Passenger Experience

• Legroom in economy-class seats dwindles
  Australian fliers choosing economy seats face a tight squeeze because some airlines are focusing more on business-class seats, leaving less room for economy fliers. The economy section on Virgin Australia is more cramped than on Qantas Airways planes. Legroom is becoming a premium service that fliers must pay extra to enjoy. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (12/3)     

• Heathrow Airport is playing Santa with Christmas giveaway
  London's Heathrow Airport will give away merchandise as part of a Christmas promotion. Passengers will be surprised with goodies from Oakley, Apple, Jimmy Choo and other brands. BusinessTraveller.com (U.K.) (12/1)     

• Air Canada will add premium-economy section on 777s, 787s
  Passengers on Air Canada will be able to pay more for legroom without buying a business-class seat. The carrier plans to unveil a premium-economy section on its Boeing 777s in 2013 and on its Dreamliners in 2014. Financial Post (Canada) (11/30)     

• "Twilight Saga" still dominates box office
  For the third week in a row, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2" took top honors at the box office. The film earned $17.4 million, while "Skyfall" and "Lincoln" came in second and third, respectively. The Wall Street Journal (12/2)     

• French concept offers a casino in the sky
  French firms AirJet Designs and Designescence have developed plans for the "Casino Jet Lounge," an in-flight casino. The idea is seen as a way for airlines to generate revenue and also make travel exciting, this feature says. The plans are in the latest issue of Aircraft Interiors International magazine. The Independent (London) (11/30)     

• Other News

• Qantas sells package deal to access its Club lounges
  Australian Business Traveller (12/3)     

• Airline Information conference focuses on carrier fees
  Los Angeles Times/Money & Co. blog (tiered subscription model) (12/2)     

Connectivity & Technology

• Stellar Entertainment hires new systems development manager
  Abul Rahman is the new systems development manager at Stellar Entertainment. Rahman has experience with networks, CISCO, management, security and system administration. Read the Stellar Entertainment news release.     

• Qantas ends trial for in-flight Internet access
  Over the weekend, Qantas Airways scrapped its trial for in-flight Internet on some A380 routes. "Whilst customers who used the Wi-Fi service told us that they valued the option to connect in flight, overall the trial has demonstrated a lower than expected take-up of the service, particularly on overnight flights where sleep was their priority," a Qantas spokeswoman said. Australian Business Traveller (12/3)     

• Other News

• Arinc app allows fliers to make smartphone calls
  AIN Online (12/2)     

Airlines & Aircraft

• Delta, Singapore Airlines reportedly discuss Virgin Atlantic stake
  Delta Air Lines has inquired with Singapore Airlines about purchasing its 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic. Singapore says it is hosting talks to possibly sell its stake, but didn't say Delta was involved. "We are always talking to many airlines on a number of different matters, but we never comment on the details of these discussions," a Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said. The Wall Street Journal (12/2), Reuters (12/2), The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)/The Associated Press (free registration) (12/2)     

• Other News

• Jet Airways wants to lease 2 A330s for Mumbai-to-N.J. route
  The Economic Times (India) (12/2)     

Association News

• Job posting: General manager for marketing product management at Middle Eastern Airline
  A major Middle East-based airline with an international network operation seeks a general manager for marketing product management. The position will be based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The candidate will be responsible for the following: designing and developing policies, processes and procedures; establishing a strategy for marketing and product management; managing day-to-day operations for ground products, on-board products and preparations, and customer experience surveys; and preparing budget proposals and relevant reports for implementation. The ideal candidate will have earned no less than a bachelor's degree in marketing or business administration and will have at least 12 years of related experience, of which at least six must be airline-related. To apply, please e-mail personal credentials.     

• APEX to host panel session at 2013 International CES
  As the U.S. government grapples with possible policy changes regarding personal electronic device use in-flight, the upcoming 2013 International CES will break down the issues related to airlines, convenience and the passenger experience with a series of informational sessions 7 through 10 January in Las Vegas, Nev., USA. APEX will host a panel session 10 January to discuss the restrictions of the current policy compared with regulations elsewhere. The panel will be moderated by Jonathan Norris, executive director for APEX Media Platform, and panelists will include Pal Bjordal of AeroMobile; Patrick Brannelly of Emirates airline; and Paul Misener of Amazon.com. To register for this event, please visit here.     

Hot Topic

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

• Virgin Australia will pilot streaming Wi-Fi in December (Australian Business Traveller)

• British Airways gives all-clear for nonstop IFE (FlightGlobal.com (U.K.))

• Emirates unveils discounts on flights to and from U.S. (Los Angeles Times)

• Air New Zealand's "Hobbit" plane makes stop in Los Angeles (APEX Editor's Blog)

• Emirates would like 3-level jets -- if only they existed (Business Insider)

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

SmartQuote

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." --Gladys Bronwyn Stern, British writer