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PaxEx Premium: LEO connectivity testing reaches new heights

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Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations promise higher capacity and lower latency for connections. They also bring significant challenges, mostly owing to far more frequent satellite switching to maintain a connection. Add in an airplane moving though the sky and the complexity increases further. Multiple vendors are now moving through the testing process, with plans to deliver functional solutions as early as 2019, well ahead of the satellite constellations being ready for such connections.

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Bringing IoT to flight: Sensors, alerts, payments and more from APEX EXPO 2018

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Is the Internet of Things finally set to fly in passenger airline cabins? After years of hearing how it will revolutionize the passenger experience travelers might finally start to see some benefits of such programs. Or, if things go to plan, never see the changes at all, even as the improvements take flight.

Finnair ends free trial, rolls out wifi charges

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Finnair’s new short-haul wifi solution, powered by Viasat, is no longer free. The carrier ended the introductory trial period for the service this week, bringing a split-tier performance and pricing model into play.

PaxEx Premium: Does Spirit have a secret for selling wifi?

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Outgoing Spirit Airlines CEO Bob Fornaro is no stranger to the inflight connectivity world, even if his current airline is a late adopter of such services. Fornaro oversaw the fleet-wide deployment of connectivity at AirTran. He saw the value it could deliver and the pains that poor performance and limited availability caused for passengers and the airline. Now he wants to bring a new model to market and lead the connected ULCC revolution, starting with the Thales kit installed on his company's fleet. Will this secret sauce work?

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Now boarding: Bluetooth audio connections

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After years of insisting it would not fly two inflight entertainment companies delivered great news for travelers last week: Bluetooth headphones integration on inflight entertainment systems will be available to airlines very soon. Both Panasonic Avionics (PAC) and Zodiac Inflight demonstrated the solution at the recent APEX EXPO in Boston.

PaxEx Premium: Digging deeper on the Inmarsat/Panasonic strategic partnership

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After ten months of negotiations Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics unveiled a strategic partnership late last month. The news hit just prior to APEX EXPO, a major trade show where executives from both companies fielded questions. Answers were provided but uncertainty remains about exactly what the new partnership will deliver on some fronts.

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Another tiny lavatory preps for flight on American Airlines

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Sick and tired of tiny airplane toilets? The news out of Aircraft Interiors Expo this week in Boston (collocated with APEX EXPO) probably won’t improve that feeling. Diehl Aerospace showed off its 31″ lavatory for the A320 family of aircraft, soon to be retrofit on American Airlines airplanes.

Air France Connect brings inflight wifi live on board

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Air France Connect, the company’s inflight wifi connectivity service, is officially online. After months of testing the Gogo 2Ku kit is now available to passengers on a Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft. Air France expects to have 22 wide-body planes installed and active by the end of 2018 and the full fleet online by the end of 2020.

Ka-band inflight connectivity to take flight in China

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Two private airlines in China will soon fly the FTS XStream-SAT inflight wifi connectivity system, delivering wifi to passengers and cabin crew. This is the first solution to operate on the Ka-band spectrum over China. The service will operate on the ChinaSat-16 satellite, launched in May 2017. The first deal involves Qingdao Airlines, a private […]

PAC picks up an IFEC a pair

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Panasonic snagged a pair of IFE/C deals this week, adding 20 aircraft to the backlog. These are still Ku connectivity contracts, not yet taking advantage of the new InmarPAC partnership announced last week.