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APEX Expo and the Lufthansa Flying Lab – The Outlook for the next six months

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Train? Thataway.  – APEX Expo and The Lufthansa Flying Lab 

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In this adventure

With less than five months until Aircraft Interiors Expo hits, what is the state of the industry. It is pushing forward – we know that much

In terms of connectivity – it’s still a hot thing, with Panasonic and Inmarsat tying up, Thales is bringing its InFlyt connectivity solution to the world, Viasat adding High capacity bandwidth and Gogo pushing out the 2Ku customer platforms.

In IFE, whilst manufacturers are pushing their hardware solutions (such as the Thales Core product), there is a push for platforms too to deliver content, analytics and a push into passenger wellness. An interesting step that will be one to watch as we head into April 2019.

As for seats, we’re seeing a move from the classic measurement of seat pitch to passenger space (I’ve been working to two dimensions for some time), and how that space affects the passenger. Of course, this is a wonderful thing – but airlines have to stick to the same measurement throughout otherwise, we’re back to comparing apples with pears.

To sum it up – positive progress.

Let’s quickly review the segments

Lufthansa London Heathrow to Munich – I slept. So. yay? Well at least I could sleep in comfort on a short leg – a welcome thing.

a seat in an airplane

Munich Aiport – an efficiently designed hub for Lufthansa group. And I can see why Lufthansa is moving larger and more services here (and not because of the landing fees) – it offers a pretty superior experience all round.

a plane parked at an airport

The Flying Lab – It was an impressive and immersive experience. Whilst the information was nothing overly new that was being announced – it was interesting HOW it was delivered (and for example – I never noticed how the floor of an A350 is flat with the tracks that support sets is lower for a flat surface.

a sign on a wall

Lufthansa Premium Economy – I’m honestly sorry, I had better hopes for this product all around. It does seem to very much a “Space plus” product, with a few bells and whistles. There are some touch points that could be so much better (for example, monitoring the middle seat passenger). And the food… I know I don’t go on planes for the finest dining in the world, but this could be simply filed under “Can do better”.

food on a tray on a table a group of people in a plane a tray of food on a table

Lufthansa Frankfurt to London on an A321neo – probably the best segment of the trip, Crew were on point and happy to see passengers aboard, and delivered a great onboard service

a sandwich on a napkin the wing of an airplane in the sky

The Holiday Inn Bunker Hill did the job in accommodation terms. The hotel was pretty passable – if from the distance of things that make this hotel a taxi/uber job.

a bed with white sheets and a lamp

That’s your lot from this trip report. I would like to extend my thanks to the following along.

I would also like to extend my thanks Recaro Aircraft Seating for making this trip possible.

In addition, I’d also like to thank you The APEX Association, Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas, Lufthansa Systems, Panasonic Aerospace, Deutsche Telekom, Viasat, Airbus, Acro Seating, Avio Interiors, Thales.

I’d also like to thank John and Maryann for putting up with me on the Flying Lab Flight too..

Next: Three trips in three months to the USA. I’ve finished writing the second of these – so, let’s get onto the final trip of this trilogy – which takes us back to Oneworld – with American Airlines and Finnair in “Long Way Home”

And probably throwing up a few surprises that you might be aware of.

See you soon!

FULL DISCLOSURE: Recaro Aircraft Seating kindly invited Economy Class and Beyond, as a guest on the Lufthansa Flying Lab, as well as paying for the flights as part of this.  

Economy Class and Beyond attended Apex Expo and Aircraft Interiors Expo North America’s as a media delegate

All opinions and thoughts are the author’s own, and are not directed by Recaro Aircraft Systems, Lufthansa Systems, APEX or Aircraft Interiors Expo.

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