Some Delta Air Lines passengers will soon spot a new first class seat on board. As the A321neo joins the fleet starting later in 2020 the carrier will introduce a brand new design for the premium cabin on board, with better privacy, more space and other benefits.
IFEC
Ch-ch-changes atop Panasonic Avionics
The past few years have not been easy for top leadership at Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) . Following a bribery scandal in 2017-2018 the company brought in many new executives, including CEO Hideo Nakano and CTO David Bartlett. Nakano departed that role in November 2019, replaced by Ken Sain. PaxEx.Aero has also learned that Bartlett is no longer with the company.
ThinKom touts low-drag advantages in push for regional jet connectivity
Getting high-speed satellite-based internet service on to regional jets has proven an uphill battle to date. Antenna manufacturer ThinKom hopes its Ka2517 solution can help. The company released details of a study this week confirming its antenna can fly on smaller fuselages without dramatically increasing drag.
SITAONAIR expands digital services scope with GTD Air Services acquisition
After partnering in the development of a digital weather awareness platform for pilots SITAONAIR announced this week that it will acquire GTD Air Services, bringing the operation fully in-house. The deal give a significant boost to the SITAONAIR Digital Day of Operations application portfolio. And tying it to inflight connectivity makes all sorts of things work better.
Swiss completes A340 retrofit with updated IFE/C suite
Passengers on the Swiss International Air Lines A340 fleet are now guaranteed to fly with the company’s newest product. The carrier announced this week that the fifth and final aircraft completed its retrofits and returned to service.
Eutelsat KONNECT successfully launched
More Ka-band capacity should be online soon. Eutelsat’s KONNECT satellite successfuly launched last week and is now raising to its geostationary orbit location to serve Europe and North Africa. ANd that could be good news for Viasat as well.
Gogo to increase inflight capacity with Hispasat’s Amazonus Nexus satellite
When it comes to delivering inflight connectivity capacity demand in the the Americas and North Atlantic remains massive. Gogo aims to cover that challenge through significant capacity contracts with multiple service providers. The latest deal brings multiple gigahertz of throughput on the Amazonas Nexus satellite slated for launch by Hispasat in the second half of 2022.
Air Canada launches A220 flights
Air Canada inaugurated service on its new A220-300 today, the latest carrier to bring the type to passengers.
Understanding the latest SmartSky delay
Last week’s confirmation that SmartSky is delaying activation of its new high speed air-to-ground network to Q2 2020 is somewhat disappointing. But understanding why the schedule slipped should provide better clarity for the company’s customers and investors with respect to future expectations of the service. CEO Haynes Griffin provided those details to PaxEx.Aero.
American’s Oasis 2 removes IFE screens
No one really liked the American Airlines “Oasis” retrofit. Fortunately a new version of that interior will be flying soon but it comes with a major change on the IFE front: no more screens on board!