Customer Experience

QubicaAMF, ROLLER Launch Unified Platform for Bowling Venues

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QubicaAMF, ROLLER Launch Unified Platform for Bowling Venues

LONDON – September 22, 2026 -- QubicaAMF and ROLLER have entered a long-term strategic partnership and launched Conqueror ROLLER, an all-in-one management platform already operating at bowling and entertainment centers worldwide. The tool merges QubicaAMF's Conqueror X lane management technology with ROLLER's venue management platform, targeting a $10 billion global bowling industry that draws more than 100 million players annually across 125 countries.

Joint customers report measurable revenue and efficiency gains from the unified system

Lumos in Texas increased its share of revenue generated online by 5.5 times after adopting the joint platform. Queens in London lifted multi-activity bookings by 64%. NIKITO, headquartered in Paris, deployed the system in under three months, with 100% of staff preferring it over previous tools.

EVA Air Wins Three SKYTRAX Titles, Adds Taipei-Delhi Route

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EVA Air Wins Three SKYTRAX Titles, Adds Taipei-Delhi Route

Taipei – September 22, 2026 -- EVA Air secured three No. 1 titles at the 2026 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards -- World's Best Premium Economy Class, World's Best Premium Economy Class Airline Amenities, and World's Most Family Friendly Airline -- while logging 18 Top Ten rankings overall and retaining its SKYTRAX 5-Star Airline rating for an 11th consecutive year.

Carrier sweeps premium economy categories as segment growth accelerates

SKYTRAX CEO Edward Plaisted noted that EVA Air introduced Premium Economy in 1992, positioning the Taiwanese carrier as an early mover in what he described as aviation's fastest-growing cabin category. The airline's win in the family-friendly category recognizes measures aimed at easing travel for passengers with children, according to SKYTRAX.

oneworld Wins 'World's Best Airline Alliance' for Fifth Time

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oneworld Wins 'World's Best Airline Alliance' for Fifth Time

London – September 20, 2026 -- oneworld has secured the title of 'World's Best Airline Alliance' at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, marking its fifth win in the industry's most closely watched customer satisfaction survey.

Skytrax survey draws millions of traveller responses to rank global airline performance

The award, presented in London on September 18, 2026, is based on a large-scale customer satisfaction survey that gathers ratings from millions of travellers on airlines and airports worldwide. oneworld's fifth win cements its position at the top of an award category widely referred to as the 'Oscars of the aviation industry.'

Allegiant Wins Skytrax Best Low-Cost Airline Award Third Year Running

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Allegiant Wins Skytrax Best Low-Cost Airline Award Third Year Running

Las Vegas – – September 20, 2026 -- Allegiant Travel Company (NASDAQ: ALGT) has been named 2026's Best Low-Cost Airline in North America by Skytrax, marking the third consecutive year the carrier has won the title. The airline received the award during Skytrax's World Airline Awards ceremony in London, an event widely regarded as the industry's top honor for customer service.

Skytrax survey counted 24.8 million eligible entries from over 100 nationalities

The rating organization conducted the world's largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to determine the winners, running from September 2025 through August 2026. "We congratulate Allegiant on this fabulous achievement by winning this third successive award as North America's Best Low-Cost Airline," said Edward Plaisted, Chief Executive Officer of Skytrax, citing strong customer recognition of the airline's service standards.

Scailarc, Nokia, Elisa Demo Call Completion Without Answering

Helsinki – September 20, 2026 -- Scailarc, Nokia and Elisa have completed a proof-of-concept demonstrating a first-of-its-kind mobile calling scenario in which a customer completes a service task without ever answering the call, using IMS Data Channel technology and Nokia's Network as Code platform for trusted caller verification.

Customer books fibre installation via visual screen while call rings unanswered

In the demo, Elisa calls a customer about a fibre installation. Unable to speak, the customer views a trusted interactive call screen and selects "Book installation time." Elisa's system registers the customer moving to self-service, and the task is completed immediately without the call being picked up. The call was placed using the new Jolla Phone.

Ontario Airport Ranks No. 2 in J.D. Power Satisfaction Study

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Ontario Airport Ranks No. 2 in J.D. Power Satisfaction Study

Ontario, Calif. – September 20, 2026 -- Ontario International Airport (ONT) has secured the No. 2 spot among North America's medium-sized airports in the J.D. Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study for the second consecutive year, posting a customer satisfaction score of 705, just seven points behind the top-ranked facility.

ONT tops rankings in arrival experience and passenger trust

The airport claimed the No. 1 position in two of the study's key categories: Arrival/From Airport Experience and 'level of trust.' The J.D. Power study evaluates passenger satisfaction across seven dimensions, including ease of travel through the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, and food, beverage and retail offerings.

American Water Taps VertexOne for National Digital Platform

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American Water Taps VertexOne for National Digital Platform

Dallas – September 19, 2026 -- American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the United States, has selected VertexOne's VXconnect platform to power a mobile-first digital customer experience across its 14-state footprint.

American Water serves 14 million customers and will deploy its first-ever dedicated mobile app

The utility, which serves more than 14 million people across 14 states, said the platform will let customers manage payments, view usage and request services from any device. The app marks American Water's first dedicated mobile offering.

VXconnect's modular design allows American Water to scale onboarding as its footprint grows

American Water VP and Chief Customer Officer Matt Prine said the platform's modular architecture allows the company to extend capabilities over time and onboard new customer populations while maintaining consistent service quality nationwide.

QKS Group Names FIS a Leader in 2026 Digital Banking Platform Ranking

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QKS Group Names FIS a Leader in 2026 Digital Banking Platform Ranking

Pune, India – – September 18, 2026 -- QKS Group has named FIS a Leader in its SPARK MatrixTM: Digital Banking Platform, 2026, citing the breadth of the company's Digital One ecosystem and its ability to unify digital, mobile, self-service, and banker-assisted banking channels.

QKS Group cites FIS' unified banking ecosystem as a key differentiator

Analysts Akhilesh Vundavalli and Divya Baranawal of QKS Group said the Digital One platform spans retail and business banking, digital onboarding, payments, customer engagement, branch and teller servicing, and commercial banking. The platform offers API-led connectivity through FIS' Code Connect ecosystem, allowing banks to integrate with existing core systems, fintech partners, and third-party applications without full infrastructure replacement.

ILHA Adds AI ROI, Wellness Sessions to INSPIRE 2026 Lineup

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ILHA Adds AI ROI, Wellness Sessions to INSPIRE 2026 Lineup

Orlando, Fla. – September 18, 2026 -- The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) has confirmed new sessions for INSPIRE 2026, its flagship luxury hospitality conference set for December 15-17 at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa in Orlando.

Executives from Nobu, Microsoft and Honeywell will address AI's actual return on investment

Rodney Linville, Global Head of Information Technology at Nobu Hospitality, will join Shane O'Flaherty, Global Director of Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at Microsoft, and Neha Jaitpal, Global General Manager of Honeywell's Hospitality Vertical, for a session titled "AI at Scale: Building the Business Case for Hospitality." The panel, moderated by ILHA President Barak Hirschowitz, will examine where AI deployments are delivering measurable returns versus where adoption has stalled, and what operators need to move projects from pilot programs to full-scale rollout across teams.

Manulife Names Sarah Chapman Global CMO, Effective 2027

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Manulife Names Sarah Chapman Global CMO, Effective 2027

Toronto – September 16, 2026 -- Manulife has appointed Sarah Chapman as Global Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer, effective September 16, 2026, giving her oversight of brand, marketing and customer experience strategy for a company serving more than 37 million customers worldwide.

Chapman joins Manulife's Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to CEO Phil Witherington

Chapman will lead Manulife's Global Marketing organization and report to President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Witherington. Witherington said the appointment reflects internal succession planning and cited Chapman's track record leading transformation as key to advancing Manulife's goal of becoming the top choice for customers.