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Airline ticket refund site ChangeYourFlight, an Airbus A380 advertising campaign and mobile app Smart BRIEF CABIN have outfought rivals to be numbered among the winners of the Flightglobal Webbies 2011.

The Webbies, now in its fourth year, celebrates the best and brightest in aviation websites and social media activities - and this time includes new and improved categories.

We asked flightglobal.com users to enter or nominate their favourite websites in these categories: best mobile app, a very timely category as people become more dependent on mobile devices and companies realise the potential of apps for product awareness; advertising campaign of the year; best blog; best use of social media; and, of course, best website. 

The judging panel had some tough choices to find the top three in each category from a flood of quality entries.

Here are the winners...

Rex Pemberton's forthcoming documentary 'The Calling' (screenshot above) features Medicine on the Move, a non-profit organisation based in Ghana that uses aviation as a vehicle to provide medical assistance in Ghana and soon, it hopes, in neighboring countries. In that regards it is much like a royal flying doctors service, but Medicine on the Move goes further.

It also aims to teach rural communities about health care, such as by flying in or dropping medical supplies and information.

Although started by Westerners, Medicine on the Move is working towards creating a local aviation industry in Ghana. It has partnered with WAASPS and Aviation Technology Academy to train Ghanaians, and females in particular, how to fly aircraft and perform maintenance.

One young female undergoing flight training says, "I want to fly the plane so that one day I can go to villages and tell them how to use medicine."

It is that sentiment that manifests Medicine on the Move's statement that with aviation they can "change the future of an entire generation".

The trailer is below.

Diplomatic help swayed Gulf Air to purchase 787s instead of A350s

Saudi king wanted Air Force One-style upgrade in exchange for Boeing winning fleet renewal contract

Boeing's unlikely most-favourite nation: Turkmenistan?

That governments directly lobby foreign governments to purchase aircraft from their country is not a secret, let alone one we needed Wikileaks to tell us about.

But the latest aviation-related cables released (which we're following with the #AvCablegate hashtag) should not be disregarded.

They provide insight into the extent of the lobbying, which one US ambassador candidly described as "beyond every-day advocacy".

The cables also indicate this extended lobbying was not a one-off occurrence or that Boeing wants to keep this status quo, but rather Boeing wants to increase the lobbying. An ambassador quotes a letter from Boeing saying, "The working together activity between you, your team, and Boeing is a model that we should really aspire to replicate in other countries."

One cable concerning a Gulf Air purchase of 787s shows that Gulf Air was almost ready to sign a deal, but Boeing brushed them off thinking it was a ploy. It was only with State Department advice Boeing took Gulf Air seriously, flew to Bahrain, and inked a deal. You could half-jokingly say the State Department does everything but manufacture the jets.

While Boeing has received the headlines from these cables (they are from the US, after all), there's no doubt Airbus engages in similar efforts. After hearing Gulf Air was swaying from purchasing A350s to 787s, French president Nicolas Sarkozy offered to add Bahrain to his regional tour if Gulf Air purchased Airbus jets.

Gulf Air went with the 787s in January 2008 and Sarkozy did not visit Bahrain, at which point the cable ends. But that May Gulf Air purchased A330s. With Boeing under-selling the 787, actions that continue to have financial implications for the company, and having to pay Gulf Air delivery delay payments, it's plausible that Airbus wound up with the better deal by selling Gulf Air tried-and-tested A330s rather than the A350.

Finally, the cables give insight into the purchasing, negotiating, and state play that occurs in an aircraft purchase, a high-end deal kept from the public's eyes until the order is announced.

If you're interested in aviation--and being here, I suspect you are--the cables are well worth a read once you put them in context of mainly being informative and not strictly news.

We're still taking it easy for the holidays, so until we resume our normal coverage, enjoy this unique Christmas card video from--who else?--Air New Zealand, the airline known for its quirky videos.

With the holidays upon us we thought we should with you this photo from AirSpace photographer sunshine band. Sunshine Band captioned the photo: "When he is not building toys for good boys and girls, he is de-icing aircraft at Bangor, Maine, USA."

Looking in the archive we can see how Flightglobal used to celebrate the festive period. Here are a couple of discoveries.

1942   the second year of lighthearted breaks in the serious business of wartime aviation

2000 Uncle Roger's festive quiz

After Christmas lunch, why not escape more indulgence by putting your aviation knowledge to the test with this year's Unlce Roger Festive Quiz.

What does a Polish plumber - scourge of his counterpart in Western Europe since European Union enlargement in 2004 - have in common with the rejuvenation of his country's aerospace industry? Find out in this week's Comment piece.