Loyalty program changes are a fact of life. And, more often than not, the changes are not so great for program members. At a minimum the users who "optimize" best are negatively affected as those…
Biometrics: Real value or gimmicky crap?
It started in late 2017 with JetBlue and Delta Air Lines. In 2018 British Airways and Lufthansa joined the fun. After years of development and integration testing behind the scenes biometric boarding gates are all…
Innovation rises again for Global Eagle
Global Eagle is "back in the rapid innovation game." That's the message Mike Pigott, VP Products and Solutions sent during a recent conversation at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) 2018 in Hamburg, Germany. With management and…
New direction, new challenges for Gogo: Q1 18…
Repairing the 2Ku systems affected by deicing fluid seepage will cost Gogo north of $25 million in 2018. That unexpected expense is one of a couple setbacks the company announced in its quarterly earnings call…
Emirates (finally) commits to Premium Economy
Passengers still must wait a couple years, but Emirates is finally set to introduce a premium economy cabin on its A380 fleet. In an internal company podcast (fast forward to 11:55 for the PremY chat)…
Interisland service, mainland gateways announced for Southwest’s Hawaii…
Southwest Airlines' planned entrance to the Hawaii market is no surprise. The carrier's reveal today that it will offer inter-island service comes as slightly less expected. Details remain scarce but speaking on Hawaii News Now…
American is "playing to win" with international route…
"We very often don't earn enough cash to cover the price of fuel on the flight." When it comes to making the tough choices about reducing routes this is the sort of obvious trigger point…
JetBlue’s new A320 takes flight
New seats, new screens and more live television took flight this week on one JetBlue A320. The new interior is officially in service. Some three and a half months after the first aircraft ferried to…
"Smart" luggage battery ban claims its first victim
With multiple major airlines banning the transport of "smart" luggage powered lithium-ion batteries as checked bags it was only a matter of time before one of the upstart manufacturers folded. This week we now know…