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.
GX Aviation
Lufthansa Technik dives in to the Chinese inflight connectivity market
Announcements related to inflight connectivity in China are hard to process. Vendors continue to sign agreements and push out releases but forward progress in terms of getting hardware on planes remains stalled. This week Lufthansa Technik (LHT) joined the field with an announcement of an offering for airlines in China. But, like the others, it is unclear what the timeline for implementation will be or where things will go from here.
Counting Challenges: PaxEx Update 11 October 2019
How much is too much for the 737 program in a single week? And is there an end in sight for the shifting of loyalty programs away from loyalty? Plus, inflight wifi and a premium play for mid-haul travel.
Get all the details on this week’s top PaxEx stories inside.
A slow inflight wifi transition for Vietnam Airlines
Yes, Vietnam Airlines (re)activated wifi on some of its A350s last week. No, it is not the high-speed offering many are claiming, even if that might be coming eventually.
A swanky new product for Starlux that doesn’t match the market
Upstart Taiwanese carrier Starlux plans to fly early in 2020 and finally unveiled details on its first aircraft configuration. It is a swanky offering that beats the competition, but at what cost?
Ethiopian evolves on payments, connectivity
Airlines often talk about “meeting consumers where they are” to help drive sales. Digital sales channels are changing the way those interactions occur and for some carriers the pace of that change is dramatis. Ethiopian Airlines recently took a significant step on this front, opening up new digital payments options in two key markets.
Slot jockeying and Wifi Deals: PaxEx Update for 2019-09-20
Jockeying for more access to Heathrow and more fast wifi flying lead this week’s PaxEx news, with a new livery and loyalty program buy-back also making waves.
AirAsia’s WiFi upgrade goes live on Inmarsat’s GX Aviation
AirAsia’s inflight wifi upgrade is finally underway. The first few planes are now flying with the Inmarsat GX Aviation kit on board. Fleet-wide rollout is expected in about a year.
PaxEx Update: APEX EXPO
Trade shows usually make for great insight into the future of the industry. This week’s APEX EXPO brought some of that to the surface, with news about seats, entertainment, connectivity and more. Here are some highlights.
Viasat extends its SAS reach with long-haul planes
Viasat’s high-speed inflight wifi connectivity will soon fly farther on SAS. The two announced a deal at APEX EXPO this week for two new types to be retrofitted with the Ka-band connectivity solution. Unlike the current short/mid-haul SAS fleet these planes are intended to fly transatlantic routes with the Viasat hardware on board.