Passenger Choice Awards finalists announced for 2013

NEW YORK - The passengers have spoken! The 2012-2013 cycle of the Passenger Choice Awards officially ended in June, and the finalists have been named. The winners will be honored at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Awards Ceremony, 9 September in Anaheim, California, USA.
The Passenger Choice Awards comprise 13 individual categories and were created to give the flying public a voice in the passenger experience. The survey is open year-round at www.passengerchoiceawards.com, and passengers are encouraged to vote every time they fly.
"For anyone in the airline industry, this is an exciting time of year. We're very excited to reveal the winners of the Passenger Choice Awards next month at the Awards Ceremony in Anaheim," said Dominic Green, Senior Director, Content Business for Thales and chair of the APEX Awards Task Force. "This program is not just about the past year of hard work done by airlines to improve the passenger experience; it's about showing how airlines are constantly working to raise the bar. It's something to be very proud of."
In addition to the Passenger Choice Awards, the APEX Awards Ceremony will recognize industry innovation and contribution to the industry as part of the Avion Awards.
Passenger Choice Award Finalists are listed alphabetically:
Best Overall Passenger Experience
EMIRATES, ETIHAD AIRWAYS, GARUDA INDONESIA, VIRGIN AMERICA, VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best in Region: Africa
AIR MAURITIUS, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, KENYA AIRWAYS, SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
Best in Region: Americas
AIR TRANSAT, AVIANCA, DELTA AIR LINES, JETBLUE, VIRGIN AMERICA
Best in Region: Asia and Australasia
AIR NEW ZEALAND, CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS, GARUDA INDONESIA, SINGAPORE AIRLINES, PIA, QANTAS AIRWAYS
Best in Region: Europe
NORWEGIAN AIR SHUTTLE, SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES, TAP PORTUGAL, TURKISH AIRLINES, VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best in Region: Middle East
EMIRATES, ETIHAD AIRWAYS, GULF AIR, QATAR AIRWAYS, ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES   
Best Inflight Publication
AVIANCA, GARUDA INDONESIA, GULF AIR, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES, TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Best IFE User Interface
EMIRATES, ETIHAD AIRWAYS, ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES, VIRGIN AMERICA, VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications
EMIRATES, NORWEGIAN AIR SHUTTLE, OMAN AIR, PIA, VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Inflight Video
AIR NEW ZEALAND, EMIRATES, EVA, TAP PORTUGAL, VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Cabin Ambiance
AIR TRANSAT, EMIRATES, SINGAPORE AIRLINES, SWISS, VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Food & Beverage (in conjunction with the International Flight Services Association)
EMIRATES, ETIHAD AIRWAYS, SINGAPORE, SWISS, TURKISH AIRLINES  
Best Ground Experience
AVIANCA, DELTA AIR LINES, EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES, GARUDA INDONESIA, VIRGIN AMERICA
The Avion Awards Finalists are listed alphabetically:
AVION AWARDS: Best in Passenger Experience
American Airlines: Customized GUI
Brussels Airlines: New Long Haul Cabin
JetBlue Airways: Entertainment Guide
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: IFE App
Lufthansa Systems: BoardConnect
The IMS Company: EDGE
Virgin America: Virgin Produced
AVION AWARDS:  Best Achievement in Technology
Delta Air Lines: Demystifying the Checked Baggage Experience
Panasonic Avionics Corporation: eXTV
Row 44: "Live TV inflight to passengers' devices"
While voting for the 2013 Passenger Choice Awards campaign ended on 30 June, the 2014 awards cycle is now underway.

Sourced: TravelDialyNews