Emirates and V Australia took home tonight's biggest Avion awards at the annual World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) conference and exhibition, winning for "best overall" IFE among large airlines and "best overall" for small airlines, respectively.

Other regional winners announced at the 21st Annual Avion Award Ceremony in Palm Springs, California were Virgin America for the Americas, Singapore Airlines for Asia and Australasia, Virgin Atlantic Airways for Europe and Emirates for the Middle East and Africa.

The winners were ranked highest by airline passengers in opinion polls administered online in eleven languages by Skytrax; a specialist in airline passenger opinion studies. Skytrax assessed the data collected over a two-month period from 60,000 worldwide passengers who rated their IFE experiences.

Additionally, the WAEA recognized the superior accomplishments of Virgin America for "best single achievement in IFE" and Aircell for the "best achievement in technology" category. These winners were judged by a jury of industry peers and selected for their significant success in each category.

"In its twenty-first year, the WAEA Avion Awards encourages healthy competition and increases the appetite for excellence in the inflight entertainment and communications industry. It is this spirit of competition that drives the industry to higher standards and innovation year after year," says WAEA president Christine Ringger.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news