It was a busy week for United Airlines where the biggest news may have been lost in the shuffle. It isn’t as sexy as lie-flat seating but the new Aspire economy class seats now flying deliver some real improvements for passengers. And one significant drawback, too.
Airbus
Alaska Airlines gets its Gogo 2Ku on
The newest delivery to Alaska Airlines entered service last week with a special addition on board. Ship N927VA, an A321neo, is now flying throughout the Alaska Airlines network with Gogo’s 2Ku inflight internet service installed. This is the first Alaska Airlines aircraft to operate with the kit.
S7 seeks smaller Sukhoi SuperJet
A new, smaller SuperJet is in the works from Russian manufacturer Sukhoi. The move helps Russian airline S7 expand its fleet of home-grown aircraft but could also contribute to an interesting competitive framework to the Airbus/Boeing duopoly.
Qantas to "flex" A380 cabin
Can Qantas squeeze a dozen(ish) more seats in its A380s without hurting the passenger experience? The Airbus A380 Cabin-Flex program aims to deliver precisely that, with retrofits starting in mid-2019. Here’s how it will work…
Bunk beds on board: The new plan to make economy class travel comfortable
Passenger want long flights in economy class to be more comfortable. Airlines want more money from passengers. Surely a bunk beds option meets that need. And it probably will eventually. Just not this version, at least not yet. And probably not for the reasons you’re thinking.
American’s 787 order: Big win – with challenges – for Boeing
American’s move to the 787 for its fleet refresh is a big win for Boeing and a blow to the A330neo program. But does it also pose challenges for Boeing’s NMA?
Astronics new USB power takes flight on TUI’s 737 MAX 8
Even LCC passengers need power on board. TUI is meeting that need with Astronics’ new UltraLite USB outlets, installed as part of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 deliveries. All sorts of good PaxEx news in this deal…
When even the boss doesn’t like cabin densification
Does management hate the new JetBlue galley/lav setup as much as passengers? It sure sounds like it from the CEO, though that didn’t stop the company from doing it anyways, so…
Seamless Air Alliance hopes to deliver frictionless inflight connectivity
What will it take to deliver a truly frictionless inflight wifi connectivity experience to passengers? The newly formed Seamelss Air Alliance, backed by big names including Delta Air Lines, OneWeb, and Airbus, hopes to develop standards and processes that make the connection and billing process flow smoothly throughout the aviation connectivity ecosystem. That could be a huge win if it works.
Shifting gears: Gogo’s push to connect more passengers
What good is having an inflight wifi connectivity product if no one is using it? Gogo sits flush with satellite capacity and is pushing to increase take rates (and revenue) up dramatically on its platform.
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