Removing nearly 30% of the seats from an aircraft is guaranteed to make the remaining product a more comfortable experience. Still, until United Airlines opened up its new CRJ550 to passengers over the weekend it was not clear just how much better the on board passenger experience would be. This plane is a big win, and not just for first class passengers.
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.
Premiums poised to skyrocket as Eutelsat investigates anomaly in new 5B satellite
Eutelsat‘s recently launched 5B satellite suffered an incident related to one of its two solar panels. The company issued a brief statement on Thursday indicating it “is working to assess the potential impact on the performance of the satellite and will communicate on it as quickly as possible.” The satellite is slated to replace Eutelsat […]
Hawaiian pushes off inflight WiFi decision
Hawaiian Airlines will add inflight wifi to its fleet. Eventually. But not particularly soon. CEO Peter Ingram does not believe the technology is sufficiently mature to serve his airline’s customers, but has he missed out on viable solutions already on the market?
Norwegian scores a funding boost from China
Norwegian found $1.5bn to help cover short-term aircraft costs thanks to a Chinese partner. The deal dramatically reduces CapEx for the next four years, an important win as the company seeks to shore up its books.
Spirit picks Airbus–again–for a significant fleet boost
Spirit Airlines has big growth plans on its mind. The carrier announced a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus today to add 100 A320neo family aircraft to its order book, more than doubling the fleet by 2027.
Doha aims to complete new airport, copy Changi
More gates. More fancy art. A water feature and garden that look surprisingly familiar. These are just a few of the updates slated for Hamad International Airport in Doha as it seeks to complete its terminal build out.
SES, Thales, Thinkom raise the bar on inflight connectivity performance with GEO/MEO blend
Blending GEO and MEO satellites delivers a hybrid of coverage, performance, and cost that is hard to beat. SES, Thales, HughesNet, and Thinkom are on the cusp of delivering a commercially-viable solution in this space.
Delta’s plan to arrive on time: Leave early!
With runway construction ongoing at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and taxi times longer than normal Delta Air Lines is turning to creative approaches for improving on-time performance. Some 45 airports will aim to have flights depart five minutes early at least through the end of the month.
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.