WOW Air is dead. Long live WOW Air. The Icelandic LCC is set to be purchased by hometown rival Icelandair at what can only be described as a fire sale price.
Sun Country cuts premium seats, loyalty in quest for higher revenue
Sun Country’s pivot to a ULCC continues unabated. More than a year after the carrier announced plans for a new approach to the market the changes continue. Up next: further cabin reconfiguration and a revamp of the loyalty and co-brand credit card strategy that seem unlikely to make many customers happy.
PaxEx Premium: Second-guessing the Garuda/Inmarsat GX deal
Today's announcement of Garuda's deal with Inmarsat to fit its full fleet with Global Xpress for inflight connectivity came as a surprise to many in the industry. Notable among them, the other vendors still expecting the RFP process to begin in earnest. Was this announcement premature??
Who LUVs free movies in flight??
Southwest Airlines dropped a fee this week. The carrier long offered movies on its flights, streamed to a passenger device, for $5. That content is now free. The new pricing took effect today and is rolling out across the fleet throughout the week.
Garuda goes GX for inflight connectivity
Garuda Indonesia is the latest carrier to get online in the sky. The airline announced today that it will fly Inmarsat’s Global Xpress kit on its fleet, starting with the A330s early next year.
Ethiopian pushes Togo as a gateway to America
Ethiopian Airlines will soon connect Los Angeles with Lomé, Togo. The shift adds just over two hours to the trip between Los Angeles and Addis but also creates significant additional connecting opportunities for passengers and positions Lomé as the new African gateway to the USA.
Airport Status: Canceled – Pulling the plug in Mexico City
The new Mexico City airport is dead. Fulfilling a campaign promise, incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that construction on the project would be halted once he takes office. The move came after the results of a national referendum on the project showed 70% of voters opposed to the new airport. That only one million people voted (of ~90mm registered) in the theoretically non-binding poll seems to not matter. The president intends to scrap the efforts.
Digital billboards coming soon to an airplane cabin near you
Brighter, more open aircraft boarding areas may soon see a new feature installed. Lufthansa Technik and LG Electronics are teaming up to delivery OLED digital billboards to the aero industry, increasing advertising opportunities on board.
Gogo, GOL partner on connected flight deck solutions
GOL Linhas Aereas inked a deal to install Gogo’s Aircraft Data Service, Wireless Quick Access Recorder and Automated Turbulence Reporting on board across its fleet. The Brazilian carrier, already a 2Ku customer, becomes the launch customer for these platforms. The partnership should improve the airline’s operational efficiency while also helping Gogo expand into the connected airframe market.
PaxEx Premium: Fiji Airways gets connected
Fiji Airways is just weeks away from delivery of the carrier's first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. With that delivery the airline joins the ranks of carriers delivering wifi connectivity in the sky. The aircraft carries the necessary hardware for inflight connectivity on board. Official details on the vendor remain unclear but we have a pretty good idea what's under the hump.








