The race to bring the first aircraft online in India took an interesting turn in recent weeks. While SpiceJet has talked about its plans to add the GX Aviation system from Inmarsat to its new 737 MAX aircraft other players have been less public about their efforts. But installations are underway to deliver a fleet-wide solution, potentially within a year.
Main Content
Qatar Airways picks Gogo for connectivity upgrade
Chalk up a big win for Gogo as it adds Qatar Airways to its roster of connected airlines.
PaxEx Update: FTE Asia edition
AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
PaxEx Premium News
Global Eagle signs with Turkish Airlines for inflight connectivity
Adding more than 100 Turkish Airlines planes to its inflight connectivity backlog is good news for Global Eagle. Perhaps more significant, however, is the potential for additional program growth that come from the partnerships it established to secure this Turkish Airlines deal.
Gogo talking Ka as growth opportunities abound
For a company that is now mostly known for its Ku-band inflight connectivity offering the idea of bringing Ka-band services online in parallel may appear somewhat incongruous. But for Gogo, the news out this morning that it is pitching Ka-band solutions to potential customers is, according to CEO Oakleigh Thorne, more about holding fast to its plans.
United Airlines’ 50-seat RJ refresh will not include IFE/C…Yet!
With the United Express ERJ-145 slated for a full interiors refresh starting in early 2020 is now time for entertainment and wifi to also take flight on the company’s smallest jets? It seems likely, even if that bit was not supposed to be public just yet.
IFEC
A new player in the race for inflight WiFi over India
The race to bring the first aircraft online in India took an interesting turn in recent weeks. While SpiceJet has talked about its plans to add the GX Aviation system from Inmarsat to its new 737 MAX aircraft other players have been less public about their efforts. But installations are underway to deliver a fleet-wide solution, potentially within a year.
Qatar Airways picks Gogo for connectivity upgrade
Chalk up a big win for Gogo as it adds Qatar Airways to its roster of connected airlines.
PaxEx Update: FTE Asia edition
AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
AirFi streaming IFE goes live on Batik Airways
In April AirFi announced that its streaming entertainment solution would be installed across hundreds of aircraft in the Lion Air group. This week that service went live on the Batik Air arm of the operation.
Global Eagle signs with Turkish Airlines for inflight connectivity
Adding more than 100 Turkish Airlines planes to its inflight connectivity backlog is good news for Global Eagle. Perhaps more significant, however, is the potential for additional program growth that come from the partnerships it established to secure this Turkish Airlines deal.
Airlines, Airplanes & Airports
PaxEx Update: FTE Asia edition
AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
Norwegian declares itself "fully funded through 2020 and beyond"
Norwegian’s financials, or potential lack of such, have raised eyebrows in the aviation world for some time now. Hoping to put those fears to rest – and continue selling seats as it heads into the traditionally slower winter season – the carrier announced the closing of a ~$275 million financing round. The company declared, “After the completion of the transactions, Norwegian is fully funded through 2020 and beyond based on the current business plan.”
Melbourne scores its first long-haul service with TUI UK
TUI’s latest play in Central Florida opens up a new gateway to Orlando. There’s just one small problem: It is not in Orlando. But maybe that doesn’t really matter??
Come PLAY in Iceland: Another new airline launches in the wake of WOW Air
A new low cost carrier is set to fly in Iceland. PLAY airlines intends to launch sales before the end of the year, connecting passengers between Keflavik and European destinations. The company expects to expand to North American destinations in Spring 2020, using Iceland as a hub to connect passengers between the two continents.
IAG snaps up Air Europa to boost Latin American operations
Consolidation continues in the global aviation market, this time delivering a shift in transatlantic services. International Airline Group announced this morning its intentions to buy Air Europa. The Spanish carrier will become part of the Iberia operation within IAG though remain an independent brand, at least to start. The deal is valued at 1 billion euro and full integration is expected by 2025.
Seating & Cabin
Austrian updates seat selection with 3DSeatViewVR
Passengers who can see what they’re buying are more likely to spend extra for more legroom and other seating improvements. That’s the theory Austrian Airlines is working with as the carrier announced the introduction of a 3D preview during the seat selection process. The new service is available today on the airline’s website for flights operated on its Boeing 777 fleet.
Recaro’s iSeat brings the connected cabin to life on TAP Air Portugal
Some TAP Air Portugal seats are getting smarter. In partnership with aircraft seating giant Recaro the airline installed its first ever “intelligent seat” product in the cabin of a TAP A321. The economy class BL3530 seat is equipped with numerous sensors to gather data on seat performance and generic behavior during flight. The trial with […]
Lufthansa to cut inflight service on long-haul routes
Feeling peckish towards the end of a long flight? On most airlines a second meal typically shows up an hour or two before landing. For economy and premium economy class passengers on Lufthansa, however, the hot meal will no longer be provided. That’s just one of the changes – mostly bad for passengers – rolling out later this month
Loyalty
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
MilePlay: Inside the numbers of United’s loyalty gamification & personalization push
Personalization and gamification. If you’re running a loyalty program these are key considerations that drive member engagement and incremental revenue generation. It is hard to judge the results from the outside looking in, but United Airlines opened up recently, sharing the success of its MilePlay promotions.
Aeroplan seeks a hybrid loyalty solution with program relaunch
Aeroplan is coming home and Air Canada has a LOT of big ideas on what that will mean for the future of its loyalty program. The program won’t relaunch for members until late 2020, but significant changes are already underway to lay the groundwork for the new program. Mark Nasr, AC’s Vice President, Loyalty & eCommerce, recently spoke with PaxEx.Aero to review some of the changes that members can expect to see.
PaxEx Update
PaxEx Update: FTE Asia edition
AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
Live from the CRJ550: PaxEx Update 25 Oct 2019
United’s newest aircraft type takes flight this week and the CRJ550 interior really is as special as the company has been hyping. Airbus orders and Boeing delays plus some fancy new wifi and upgraded airports on the horizon. Another busy PaxEx week.
Sunrise Stretch: PaxEx Update 2019-10-18
The beginnings of Project Sunrise and extra leg room for the Kiwis. Plus more wifi (maybe) coming in China and another loyalty top tier moves further away.
Get these stories and more in this week’s PaxEx Update.
Counting Challenges: PaxEx Update 11 October 2019
How much is too much for the 737 program in a single week? And is there an end in sight for the shifting of loyalty programs away from loyalty? Plus, inflight wifi and a premium play for mid-haul travel.
Get all the details on this week’s top PaxEx stories inside.