Welcome to the PaxEx Update for 5 July 2019, bringing you biggest headlines on what’s changed for passenger experience in the past week.
economy class
Delta upgrades long-haul economy dining experience
Departure cocktails and mix-and-match choices are common features of premium cabin dining. Delta Air Lines is extending those concepts to its economy class passengers starting this November in a major shake-up for its meal service.
Forget the names: Mitsubishi wants its new interior to win over customers
The new name – it is now officially the SpaceJet M90 – does not really matter for the future of the MRJ. But a new interior and revised scope-compliant model might just be enough to win over customers for the manufacturer.
A Staggering Certification: Molon Labe’s S1 cleared by FAA
Development complete. Customer contract signed. And now, another huge milestone as Molon Labe’s “S1” staggered short-haul economy seat receives FAA certification for use on commercial aircraft. The certification is the culmination of eight years of research, simulation and testing.
Getting comfortable with 28" pitch
Is there such a thing as a comfortable airline seat pitched at 28 inches? Scant few passengers would answer that question in the affirmative, but seating manufacturers are getting creative in their efforts to make it at least not miserable.
JetBlue plans 140 seats, Boston base for A220 launch
The A220 will join JetBlue’s fleet in 2020 and the company revealed some details on its role and layout this week in an internal strategy briefing.
Virgin Atlantic’s new A350 cabin delivers upgrades nose to tail
“There are new planes and then there are Virgin Atlantic new planes.” That’s the tag line the carrier used this week to introduce the cabin of its new A350-1000, set to fly at the end of the summer. The entire interior gets a refresh, with updated seats, entertainment and connectivity systems. Virgin Atlantic takes advantage of technology to refresh […]
RAVE reviews for Inflight Bluetooth pairing from Safran
Ready to pair your wireless headphones in flight? This week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg one vendor showed off its working prototype, expected to fly cabin-wide with airlines in Q3 2020.
Hawaiian Airlines selects Adient, Collins for 787 seating
When the Hawaiian Airlines 787s enter service in 2021 they will feature an all-new cabin design for the carrier. The new lie-flat business class seats will be provided by upstart Adient Aerospace while the economy class cabin will be fitted by Collins Aerospace.
Qatar Airways upgrades economy class seating, amenities
More legroom and upgraded IFE/C systems highlight the new Qatar Airways economy class experience, premiering on the new A321neo fleet later this year. The seat design may attract some complaints, however, based on similar, previous efforts by others.