New cabins on the horizon for economy and business class, short-haul and long; might travel get more comfortable rather than less? Plus some good news for travelers looking to get online in the sky or earn free travel with their points.
A look inside as the MC-21 aims to compete with Airbus, Boeing
The test aircraft are flying. The order book is growing. The Irkut MC-21-300 will compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo for airline customers in the next decade and beyond. And, for the first time ever, we now know what the cabin interior will look like.
A big bet on biometrics-based boarding for American Airlines at DFW
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will soon be home to the largest collection of biometric-based boarding gates of any airport in the world. The news comes as American Airlines launches use of the technology this week at DFW on select departures from Terminal D. While just a few gates are fitted today the airline and airport expect that nearly 75 gates across terminals A, B, C and D will have the systems online by the end of the year.
Another regulatory hurdle cleared for India’s inflight wifi market
Two weeks from now it will be permissible to use WiFi enabled devices on board aircraft in India, assuming the pilot agrees. But that doesn’t mean the systems will actually be available to use.
Much meaning to MAX movements??
Spotting 737 MAX aircraft in the air these days is relatively rare. Boeing continues to run occasional test flights, in addition to moving planes to out of the way airports as it stores new build frames. United Airlines is moving its fleet to Goodyear Airport on the west side of Phoenix, Arizona this in a move that it suggests is tied to storage needs and eventually preparing to return the planes to service. And then there's a single plane flying around northern Canada for some strange reason.
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LATAM focuses on sleep with new Premium Business refresh
Long-haul service on LATAM is refocusing on a better sleep experience as the company introduces a new Premium Business service concept and updated cabin configuration. Flat beds with direct aisle access replace a much more cramped layout on the carrier’s 777-300ER fleet while a new culinary concept and cabin crew protocols aim to provide more comfort and privacy to passengers on board.
Alaska Airlines boosts its California hubs with more Pacific NW routes
The west coast is getting a lot more connected thanks to an expanding Alaska Airlines route map. The carrier is bringing new and expanded service online starting in early January 2020 to connect many of its smaller Pacific Northwest destinations to its hubs at Los Angeles and San Francisco.
United brings Dreamliner fleet to O’Hare
United Airlines is bringing its 787 Dreamliner fleet to Chicago. The carrier announced today that it will base some of the Dreamliner fleet at its hometown hub and also establish a pilot crew base to support those operations.
Frontier makes a major play at Newark
Goodbye, Southwest. HELLO, Frontier! Newark gets a big boost as the LCC aims to fill in the gap left by Southwest’s departure in November. And some interesting scheduling choices to go with that plan.
Gogo closes on $30mm line of credit
Inflight connectivity provider Gogo announced the closing on its previously announced $30 million revolving line of credit today. The move increases the company’s liquidity to approximately $100 million and does so without adverse impact to the stake of its current shareholders.