Lufthansa’s new Sleeper’s Row – a blocked set of seats – takes flight as a modest upcharge for economy class passengers on the carrier’s longest routes.
Seats & Cabin
JetBlue’s Surprise & Delight: A321LR goes domestic
JetBlue’s brand new A321LR will be carrying travelers to London in two weeks, but it entered commercial service a bit early. The aircraft will fly from JFK to Los Angeles on 27 July as flight B6 1723, a “surprise and delight” service to help with crew familiarization. Future similar test flights should be expected.
Cathay Pacific A321neo brings many firsts to market
With its inaugural flight A321neo to Shanghai-Pudong on 4 August, Cathay Pacific will break through a number of milestones, particularly around in-flight entertainment and connectivity services.
Mirus adds in-house crash testing facility
Designing and building a new, market-leading seat design is no easy feat. Mirus Aircraft Seating will soon be able to perform another portion of the process in house. The company received a grant to build the largest commercially available aircraft seating test facility in the UK. The facility is expected to enter service in July 2022.
British Airways brings back on-board food sales
It turns out that most travelers do not know what they want as a snack more than 24 hours prior to their travels. British Airways appears to have learned this lesson as the carrier will enable in-flight ordering from its buy-on-board menu for departures from its Heathrow base.
United plans snack, drink pre-ordering option
Looking to ensure that your preferred snack box or beverage is available on board? United Airlines passengers traveling in economy class will soon have that option as the company rolls out a pre-order pilot program.
United bets big on premium traffic rebound with 270 plane order
It is the largest new aircraft order in United Airlines’ history and one of the largest single airline orders ever. United will add an additional 270 planes to its backlog, taking it over 500 single-aisle aircraft on order.
Swiss Premium Economy to fly from Spring 2022
A new premium economy product is coming to the Swiss long-haul fleet. The carrier announced the new cabin – including increased space, baggage allowance, and other benefits – with plans to equip the 777-300ER fleet in the months ahead.
Lufthansa brings back A346s, confirms first class for Munich A350s
The big seats up front matter a lot for Lufthansa. The carrier, citing “growing premium demand, for business as well as leisure travel,” will “temporarily” reactivate five of its A340-600 aircraft for the Summer 2022 season to help fill that need.
Qatar Airways launches 787-9 with new business class, economy improvements
The new Qatar Airways 787-9 formally enters service this week. The carrier will introduce the aircraft, including updates to both the business and economy class cabins, on key routes to to Europe and Asia.