Breeze is ready to take flight. The newest US carrier announced its route network today, serving 39 nonstop routes between 16 cities in the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Eastern US. The airline will waste no time getting its planes into service. The first flights will operate next Thursday, from Tampa to Charleston and then to Hartford.
NBA League Pass to stream on Viasat-equipped flights
Call it a cool inflight content deal, hamstrung by licensing challenges. Viasat and the NBA teamed up to offer streaming access to the NBA League Pass for passengers through a multi-year deal. Just not for travelers in the USA.
Spirit Airlines WiFi goes live*
Spirit Airlines is now online in the sky. The first few planes fitted with the company’s in-flight wifi connectivity offering recently entered service for passenger use, though a formal launch is not expected until later this year.
JetBlue to London now on sale!
JetBlue is finally ready to cross the Atlantic. After years of planning seats are now on sale for the company’s flights between the US and London, though no official word from the company announcing the plans.The (likely?) inaugural flight departs JFK for London Heathrow on 12 August 2021.
Qingdao Airlines reaffirms full-fleet connectivity plan
Qingdao Airlines is ready for a full-fleet deployment of high-speed in-flight internet service. The carrier reaffirmed its commitment to the FTS Xstream™ high-speed satellite inflight system earlier this month, validating the successful implementation of the first aircraft July 2020.
Global Eagle, Telesat push forward with LEO antenna qualification
Global Eagle is moving closer to a Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The company recently cleared a critical milestone in the verification phase for the Global Eagle Airconnect Ka IFC terminal to be used with Canadian satellite operator Telesat’s planned Lightspeed low-earth orbit (LEO) network.
Airbus, Latécoère bring LiFi IFE to the business jet market
LiFi is coming to the Airbus Corporate Jet product line. The company signed an agreement with Latécoère Interconnection Systems to develop The ACJ Smart LiFi Monitor, a new and unique In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) technology.
PLAY secures certification, first aircraft
Iceland’s PLAY Airlines is ready to fly. The carrier received its operating certificate from Icelandic authorities and officially registered its first aircraft. It expects to have three planes in service in the coming weeks.
Airbus resumes Toulouse A320 family upgrades
Airbus is confident in a demand rebound for its A321 single-aisle aircraft. The company is once again moving forward with plans to add capacity in Toulouse to build the type.
OneWeb buys TrustComm, access to the US government market
LEO satellite operator OneWeb announced plans to acquire Texas-based TrustComm Inc., enabling it to offer Low Earth Orbit network and connectivity services to U.S. government clients and TrustComm customers.