The Business of Passenger Experience
No network? No problem!
SmartSky’s next-gen ATG network remains delayed, but the company continues to work on the software offerings that will run on the new communications backbone once it goes live. SmoothSky turbulence avoidance is the latest such offering.
Gogo’s AVANCE business aviation platform received an entertainment boost this week with the launch of the Gogo Vision 360 platform.
The summer looked good for Astronics. The company saw green shoots of a recovery and was ready to resume its production of components for aircraft manufacturers and interiors suppliers. But as the summer came to a close so did that hope of a quick return to 2019 levels of production. And with the 737 MAX still grounded the company finds itself in what CEO Peter Gundermann describes as a “pretty tough” place.
The Airbus A220 now has a new brand option. The ACJ TwoTwenty brings the type more firmly into the business jet segment. The TwoTwenty offers a flexible cabin catalogue, addressing the requirements of the heavy and long-range business jet customers.
Modern aircraft generally are designed with many redundancies built in. Testing and managing what happens when those systems both fail, however, does not always get sufficient attention. And in the case of the Pilatus PC-24 a dual failure on a data communications bus led to some interesting results in flight.
New Pilatus PC-24 buyers can now choose to have the AVANCE L3 inflight wifi solution from Gogo installed at the factory. The type joins the PC-12 NGX in holding STCs for installation and Pilatus offering as a line-fit solution to customers.
Less than three years after the product first took flight, Gogo’s business aviation division reached the 1,000 units installed milestone on its AVANCE L5 inflight wifi connectivity solution. More than 325,000 flights have operated with the system installed since Q4 2017 when the upgraded ATG wifi system became available.
Astronics is ready to move beyond the AeroSat antenna challenges of years past. In today’s quarterly earnings call CEO Peter Gundermann exuded confidence in the potential for the company’s latest partnership, with SES and Collins Aerospace, for a tail-mount solution to fly on larger biz jets.
‘Tis the season for restructuring in the aviation world. And for one supplier a deal years in the making may finally be on the horizon.
Improved wifi offerings from multiple vendors leads this edition of the Weekly Wrap, while an option for more accessible lav access is our feature interview. Plus lots more!
