The beginnings of Project Sunrise and extra leg room for the Kiwis. Plus more wifi (maybe) coming in China and another loyalty top tier moves further away.
Get these stories and more in this week’s PaxEx Update.
Emirates
AeroMobile adds Thai, UAE partners to inflight cellular roaming
Easier access to inflight connectivity is now available to cell phone subscribers on du in the UAE or TrueMobile in Thailand, thanks to preferred roaming agreements signed with AeroMobile in recent weeks.
The Polar Connectivity Push
Emirates issued a press release touting inflight connectivity over the North Pole, which is interesting since none of the carrier’s aircraft can deliver that today and the service from Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network won’t exist until 2023. But perhaps there’s more involved in the story??
Gulf Air selects Thales, Inmarsat GX for 787-9, A321LR connectivity
Gulf Air’s newest aircraft will feature inflight connectivity from Thales InFlyt, powered by the Inmarsat GX Aviation platform. The companies announced the deal today covering twenty five planes that will fly on longer routes.
Jet Airways halts operations, continues to seek funding
Maybe it is temporary, as the airline claims. More likely it is a permanent situation. Without money or a coherent plan for recovery one thing is clear: Jet Airways is no longer an operating carrier.
Emirates Skywards, Loyyal bring blockchain loyalty to life
A new era is here for loyalty programs as blockchain-based partner integration comes to life. The fact that the implementation between Emirates Skywards and Careem doesn’t really need to be a blockchain solution is a big part of what makes this so special.
End of the (assembly) line for the A380
It is huge. It is (generally speaking) more comfortable for passengers. It is spectacularly quiet on board. And as of 2021 no more will be built. Airbus confirmed today that it will finally halt production of its A380 super jumbo in two years, once the final 17 frames are delivered. The move comes after reaching an agreement with Emirates to slash the carrier’s order backlog.
PaxEx Premium: Digging into the Thales lawsuit claims
With billions of dollars in contracts at stake perhaps it makes sense that Thales would seek extra help in securing new deals. That it stands accused of failing to pay its partner for that help is less good. That it now also likely faces scrutiny from US and international regulators related to suspicious payment schemes and efforts to influence leaders of foreign airlines is even worse. Welcome to the fun and exciting world of supplier deals in the Middle East.
This content is for subscribers only.
Register
Register
Already a member? Log in here
Thales faces RICO lawsuit around IFEC deals in the Middle East
Is it possible for inflight entertainment and connectivity vendors to do business in the Middle East without suspicion of bribery and fraud? Just a couple years after securing multiple major contracts Thales stands accused of failing to pay a partner it used to facilitate those deals. More than a billion dollars in damages are on the line in the case.
Now more exclusive: Delta pares back SkyClub access
The balance between crowded airport lounges and the incremental revenue realized from selling access reached a tipping point for Delta Air Lines. Effective immediately the carrier no longer sells single visit passes. Annual membership costs will also increase in 2019.