JetBlue passengers flying on domestic routes will not have to choose whether they want to purchase carbon offset credits or not going forward. The carrier announced today that it would take on that burden beginning in July 2020. The carrier will also ramp up the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from the middle of the year, beginning with flights departing San Francisco.
British Airways
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
Vueling gets online with Inmarsat’s EAN connectivity
Flying an LCC in Europe no longer means being disconnected while in the sky. IAG’s Vueling operation soft-launched inflight wifi connectivity delivered via the European Aviation Network (EAN), powered by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom, on five of its aircraft earlier this month. Vueling is the third EAN airline and the first LCC with the service.
British Airways, Airbus helping to develop lighter premium cabin seats
Another UK-based, F1-inspired aircraft seating company?? It isn’t a formal business yet, but this consortium signed on a few big names this week, including British Airways and Airbus, to help develop new premium cabin offerings for airlines.
Virgin Atlantic’s incredible–and almost certainly impossible–plan to grow at Heathrow
Virgin Atlantic wants to grow at London’s Heathrow airport. A lot. This is no secret, of course. The carrier has strongly endorsed a third runway at Britain’s busiest airport for years, hoping to secure a significant boost to its landing slots portfolio should that finally come to pass. This week the company translated that drive into maps, hoping to generate public support for its plans. There’s just one problem: It is almost certainly impossible for Virgin Atlantic to deliver what it is suggesting.
A Hong Kong Surprise: PaxEx Update (16 August 2019)
A surprise twist in the Hong Kong protests as Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg resigns. Plus RFID for bags, VR for passengers and new aircraft types launching service soon. A busy week with plenty to uncover in this edition of PaxEx Update!
Virtual reality entertainment gets more funding, more inflight trials
Virtual reality as an inflight entertainment option continues to attract investors and airlines. Inflight VR and SkyLights made news this week on that front, with new cash and inflight trials secured.
PaxEx Update: 19 July 2019
United Airlines has new seating plans for its 787s, EgyptAir has a sleek looking new A220 and OneWeb has connectivity in space. Plus a big financial hit for Boeing and a soft-launch for IAG.
PaxEx Update: 12 July 2019
Sweet new premium cabins and another step towards free wifi for passengers top the headlines for this week’s passenger experience news.
Hackity hack, pay that back
Travel companies (along with nearly everyone else) have spent the past several years talking up how important and valuable the data they collect about passengers is. This week two of them saw huge penalties announced for failing to protect that data. Big rewards availalbe down the line, but big risks along the way.