United Airlines is bringing its 787 Dreamliner fleet to Chicago. The carrier announced today that it will base some of the Dreamliner fleet at its hometown hub and also establish a pilot crew base to support those operations.
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Qantas plans London, New York nonstops to Sydney this year
The first flights for Qantas’s Project Sunrise will depart far sooner than expected. A trio of test flights later this year will help the carrier make smart choices about service patterns, crew rest and whether the program is really viable after all.
Air New Zealand’s first Dreamliner now online
Air New Zealand’s connected aircraft collection expanded to its 787 Dreamliner fleet this week. Aircraft ZK-NZF returned to commercial service after spending the month of June in the shop for the installation and certification of the kit. Like the rest of the carrier’s connected fleet the 787 is online via the GX Aviation satellite solution from Inmarsat.
Melted window grounds a 787
Breaking a brand new airplane never looks good for an airline. Doing it by melting a window out of the fuselage is even worse. Hopefully Turkish can get their first 787 fixed quickly and into service on time.
AirFi announces a trio of new customers
Portable wireless IFE vendor AirFi secured three new customers in recent weeks, extending its leading role in the market. Air Arabia, Air Seychelles and Bamboo Airways will all fly the company’s kit, bringing entertainment services to passengers on board.
Gulf Air selects Thales, Inmarsat GX for 787-9, A321LR connectivity
Gulf Air’s newest aircraft will feature inflight connectivity from Thales InFlyt, powered by the Inmarsat GX Aviation platform. The companies announced the deal today covering twenty five planes that will fly on longer routes.
Hawaiian Airlines selects Adient, Collins for 787 seating
When the Hawaiian Airlines 787s enter service in 2021 they will feature an all-new cabin design for the carrier. The new lie-flat business class seats will be provided by upstart Adient Aerospace while the economy class cabin will be fitted by Collins Aerospace.
Neos chooses Viasat for Dreamliner connectivity
Little deals matter, too. Italian leisure carrier Neos is the latest carrier to choose an inflight wifi connectivity solution. The carrier picked Viasat’s Ka-band system to operate on its trio of 787 Dreamliners.
A few firsts on Juneyao’s premier Dreamliner
Adding a new type to an airline’s fleet is interesting in its own right. China’s Juneyao Airlines added the 787-9 Dreamliner last week and it is more significant than most similar expansions, both for passengers and China’s aviation industry growth.
Pitching inflight wifi to NEOS: A look at the options
How does an airline go about comparing the inflight wifi connectivity options available on the 787 Dreamliner? Lots of contract details about pricing and delivery timeframes are certainly critical, but occasionally the data is summed up into two slides in a briefing deck. For Italian charter operator NEOS the contest settled between Viasat and Panasonic Avionics back in 2017. It appears the carrier chose neither vendor, but the summary of the positioning from the two finalists is intriguing.