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.
Etihad
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.
Etihad Economy Space delivers extra leg room
Etihad Airways wants to give passengers a bit more comfort on board. The new Etihad Economy Space offering delivers extra leg room for economy class passengers at a relatively low price. All ten of the A380s will carry the new product by December 2018.
Loyalty Live: A peek inside the Blockchain-Loyalty world
“Tokenized cryptorewards” and other buzzwords flew around the room at Loyalty Live in Chicago last week. Fortunately the hype was (eventually) countered by a bit of loyalty program reality. Blockchain will not save or even truly transform loyalty programs. But it has a role and we were fortunate to discuss that for 20 minutes on stage.
Etihad-Emirates combo: Hyperloop to the rescue?
Reports out this week have Emirates and Etihad once again circling around a potential merger. The politics behind such a deal are interesting but the airport terminal issues are massive. And Hyperloop might be the answer, a solution just crazy enough that it could work.
Finding détente in the airline-GDS cost battle: Air France/KLM and Amadeus make peace, progress
Peace is possible between the airlines and GDS platforms! Air France/KLM and Amedeus agreed to waive distribution fees in some cases, benefiting passengers in the near term. But it is the longer term plans around NDC content distribution that hold real potential for an improved passenger experience.
More, better and cheaper wifi in the sky!
More planes are flying with wifi than ever before. Added bonus: It is generally more useful and cheaper, too! Some great data out in the 2018 edition of the Routehappy wifi report, released this week.
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 […]