Passenger Experience

• Finnair lowers emissions, woos passengers with new look
  Finnair has expanded its destinations and updated the look and feel of cabins. The updates include Contour Vantage fold-flat seats, ambient lighting, curtains and flight attendant uniforms. The airline also lowered fuel consumption and emissions. APEX Editor's Blog (9/10)     

• London Luton Airport plans upgrades, will bolster capacity
  London Luton Airport is expected to nearly double its capacity from 9.6 million travelers last year to 18 million in 2031. The new master plan details the changes, which include an entrance with more seating, more retail shops on the upper level, a taxiway extension and additional parking spaces for planes. Airport-World.com (9/10)     

• Southwest offers in-flight concerts to promote festival
  Columnist Joe Sharkey is not excited about Live@35, a promotion between Southwest and the Live in the Vineyard event in California's wine country. Southwest will feature in-flight concerts on select flights to promote the three-day event in November. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (9/10)     

• Qantas adds free limo service for some long-haul fliers
  First- and business-class fliers on Qantas Airways long-haul flights will receive free airport limousine service starting in April. The change is part of the airline's alliance with Emirates, which already provides the service. Australian Business Traveller (9/8)     

• More ancillary airline services will emerge, expert says
  The future of the airline industry will see new paid services that enhance the passenger experience, IdeaWorks CEO Jay Sorensen says. "There is always that passenger who will happily spend more money to be treated differently," Sorensen said. "Hassle-free check-in," early boarding and meal upgrades are just some of the services that could see widespread use on carriers. The Seattle Times (9/10), The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (9/10)     

• Other News

• United drops first-class award information from website
  The Wall Street Journal/The Middle Seat Terminal blog (9/10)     

• Fashionistas offer tips for savvy travel attire
  CNN (9/7)     

This week The PME Interview airs daily with five of the top IFE hardware vendors providing a preview of what they will be featuring at APEX. You won't want to miss this headline series and a chance to win an iPad, brought to you by the Post Modern Group: PME, AMP International and Images In Motion.

Connectivity & Technology

• Emirates will debut in-flight Wi-Fi on Melbourne-to-Dubai route
  Emirates passengers on the Melbourne-to-Dubai route, which starts 2 Oct., will be able to use the OnAir in-flight Wi-Fi service. The service will be available on the Airbus A380. Australian Business Traveller (9/11)     

• Air industry can seize on fliers' growing mobile demands, studies say
  Several new studies have highlighted the mounting demand among travelers for mobile-based services that airports and airlines can capitalize on to boost their ancillary business. "[I]nnovative offerings that were nice to have five years ago are now critical to staying competitive in today's market. Airports and airlines that effectively use mobile adoption to their advantage will see the greatest rewards in both customer loyalty and ancillary revenue," said Michael Benjamin, CEO of FlightView. Fox Business/FlightView Inc. (9/10), The Economic Times (India) (9/10)     

• Airports embrace apps, Twitter and GPS usage
  According to the latest SITA survey, airports are using GPA, smartphone applications and Twitter to improve travelers' experiences. Nine out of 10 airports say they will invest in mobile apps by 2015, 78% say they plan to use social media, and 70% of airports will offer GPS technology by 2015. Airport-World.com (9/10)     

• Other News

• FAA research may not end in lifting of ban on in-flight electronic devices
  The Wall Street Journal/The Middle Seat Terminal blog (9/10)     

Airlines & Aircraft

• AirAsia reportedly eyes 100 craft in Airbus A320 family
  AirAsia plans to acquire as many as 100 jets in the Airbus A320 family, a source said. The plan is an example of increasing demand from budget airlines in Asia as they expand. Reuters (9/10)     

• Pilots use Boeing iPad system to aid in takeoffs, landings
  By the end of this year, Boeing says pilots will be using the Onboard Performance Tool on iPads. The system lets pilots make real-time calculations for takeoffs and landings on all types of runways in any weather condition. Qantas Airways will be the first to debut the service on 130 planes. CNNGo.com (Asia) (9/11)     

• Other News

• Lion Air will rival AirAsia Bhd with its own budget carrier
  Bloomberg Businessweek (9/11)     

Association News

• Save the date! 13 and 14 Nov. 2012 APEX TC Meeting
  The next APEX Technology Committee (TC) Meeting will take place Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 Nov. at the Hyatt Regency Irvine in Irvine, Calif., USA. Online registration will open shortly. The event is FREE for APEX members. Topics covered include the FAA working group on portable devices, wireless streaming, content security and more. If you are interested in presenting a topic, please complete the online Call for Proposals document available here. If you are interested in sponsorship, please contact Mimi Ruffing at mruffing@cfl.rr.com or +1.321.868.4586.     

• Register now for the APEX educational event in Santiago, Chile, 7-8 November 2012
  We are thrilled to announce that APEX is expanding its international outreach by hosting an educational event in South America this year! Hope you can join APEX at this event in Santiago, Chile, to get the latest updates on key topics in our industry and to have the opportunity to network with our colleagues in the region. Visit here for more information.     

Hot Topic

Top five news stories selected by apexnews Daily SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Airlines applaud FAA testing of personal electronic devices (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Designer considers stand-up seats, stacked sleepers (APEX Editor's Blog)

• LAN will add wireless IFE on some Airbus planes in 2013 (APEX Editor's Blog)

• Singapore Airlines adds Wi-Fi to 14 planes (Breaking Travel News)

• Gogo, Intelsat deal adds high-speed Internet to flights (APEX Editor's Blog)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

SmartQuote

To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift. Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves." --Aldous Huxley, British writer