Developing new offerings is a delicate balance of concepts and planning, pressed against the reality of passenger behavior. Air Canada took a hybrid approach to build its new IFE/C plan.
PremCat
Hanwha Phasor bails on ESA market
ESA manufacturers continue their work to bring next generation antenna technology to commercial success. This week Phasor appears to have earned the lamentable honor of failing at that goal for a second time.
Intelsat next-gen connectivity goes live
Several months after the first installations completed, the first aircraft with Intelsat’s new inflight connectivity solution is finally serving passengers.
Money or Megabits? Making the case for connectivity business models
Is there a compelling difference between the technologies providing inflight connectivity today? Or is it all about the business case for airlines? LEO v GEO debates continue, while monetization talk continues to shape decisions.
Seamless Air Alliance launches “Viper” QoE monitoring
The Seamless Air Alliance is moving beyond defining standards into developing a monitoring service, dubbed Viper, to help its member airlines track the quality of the internet experience on board.
ThinAir Plus partner picked
In an industry full of poorly kept secrets, confirmation of one has finally emerged. Since teasing the ThinAir Plus antenna concept at Satellite 2023 and confirming it at AIX 2023 ThinKom has been loathe to confirm an ESA antenna partner. Until now.
NEO Space Group ready to make its mark in IFC
It is, most likely, the largest inflight connectivity company you’ve never heard of. But Saudi Arabia’s Neo Space Group (NSG) expects to quickly raise its profile over the year ahead.
American warns supply chain on retrofit plans
American Airlines’ premium cabin updates have slipped to 2025, with a stern warning issued from CEO Robert Isom to suppliers. Plus, no sign of free Wi-Fi anytime soon.
Apcela set to bring SmartSky network back to life
Don’t call it a comeback; Apcela’s run the network for years. And now the SmartSky service, which halted operations on 16 August 2024, is set to come back online.
Taking Intelsat’s next generation LEO inflight connectivity for a ride
Switching over from the GEO satellites Intelsat has been using to deliver inflight internet to the Eutelsat OneWeb LEO constellation, the backbone of the company’s next-generation inflight internet service, was eye-opening.