Seoul – Korean Air has been recognized for its leadership in digital transformation and service excellence, earning the 2025 Future Travel Experience (FTE) APAC Pioneer Award and two 2026 APEX Best Awards at the FTE APEX Asia Expo 2025 in Singapore.
The FTE APAC Pioneer Award honors the top 10 airlines and airports driving digital innovation in the Asia-Pacific region. Korean Air was recognized for its AI Contact Center (AICC), a cloud-based platform developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that supports service agents by summarizing calls and suggesting real-time responses to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Korean Air was also commended for expanding its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) business into AI-based autonomous flight and mission execution. Its collaboration with U.S. defense technology firm Anduril to co-develop autonomous UAVs was highlighted as a model of cross-industry innovation.
In a statement, Future Travel Experience (FTE) said, “Through strategic partnerships, workforce upskilling, and a forward-thinking approach to automation, Korean Air is reshaping the future of flight – uniting data, AI, and innovation to deliver smarter operations, stronger resilience, and exceptional customer experiences.”
In addition to the APAC Pioneer Award, Korean Air received Best in Cabin Service and Best in Food & Beverage honors at the 2026 APEX Best Awards for the East Asian region. In September, the airline was also named Best Cabin Service overall and earned the Five-Star Global Airline rating for the ninth consecutive year.
The APEX Awards are based on verified passenger feedback collected through the global travel app TripIt from over one million flights across more than 600 airlines worldwide.
