Wavelengths

Using Net Promoter Score (NPS) to prioritize decisions affecting the passenger experience was a theme during the APEX Expo Educational Sessions earlier this week. From ticket prices and flight reliability to passenger comfort and airport lounge experiences, a multitude of factors influence NPS for airlines. How does inflight connectivity fit into your score, and how can you tie a better Internet user experience to increased brand loyalty?

The APEX Board of Directors Election opens on Friday, August 10 and SmartSky's VP of Airlines, Mary Rogozinski, is running. Learn more about Mary's experience and reason for running below. Have questions? Connect with Mary on LinkedIn to start a conversation about what's next for APEX.

I have a broad range of experience in our industry that I will bring with me as an APEX Board member, including:

• Working in both the airline and vendor communities
• Managing IFEC hardware and IFE content
• Managing inflight entertainment and inflight connectivity programs
• Developing customer products for both airplanes and airports
• Previously serving on the Board, as President and Board member, representing both airline and vendor companies

During the Operations track of the 2018 Global Connected Aircraft Summit, our VP of Digital Solutions, Blane Rockafellow, gave a presentation on "Developing Connected Aviation". He discussed the ways connectivity is transforming the future of aviation, the challenges that lie ahead for the development of apps and services, and how SmartSky's Skytelligence™ technology framework can facilitate "unleashing the value of connectivity."

Paul Sameit is the VP of Commercial and Government Aviation. He is responsible for leading the sales efforts with the airlines and the establishment of relationships needed to achieve Supplemental Type Certificates (STC's) with commercial aviation maintenance and repair organizations and commercial aircraft original equipment manufacturers. Paul is one of the founders of SmartSky Networks, and prior to this position, he was the VP of Accounting and Finance for four years, and the VP of Special Projects for two years.

The Aircraft Electronics Association kicked off its 61st International Convention & Trade Show this morning in Las Vegas, NV. With a full two days ahead, and a sold-out exhibit hall, this year's convention is sure to be a show-stopper.

In February, SmartSky's Business Aviation Team attended SD's Connecting with Customers event in Austin, Texas.  Connecting with Customers (CwC), is SD’s annual technical training and customer appreciation event. The week is always packed with industry updates, continuing education, product training, and showcases SD's latest innovations. It is not only a learning opportunity for participants of the show, but for exhibitors as well.

 Though he joined our team toward the end of 2017, we wanted to introduce you to Krishnan Menon, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Business Development. Learn more about Krishnan in our latest installment of SmartSky's Fast Five!

SmartSky's employees may be scattered across the United States, but we share a common goal: spread joy and help those in need, not just around the holidays.

We are pleased to announce the addition of Victoria Young to our Network Team. Victoria joins SmartSky as a Senior Program Manager, skilled in managing cross-functional teams and programs. We sat down with Victoria for our next installment of Fast Five to learn more about her background, why she's in the aviation industry, and to learn a fun fact!

SmartSky's resident NASA scientist, Dr. Bruce Holmes (Fellow of the RAeS and AIAA), spoke at the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Simulation Conference in London on November 14, 2017. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Holmes' overview presentation titled "Connected, Networked Aircraft and The Future of Air Traffic Management" along with his reasons why this topic is important in aviation and three key takeaways.