Gogo released their year-end numbers this week and with them their annual 10-K SEC filing. While I find most of the content of those filings pretty boring I also usually seem to find one or two nuggets of interesting news in there. This time around that interesting bit comes in the form of some details […]
Delta
About Delta’s narrow-body fleet “enhancements”
Look for 225 Delta narrow-body aircraft to see updates over the next three years. The move is the latest by the carrier in an effort to upgrade their fleet and provide a more consistent experience for their passengers. It represents the culmination of a multi-year effort to upgrade the interior of nearly all their mainline […]
Gate-to-gate wifi: Coming soon, but someone has to pay for it
Now that personal electronic device use is permitted gate-to-gate on the bulk of flights in the USA (and most of the rest should be on board soon) the question becomes what about gate-to-gate connectivity? When will travelers be able to use WiFi throughout their trip rather than only above 10,000 feet? Alas, the answer isn’t […]
Bundles of unbundling
The airlines have been quite vocal about the “value” they can provide to customers by unbundling services and making them available a la carte throughout the travel experience. It is better for the customer to pay only for what they use, right?? And then, not surprisingly, came the new bundles. Rather than the old bundles […]
Comparing the players in the “Transcon Wars”
With all the moves recently (and there have been a lot, even before JetBlue‘s mini-suite unveiling yesterday) in the transcon premium cabin market I started thinking about just where the different airlines were in terms of competing with each other on various aspects of the service. The data I have here is compiled from a […]
How competition is working in favor of the passenger experience on certain US domestic routes
There are plenty of tales lamenting the race to the bottom in amenities and service for passengers in the United States. But that is not the entire story. Indeed, there are some markets where competition amongst carriers is working to increase the options available to travellers. Not only are there more choices now in these markets, the offerings are getting better.
Elite Rewards from American Airlines: Compelling at every tier but not unique
Looking for some useful perks in an airline loyalty program above and beyond the normal elite tiers? American Airlines has a rather compelling offer out this year in the form of their 2013 Elite Rewards program (registration required!). The concept – extra perks earned at various milestones – is not a new one but the […]
Qantas pulls the plug on in-flight internet; Etihad commits to fleet-wide connectivity
Nine months after activating a satellite-based internet service on their A380 fleet flying between Australia and the United States Qantas shut down the service this past weekend. Apparently usage was not sufficient to justify the costs of operating the systems. In a statement the airline indicated that the usage rate was less than 5 percent over […]
Delta signs on with Gogo for international wifi service
Delta has announced plans for expanding in-flight internet deployment to their international fleet, taking advantage of the satellite-based offering from Gogo. The implementation will begin in 2013 and should be complete on the company’s 150 wide-body aircraft by 2015. The implementation will leverage the recently announced Gogo partnership with AeroSat and their Ku-band satellite system. […]
Delta to lease AirTran 717s from Southwest
When Southwest bought out AirTran they were quite up front about their desire to get rid of the 717s in their newly acquired fleet. Thanks to a new agreement between Delta and their pilot union, it seems like there is a deal on the table which will allow them to do precisely that. Assuming the […]