How can you make the loyalty program more relevant for the travelers slowly returning to the skies over North America? Points and travel are not a compelling as they were last year, but American Airlines is hoping that its AAdvantage members will consider spending some of their account balance to gain a bit of extra comfort and privacy during their travel day through the Five Star Services program.
Ground Services
Slot swappin’ – How New York operations could shift for American Airlines and JetBlue
When the deal was first announced JetBlue and American Airlines chose to keep quiet about potential slot swaps at New York City’s airports. With some time now passed, however, both sides are sharing more. And – pending regulatory approval – it is clear that they have big plans together.
Air Canada revamps services as Maple Leaf Lounges reopen
The buffet is out while masks are in. Air Canada begins the reopening its Maple Leaf Lounges this week with a new set of rules and services for passengers.
SITA, NEC partner for touchless airport experience powered by your face
Touchless travel is top of mind for passengers today. Most developments on that front are for limited scenarios, such as just bag drop or just flight boarding gates. SITA and NEC want to change that through a new partnership launched today. The pair will integrate NEC’s I:Delight identity management platform with SITA Smart Path and SITA Flex to enable a secure walk-through travel experience from curb to aircraft.
The "new normal" of travel: FlightPlan survey reveals industry expectations
Traveling by air today brings a new set of challenges and concerns for passengers, but the means to address them remain scarce. A survey conducted as part of the Inmarsat/APEX FlightPlan event earlier this year reveals what industry executives believe the future holds. And follow-up conversations with some of those parties reveal how it might even get paid for.
July’s magic: The Weekly Wrap–3 July 2020
As the calendar rolled over to July the global aviation community saw significant wins. Borders reopened, airlines resumed or increased flight levels. And, perhaps most exciting, lounges are reopening, too. Get details on that and lots more in this edition of The Weekly Wrap
Qantas lounges reopen in Australia, inflight wifi service resumes
Qantas will reopen eleven of its airport lounges to kick off the month of July as travel and venue restrictions ease across Australia. The lounges shuttered on 23 March owing to government restrictions. The reopened lounges will welcome fewer passengers owing to new capacity limitations, and operate slightly differently than they did earlier this year.
JetBlue plans to outsource airport operations at (more) smaller destinations
The cost cutting continues for airlines. Federal payroll subsidies will end on October 1, 2020, and with that the requirement to keep the current staffing levels. For JetBlue this translates into a decision finalized this week to contract out for staffing at some of its smaller stations. In a letter to airport employees on Tuesday […]
Air travel is bouncing back: Can the trend hold??
The restart is on. While the past few weeks have seen offerings and traffic slowly begin to rise this week the pace is clearly shifting, with the US and Europe hitting a number of milestones.
Going digital with APEX Experience: The Weekly Wrap-12 June 2020
This week we’re going behind the scenes with the APEX Media team to talk about the latest issue of the APEX Experience Magazine, the first all-digital edition in history. Plus Delta’s new plans for inflight connectivity, more connecting options and a way to zap diseases on board with UV-C light.