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.
Seats & Cabin
Acro seats selected for Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines
Score another customer for the Acro’s slimline seat portfolio. Ukrainian LCC and charter operator SkyUp Airlines will fly the Acro Series 3 Ultra on its fleet of 737 NG planes connecting Kiev to the region.
Air France picks ECOS for bigger bins on A320 family
Air France passengers will soon find more overhead bin space on board. The carrier announced its intention to retrofit 40 A320s and 11 A321s with the”Efficient Cabin Open Space” ECOS bins from Safran. Air France is the first customer for Safran’s new product.
JHAS picks up a customer, launches a new seating line
Even older planes deserve a refresh inside from time to time. And sometimes that can mean a new product launch as well. This week Italian upstart aircraft seating manufacturer JHAS announced that Tayaran Jet will be the launch customer for its new Aurora 2.0 economy class seating concept.
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.
United’s new CRJ550 seats on sale this weekend
Go big or go home! United Airlines is launching its newly configured CRJ550 type on 15(!!) routes at the end of the month, with tickets on sale this weekend.
A swanky new product for Starlux that doesn’t match the market
Upstart Taiwanese carrier Starlux plans to fly early in 2020 and finally unveiled details on its first aircraft configuration. It is a swanky offering that beats the competition, but at what cost?
British Airways, Airbus helping to develop lighter premium cabin seats
Another UK-based, F1-inspired aircraft seating company?? It isn’t a formal business yet, but this consortium signed on a few big names this week, including British Airways and Airbus, to help develop new premium cabin offerings for airlines.
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.
On board the new JetBlue A321neo
What’s it like to fly on JetBlue’s newest A321neo? Come along on board as I put it through the paces.