The beginnings of Project Sunrise and extra leg room for the Kiwis. Plus more wifi (maybe) coming in China and another loyalty top tier moves further away.
Get these stories and more in this week’s PaxEx Update.
Airplanes and Airports
JetBlue, Norwegian aim to link route networks in 2020
JetBlue and Norwegian intend to establish an interline agreement, allowing passengers to transfer more easily between the two carriers on a single ticket. But the partnership leaves many questions and questionable value for travelers, at least to start.
United plans more seats per departure with fleet renewal
United Airlines wants to get bigger. The carrier has plans to expand its fleet in the coming years but it also wants to get more seats in the sky per flight. And it wants to accomplish that without adding more seats to the existing aircraft. It is a somewhat complicated challenge, but if things go right United expects 3% more seats per departure on average a year from now.
Counting Challenges: PaxEx Update 11 October 2019
How much is too much for the 737 program in a single week? And is there an end in sight for the shifting of loyalty programs away from loyalty? Plus, inflight wifi and a premium play for mid-haul travel.
Get all the details on this week’s top PaxEx stories inside.
An NMA alternate: Boeing’s potential 767-X
What happens when you take an existing, reasonably successful aircraft type and just add new engines? And what if Boeing does it again to launch the 767-X, shelving the NMA program in its wake??
Ethiopian evolves on payments, connectivity
Airlines often talk about “meeting consumers where they are” to help drive sales. Digital sales channels are changing the way those interactions occur and for some carriers the pace of that change is dramatis. Ethiopian Airlines recently took a significant step on this front, opening up new digital payments options in two key markets.
Hawaiian, JAL come up short on anti-trust immunity plans
Hawaiian and JAL had grand plans to coordinate their operations between Asia and Hawaii. The US DoT has other ideas. The ATI application was denied this week, citing insufficient benefit to passengers.
Shaking things up – PaxEx Update: 2019-09-27
A mega investment shakes up the aviation landscape in the Americas while biometrics continue to grow globally and a new type brings major improvements (and minor cuts) for a growing airline.
LATAM takes Delta’s cash, bails on American, Oneworld
A major shake-up is underway in the Americas as LATAM bails on its long time partner American Airlines in favor of a significant financial investment (and JV that is more likely to get through the courts) from Delta Air Lines.
Hawaiian Airlines Basic Economy goes live; $30 increase to pax
The airline will insist that the move is about increasing options. But Hawaiian Airlines launched its Basic Economy fares in three markets today, resulting in a $30 fare increase to passengers.