Ethiopian Group CEO Mesfin Tasew confirmed that the carrier’s oldest 787s are due for a cabin refresh; lie-flat beds and upgraded IFE are in the works.
787-9
Hawaiian unveils Leihōkū Suites for 787s
Hawaiian Airlines will bring a new premium cabin to the market when its 787s take flight. The carrier formally unveiled its Leihōkū Suites for its business class passengers, part of a long-haul revamp for the airline.
Austrian confirms Dreamliner future
Austrian Airlines will retire its 767s and 777s, transitioning to the 787 Dreamliner for long-haul operations. The first new 787 will join Austrian’s fleet in Summer 2024.
Air India’s major order: A first step in rebuilding, but not the most important one
Air India, now under new ownership, has grand plans for growth. And now it has a line on aircraft to fulfill those goals. The carrier (finally) announced Letters of Intent for 470 planes, plus 70 options, from Airbus and Boeing in a blockbuster move.
Recaro selected for Lufthansa long-haul economy seating refresh
Recaro will provide the economy class seats for Lufthansa’s new “Allegris” cabin refresh program. The company announced it secured the order for nearly 24,000 CL3710 and CL3810 seats to equip just under 100 Lufthansa and Swiss planes. The first seats will be delivered in Q4 2022.
American launches Flagship Suites, retires Flagship First
Flagship First Class is dead. Long live the Flagship Suite. American Airlines will introduce a new Flagship Suite seat to its long haul fleet from 2024. With that move, the carrier’s Flagship First class cabin will be no more.
Qatar Airways picks Inmarsat GX for Super Wi-Fi service on 787s, MAX 10s
Qatar Airways is not shy about shifting providers to make sure the services offered meet its standards. That the carrier shifted suppliers on for inflight WiFi on the 787-9 fleet to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation hardware on board is perhaps even more notable.
Qantas returns to New York City, via Auckland
Qantas is poised to return to New York City from mid-2023. But rather than connecting in Los Angeles, as was scheduled prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, passengers will now connect in Auckland before the 16 hour trip to JFK.
Additional details, images for Air New Zealand’s new Business Premier Luxe, SkyNest seats
After five years of design and development work, the new Air New Zealand business class cabin is expected to formally launch this week. This includes the new Business Premier Luxe offering in the bulkhead row, and SkyNest sleeping bunks for economy class passengers
Lufthansa adds 787-9s as 777X delivery delays drag on
With delivery timing on its 777X fleet still uncertain, Lufthansa is turning to the 787-9 to help backfill missing capacity. The carrier added seven new passenger aircraft to its order book, while also expanding its Boeing freighter operations.