Articles & Commentary

Commentary

Experience and Perspective

Where Innovation Can Lead - Sep 2026 - A personal reflection on the Crystal Cabin Awards, from United Airlines’ 2019 winning submission to joining the judging panel, as the Awards celebrate their 20th anniversary.

IFC Strategy Is Too Important to Be Driven by Herd Mentality - Jan 2026 - Why IFC strategy is rarely a simple choice and how herd behaviour can introduce risk rather than reduce it.

Strategy & Decision Framing

Attention Is Still Optional at 30K Feet - Oct 2026 - Examining whether inflight advertising delivers measurable value for airlines, beyond passenger reach and advertiser recall.

The Future Comes With a Change Fee - Sep 2026 - A retrospective look at the assumptions that shaped 15 years of IFEC strategy, what passenger behavior actually taught us, and why aviation’s long investment cycles make changing direction so costly.

Does no one care about IFEC anymore? - May 2025 - An analysis of IATA webinar survey findings and what they risk getting wrong about inflight connectivity and entertainment.

To customize or not to customize, that is the question - Mar 2024 - A strategic critique on the complexities and trade-offs of customizing IFE/IFEC solutions versus sticking with standardised implementations.

Market Data, Research & Industry Narratives

When Guesswork Flies Higher Than the Planes! - Oct 2024 - Examining how misinformation and AI-amplified guesswork distort IFEC industry understanding and decisions.

Does no one care about IFEC anymore? - May 2025 - An analysis of IATA webinar survey findings and what they risk getting wrong about inflight connectivity and entertainment.

Technology, Rights & Structural Blind Spots

In-Flight Connectivity and Streaming Rights: Why Altitude Shouldn't Change How the Internet Works - Oct 2025 - Responding to the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Global Expo 2025 discussions on why inflight connectivity should not trigger broadcaster-style streaming rights obligations for airlines.

To customize or not to customize, that is the question - Mar 2024 - A strategic critique on the complexities and trade-offs of customizing IFE/IFEC solutions versus sticking with standardised implementations.

Ethics, AI & Emerging Risk

Welcome to the Era of Perpetual Obsolescence - Aug 2026 - AI is moving faster than airlines and IFEC suppliers can absorb it, and that mismatch is becoming the real strategic risk.

There is some content AI should not be training on - July 2025 - Poor-quality IFEC industry content risks corrupting AI training and amplifying misinformation.