Bredenbeck, Chief Pilot and director of flight operations at Sikorsky, and Audrey Schnur from Marketing Communications at GE Aviation (@GEaviation) about GE’s use of social media and their presence at Oshkosh. Also, at the Pax River show, David talked with S-3B Viking pilot Lieutenant John McElroy, who brought in one of three flying.

 

Sikorsky X-2

 

This week on Across The Pond, Pieter is joined by a previous Airplane Geeks guest Jon Norris (Episode 122, Jon on the Passenger Experience). Jon has changed his role since we last talked to him and on this segment we will learn about APEX, the Airline Passenger Experience Association, and the APEX Expo. You can download an iPhone/iPad App for APEX on iTunes.

Jon can be found online at the APEX Editor’s blog or on Twitter at @APEXeditor and @nonnyjorris. Pieter Johnson blogs at alphatangopapa.blogspot.com and on Twitter he’s @Nascothornet.

Next week we’ll return to our usual format with the full complement of co-hosts and a great guest.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Post Photo: Micah and Harriet in front of the Cessna 182.