Australia’s Rex Airlines is now online in the sky. The carrier officially activated the 2Ku satellite internet offering from Intelsat on its fleet of 737-800s. And, to help acquaint passengers with the service, WiFi is free on board for the rest of November.
Frontier bails on Newark, blames high operating costs
Frontier Airlines is pulling out of Newark. Just two years after it arrived, hot on the heels of Southwest’s withdrawal, the ultra low cost carrier says the economics of continuing operations in Newark no longer make sense. Washington-Dulles will also lose service as part of the company’s shift.
Mobile’s drive for a downtown airport, debt-free
Just how crazy is the idea to shift commercial flights from the out-of-town airport to the in-town option? When the airport authority for Mobile, Alabama first reached out to the FAA the agency did not really believe the city was serious.
AERQ launches AERENA, promises airlines IFE revenue boost
Is it an in-flight entertainment system or an advertising and retail shopping platform? For the team at AERQ, the new AERENA platform very much appears to be both.
American Main Select focuses on business travelers in economy class
American Airlines plans a revamp of the marketing for its high frequency, business-focused routes in 2022. Along with shedding the “American Shuttle” branding, the carrier will expand what it considers high-frequency business markets and add a new fare type, dubbed Main Select.
Viasat, Inmarsat to merge, creating connectivity behemoth
Consolidation finally arrived to the in-flight connectivity world, and it arrived in a massive way. Viasat agreed to buy Inmarsat in a deal valued at $7.3 billion. Subject to typical regulatory and closing conditions, the companies hope to close the transaction in the second half of 2022.
Gogo sees LEO as part of its future
Gogo reported its first quarterly profit in history on record service revenues in Q3 2021. And the company is not slowing down. Executives continue to push the potential for future growth opportunities, both terrestrial and satellite-based, while also still talking down competitive inroads.
Ethiopian, Aero HygenX partner to deploy UV-C cabin disinfection
An autonomous robot may soon be part of the aircraft cleaning process. Ethiopian Airlines Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Aero HygenX outlining a plan for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of the autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot: RAY.
Aegean activates WiFi with Inmarsat’s EAN
Aegean Airlines is the next customer for Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network. The Greek airline installed the hybrid satellite/terrestrial in-flight connectivity solution on at least four aircraft so far, with one known to be active.
flyDubai launches HAECO Eclipse business class seat
flyDubai launched the HAECO Eclipse business class seat over the weekend, bringing the new product to life and adding diversity to its 737 MAX 8 cabin layouts.