The Up Front

The Upgrade: open access passenger experience podcasts

Business EN ↓ 12 episodes

This podcast feed includes all our open-access episodes, bringing you industry insights into the passenger experience and the airline industry. All episodes in this feed are free to listen, thanks to our sponsors and industry partners. For more, including our critical industry intelligence for passenger experience professionals, subscribe to our Premium or Business tiers — theupfront.media/subscribe — and check out our full podcast feed, “40,000 Feet”.

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The Up Front

Episodes

AIX26: The Chain, episode 9: updating seats and cabins, material upgrades, and additive manufacturing, with LHT and Boltaron 03.07.2026 26:02

We reflect on the state of the industry — and its supply chain — post-AIX, focussing on parts, retrofits, materials and certification, with Lufthansa Technik’s Christopher Eyser and SIMONA Boltaron’s John Inman

Accessibility with Mary Doyle, plus the RedCabin summit 01.06.2026 40:44

With cabin accessibility improvements such a focus at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, we sit down with accessible aviation and inclusion consultant Mary Doyle in advance of this summer’s Aircraft Cabin Innovation Summit

The Chain, episode 8, live from AIX: ACS UK and Boltaron discuss customisation and certification within the cabin 20.05.2026 27:33

Elizabeth Payne from ACS UK and Michael Robinette from Boltaron sit down live with us at the Aircraft Interiors Expo for a wide-ranging talk, covering everything from design to materials science… and how to improve ITCMs

AIX26: Wrapping up AIX 2026: an extra-length strategic overview 16.04.2026 58:33

John Walton and Gareth Edwards analyse the biggest splashes of the show, key industry discussions and trends, as well as picking their top seats, cabins, demonstrators, concepts and more as the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026 finishes its final day.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 7: Diehl Aviation’s CEO talks standardisation and customisation within the supply chain 12.04.2026 23:07

Tier 1 supplier and integrator Diehl works across many parts of the aircraft interiors supply chain, and its chief exec Jörg Schuler sits down to talk about standardisation, coordination — and the risks of letting the urgent overwhelm the important.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 6: scaling up the seat supply chain and facing another industry crisis, with Mirus Aircraft Seating 11.04.2026 26:27

Fresh off a win for 230 shipsets of its Kestrel ultra-lightweight slimline seat for easyJet, Ben McGuire, Marcus Williams and Adam Challenor join us on The Chain for a very up front discussion of the supply chain from the seatmaker perspective.

#AIX26: Preview special 10.04.2026 49:46

Where the industry stands going into the Aircraft Interiors Expo, including the spread of "basic business class", plus tips for first-time attendees — and our exclusive preview of urgent tactical questions and important strategic issues to think about at the show

AIX26: The Chain, episode 5: the warp and weft of the airline textiles supply chain, with Botany Weaving’s David Lawson 07.04.2026 29:57

One of the most customisable and highly design-focussed aspects of seats and cabins, textiles work differently from much of the interiors supply chain. David Lawson from Botany Weaving joins us on our limited-run podcast series, The Chain.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 4: the thermoplastics supply chain fundamentals with SIMONA Boltaron's Chris Corona 03.04.2026 25:57

Ahead of the 2026 Aircraft Interiors Expo, we return to our limited-run podcast series, The Chain, to talk about one of the essential elements of any airline seat: thermoplastics. Joining us this week: Chris Corona, Boltaron's vice president of aerospace strategy.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 3: how the aircraft interiors supply chain can work better, with tangerine's Weiwei He 26.03.2026 21:50

Translating new seats and cabins from designer concept to production and certification reality — the latest of our special limited-run podcast series, The Chain, ahead of the 2026 Aircraft Interiors Expo. Our guest is tangerine director Weiwei He.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 2: surfaces and materials in the interiors supply chain, with Insperial’s Alexis Gabillon 20.03.2026 21:08

We explore the complexities of the supply chain for seats, cabins, and interiors in the latest episode of our special limited podcast series, ahead of the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Our guest this time: Alexis Gabillon, CEO of Insperial Group.

AIX26: The Chain, episode 1: airline perspectives on the interiors supply chain, with David Kondo 13.03.2026 25:58

The first episode on our special limited series, The Chain, delving deep into the often-creaking supply chain for seats, cabins, and interiors, in the run-up to the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026. We sit down with David Kondo to discuss the challenges — and prospective solutions — from the point of view of airline customers.