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.
Boeing
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.
Handling the 787 Trent challenges
The Rolls Royce Trent 1000 Package C engines power nearly a quarter of the global Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. And they all need extra inspections. Here’s how a few airlines are dealing with the disruptions to their operations.
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…
Engine selection “core” to Boom Supersonic’s success
Supersonic is sexy as hell for marketing but it is also hard to accomplish. Powering the aircraft is proving to be one of the bigger challenges for Boom Supersonic as no current engine model meets the company’s needs. Can an existing “core” solve those problems? Company CEO Blake Scholl seems to think so, though he also appears dependent on getting new engines faster than Boeing can for its NMA. So that’s an interesting set of circumstances.
Emirates drops some business class middles seats
Emirates is finally getting rid of its middle seats in business class. At least a few of them. On some planes. And also scrapping first class on that sub-fleet at the same time. So, is that really a win??
Icelandair joins the 737 MAX family; IFC missing to start
Icelandair is the latest carrier to join the 737 MAX family. The carrier took delivery of its first MAX8 today and will press it into service just a few weeks hence. That may hamstring the inflight connectivity experience for passengers, unfortunately.
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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Can Norwegian conquer London’s business travel market?
New planes, new inflight services and additional frequencies are all part of Norwegian’s plan to grow in London, seeking to siphon off the premium customers from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and others. But the carrier faces an uphill battle. Can it succeed?