Honoring Innovation, Excellence, and Leadership at the 2025 APEX/IFSA Awards: APEX Honored Aviation's Industry Trailblazers and Visionaries
12.9.2025 08:00:00 CEST | ACCESS Newswire | Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / September 12, 2025 / Airlines and suppliers were celebrated for their meaningful advancements in passenger experience at the prestigious APEX/IFSA Awards Ceremony in Long Beach, California. Hosted by the APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) and the IFSA (International Flight Services Association) during the APEX/IFSA Global EXPO, the ceremony is regarded as the industry's premier awards event, recognizing innovation, dedication, and leadership that set new standards for excellence across the skies.APEX IFSA
"What sets the APEX/IFSA Awards apart comes from how our awards program moves beyond recognition; it actively drives excellence across our entire industry," APEX/IFSA Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader stated. "Unlike other award platforms, these honors reflect both the voices of millions of global passengers and the rigorous assessments of independent experts. This powerful combination establishes the APEX/IFSA Awards as the most trusted and impactful distinction in aviation today, one that champions innovation, elevates service, and accelerates the pursuit of a world-class passenger experience."
The APEX/IFSA Awards Ceremony honored global airlines across the following distinguished categories:
APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award:Dr. Leader presented United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby with the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his visionary leadership and significant contributions to transforming the passenger experience and the global aviation industry. This award celebrates a career defined by remarkable achievements, commitment to excellence, and a lasting legacy that inspires the future of air travel. Read the full press release here.
2026 APEX WORLD CLASS™: Reserved for the very best in global aviation, the World Class Awards honors the top 10 airlines that have set the standard for excellence in today's air travelers triple checked with by an intensive audit by Yates and Partners. The APEX World Class™ awards recognize top quality and mastery across dimensions that matters most to today's travelers across the constructs of Safety & Well-Being, Sustainability, Service-Guest Experience, and F&B Execution. This year's APEX World Class™ airlines are ANA,Emirates, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, SAUDIA, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.Read the full press release here.
APEX Five Star™ and APEX Four Star™ Airline Awards: The APEX Five Star™ and Four Star™ Airline Awards stand as the industry most desired honor as it is entirely based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback through APEX's partnership with TripIt®, the world's leading travel-organizing app. Over one million verified flights have been rated across 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale. For 2026, the ratings criteria have increased, limiting the APEX Five Star™ to the top 40 airlines, and the APEX Four Star™ to honor the next 50 airlines, including the Top 10 Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) in the world. Together with the highest echelon of the top 10 APEX World Class™ airlines, these awards collectively recognize the Top 100 airlines in the world for passenger experience. Click here for the 2026 APEX Five Star™ and Four Star™ Airline Award recipients.
Crystal Cabin Award:APEX is proud to continue its partnership with the Crystal Cabin Award Association as the prestigious awards program officially opens submissions for 2026. Recognized globally as the leading honor for aircraft cabin innovation, the Crystal Cabin Award celebrates groundbreaking ideas that shape the future of the passenger experience, from design to technology and beyond. APEX looks forward to supporting this next chapter of aviation excellence. The application phase opens on 15 September. Submit your ideas here and save the date: 14 April for the Crystal Cabin Award ceremony on the first day of the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany.
2026 APEX Best™ Airline Awards:These awards celebrate the airlines that deliver the very best in the passenger experience, as voted by passengers across more than 600 airlines worldwide via TripIt®. This year's global winners showcase excellence across every touchpoint of the inflight experience: Korean Air for Best Cabin Service, Emirates for Best Entertainment, Qatar Airways for Best Food & Beverage (presented in conjunction with IFSA), EVA Air for Best Seat Comfort, and Delta Air Lines for Best Wi-Fi. Click here for more information on the winners.
2026 APEX/IFSA Awards: Honored by their industry peers, the APEX/IFSA Awards spotlight the most innovative and impactful achievements introduced over the past year. Each winner is recognized for pioneering advancements that set new benchmarks for the passenger experience across the following categories:
2026 APEX AWARD WINNERS:
Air Canada - Innovation Award for Best Inflight Connectivity
FlightPath3D - Innovation Award for Best Inflight Entertainment
2026 APEX/IFSA AWARD WINNER:
ANA - Innovation Award for Best Cabin
2026 IFSA AWARD WINNERS:
Fiji Airways - Best Inflight Food or Beverage
Delta Air Lines - Best Onboard Amenity
The APEX/IFSA Awards Ceremony, which took place during APEX/IFSA EXPO, was co-sponsored Thales & West Entertainment.
For more information on the APEX Award Ceremony and photos of all the awards given out, please visit apex.aero and follow APEX on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
###
About the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)
As a global non-profit and one of the world's largest international airline associations, APEX advances passenger experience with the backing of nearly every major airline and valued supplier over the past 42 years. In conjunction with both the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) and Future Travel Experience (FTE), APEX serves the full spectrum of the end-to-end travel experience. APEX reinvests all its resources to serving its members, strengthening the worldwide airline industry, advancing thought-leadership, fostering business opportunities via events, developing global initiatives, setting key airline standards, and highlighting well-deserved recognition across our industry.
About the International Flight Services Association (IFSA)
The International Flight Services Association (IFSA) is a global professional association serving the needs and interests of airline and railway personnel, caterers and suppliers who provide onboard services on regularly scheduled travel routes. Under the umbrella of APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) serving every major airline in the world, IFSA is dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of the multi- billion dollar inflight and railway onboard service industry. For more information about IFSA, please visit ifsa.apex.aero, or follow IFSA on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Contact Information
Robin Applebaum
Director, Strategic Communications
rapplebaum@apex.aero
+1-917-627-6557
Kevin Mendoza
Manager, Strategic Communications
kmendoza@apex.aero
+1-212-297-2102
SOURCE: APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association)
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association)
Subscribe to releases from ACCESS Newswire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from ACCESS Newswire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from ACCESS Newswire
Karbon-X and Evertrak Sign Letter of Intent to Advance Infrastructure-Linked Plastic Waste Reduction Credit Initiative19.5.2026 19:45:00 CEST | Press Release
Proposed initiative would evaluate the potential generation of Verra-aligned Plastic Waste Reduction Credits for approximately 200,000 railroad ties made from recycled plastic currently installed across railroad infrastructure in North America. CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / Karbon-X Corp. (OTCQB:KARX) ("Karbon-X" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated climate solutions company operating across compliance and voluntary environmental markets, today announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with Evertrak LLC ("Evertrak"), the leading manufacturer of Glass Fiber Reinforced Composite (GFRC) railroad ties made from recycled plastic, to explore an infrastructure-linked Plastic Waste Reduction Credit ("PWRC") initiative under Verra's Plastic Waste Reduction (PWR) Standard. Across North America, 20 million railroad ties made from wood are replaced annually. Approximately 4-6 million of those ties are less than 12 years old. Safe, resilient, and efficient railroad infrastr
AP Technologies Acquires Blueacre Technology, Adding Nitinol and Precision Laser Processing to Its Catheter Platform19.5.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press Release
Acquisition extends AP Technologies' vertically integrated catheter platform into nitinol and precision laser processing. Dundalk, Ireland joins the company's network of Centers of Excellence as its first European operation. SINGAPORE AND DUNDALK, IRELAND / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / AP Technologies, a vertically integrated contract manufacturer of catheters and medical tubing, today announced the acquisition of Blueacre Technology, a Dundalk, Ireland specialist in laser micromachining and nitinol processing for the medical device industry. The acquisition establishes AP Technologies' first European operation in Ireland's medtech corridor, and extends its catheter platform into the laser-processed metallic components used in next-generation minimally invasive devices. Terms were not disclosed. Blueacre brings nearly two decades of capability in laser micromachining and nitinol processing for the medical device industry, including femtosecond and picosecond laser cutting, laser we
AI Trading Bots Revolutionise Stock, Gold, and Forex Trading: Funds Coin Leads the Move with Guaranteed Profit Option Strategy19.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press Release
DENVER, CO / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / Forex has always been the world's largest digital financial market in 2026. Now it has become entirely a 24-hour, data-saturated environment. According to the Bank for International Settlements, global OTC foreign exchange turnover reached $9.6 trillion per day in April 2025. This means the foreign exchange turnover was up 28% from 2022. This is a figure that underscores just how deeply connected forex is to global liquidity, risk management, and capital flows. Inside that volume, the competition has intensified dramatically. In 2026, retail traders are no longer competing mainly against other individuals; they are competing against automated systems, and AI-assisted execution engines like Funds Coin. The platform operates across stocks, forex, and financial markets simultaneously. Manual trading, in this environment, is not just inefficient. It is structurally outpaced. Why AI Bots Are Taking Over Forex The following table is provided for
Northfield's Flagship Investment Juno Corp. Discovers Heavy Rare Earth Magnet Metals at Vespa19.5.2026 13:01:00 CEST | Press Release
Broadens Juno's Polymetallic Critical Minerals System in Ontario's Ring of Fire TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / Northfield Capital Corporation ("Northfield" or the "Company") (TSXV:NFD.A) is pleased to comment on the announcement made today by Juno Corp. ("Juno") regarding the discovery of heavy rare earth element ("HREE") mineralization, including the magnet metals neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, within Juno's Vespa critical minerals system in Ontario's Ring of Fire (the "Juno Announcement"). For the full text of the Juno Announcement, including the technical disclosure relating to drill hole VES-26-025 and the associated assay results, please refer to Juno's press release dated May 19, 2026, available at www.junocorp.com. Northfield holds an approximately 35% equity interest in Juno, making Juno one of the most significant investments in Northfield's portfolio. The discovery disclosed in the Juno Announcement broadens the polymetallic critical minerals
Juno's Vespa Critical Minerals Discovery Expands to Include Heavy Rare Earth Magnet Metals19.5.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press Release
New Discovery Adds the Metals at the Centre of Global Supply Concerns TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / May 19, 2026 / Juno Corp. ("Juno" or the "Company") today announced the discovery of heavy rare earth elements - including the magnet metals essential to defence, aerospace, electric vehicles and clean energy - within its Vespa critical minerals system in Ontario's Ring of Fire. The discovery sits within the same geological system as Juno's previously announced high-grade iron, titanium, vanadium, scandium and gallium intercepts at Vespa, broadening the critical minerals discoveries. "Rare earth magnet metals are the materials that build modern defence systems, fighter jets, electric vehicles and clean energy infrastructure. Global supply is dominated by a single country that has shown its willingness to use export controls as a tool of geopolitical leverage - making secure, allied sources of these metals a national priority for Canada, the United States and our partners," said Robert
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom