El Al, Astronics, and Viasat joined the dubious group of in-flight connectivity installations causing damage to aircraft last week. As a result, hardware must be removed from the planes to avoid catastrophic failure.
737-800
KLM launches short-haul in-flight connectivity with Viasat
KLM’s short-haul WiFi service went live this week, just under six months after the carrier announced plans to update the fleet. The first two aircraft with the Viasat Ka-band satellite connectivity officially activated for passengers, with a free week before the regular, three-tier pricing plans kick in.
KLM selects Recaro SL3710, BL3710 for short-haul fleet
The Recaro SL3710 economy class seat is ready to fly. KLM represents on only the launch customer for the new seat, but also the first time Recaro will fly on an Embraer jet. KLM selected it for installation on the 737-800, E190 and E195-E2.
China Eastern takes an interesting angle for new premium seating
Putting flat bed seats in single-aisle aircraft is hardly a new phenomenon. As the planes fly farther and passengers appear willing to pay for increased comfort that trend will likely continue, with seat manufacturers continuing to innovate in the space. Or, perhaps, taking a step backwards from time to time.
American grounds 737s due to overhead bin issues
American Airlines grounded fourteen of its 737-800 aircraft today after discovering an issue with recent retrofit work. An “issue with the quality of work conducted on overhead bins” was discovered on two of the planes.