Your fancy new suitcase might not be welcome on an American Airlines flight starting in January. The company is banning “smart” suitcases in the cargo hold if the battery is installed. That’s great from a safety perspective but also introduces a ton of challenges for an upstart #PaxEx industry in what should be its break-out holiday season.
Seats & Cabin
Joon expands ahead of inaugural operations
Air France’s Joon subsidiary launches operations tomorrow. The company showed off its aircraft interiors today and announced new destinations for the not-quite-LCC and also not-quite-really-Millennial-targeted services.
Virgin Atlantic’s 787 woes continue
Virgin Atlantic’s 787 fleet will be grounded longer than expected. The carrier cannot get its Rolls Royce Trent-1000 engines replaced quickly enough and is now set to lease additional aircraft to fill in the shortfall. This means a decidedly different passenger experience for some flights and routes.
Details Emerge on Lufthansa’s new Business Class Seat
Lufthansa released more details on its new Business Class seat launching on the 777X fleet in 2020, plus changes to the existing offering, starting in 2018.
American Airlines highlights Basic, Premium successes
Is Premium Economy or Basic Economy a bigger deal for American Airlines? The short answer is “yes” though President Robert Isom offers some interesting stats to consider about the profits the company is seeing from the two products today and where they are expected to go.
Lufthansa shows off new Recaro CL6710 business class seats for 777X
Catch a glimpse of the new Lufthansa Business Class seat set to fly in 2020 on the 777X fleet. The carrier shared some images today, featuring the new Recaro product.
Transforming the Middle East market with a premium 737
The new flydubai business class cabin is pretty sexy. But expect more than just new seats as a couple hundred 737s are delivered with the beds on board.
Video: The killer app in Emirates’ new 777 First Class Suite
The luxury in Emirates’ new 777 first class suites isn’t about the seat or the food. Video steals the show on board, with hints of what the industry will (eventually) be like for everyone.
Putting Delta Premium Select to the test: The Inaugural Flight
The introduction of Delta Premium Select may be the most significant change the carrier has seen in a decade or more. Here’s how the product fared on its inaugural service. Plus tons of photos!
Power Up! Astronics to acquire Telefonix
Consolidation is coming in the cabin components industry with Astronics set to acquire Telefonix for $104mm in cash. The two companies product lines are largely complementary, covering in-seat power, passenger service units, seat actuators, inflight connectivity components and more.