Iberia will shift to a revenue-based earning scheme for its loyalty program at the end of November. British Airways will soon follow.
Iberia
Iberia taps Recaro for new A350 business class suites (with doors!)
Iberia’s next generation of A350 aircraft will offer business class suites, including a sliding door for privacy. Recaro will provide the seats for the carrier.
British Airways completes EAN in-flight connectivity rollout for short-haul fleet
Nearly three years after the infrastructure build-out completed and two years after the service launched on aircraft, British Airways completed the installation and activation of the Inmarsat/Telekom EAN in-flight connectivity offering on its short-haul fleet.
Aer Lingus approved to join Oneworld TATL joint venture
Aer Lingus received tentative approval from the US Department of Transportation on Monday to join the Transatlantic OneWorld Immunized Alliance joint venture. The ruling, pending final approval and a similar order from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), will allow Aer Lingus to fully participate in the coordination of fares and scheduling with American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and OpenSkies.
Immfly to take over inflight portal management for IAG airlines
For inflight connectivity, entertainment and commerce the portal is king. IAG and Immfly are teaming up to give the portal a boost across their fleet.
IAG snaps up Air Europa to boost Latin American operations
Consolidation continues in the global aviation market, this time delivering a shift in transatlantic services. International Airline Group announced this morning its intentions to buy Air Europa. The Spanish carrier will become part of the Iberia operation within IAG though remain an independent brand, at least to start. The deal is valued at 1 billion euro and full integration is expected by 2025.
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
Vueling gets online with Inmarsat’s EAN connectivity
Flying an LCC in Europe no longer means being disconnected while in the sky. IAG’s Vueling operation soft-launched inflight wifi connectivity delivered via the European Aviation Network (EAN), powered by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom, on five of its aircraft earlier this month. Vueling is the third EAN airline and the first LCC with the service.
PaxEx Update: 19 July 2019
United Airlines has new seating plans for its 787s, EgyptAir has a sleek looking new A220 and OneWeb has connectivity in space. Plus a big financial hit for Boeing and a soft-launch for IAG.
Oneworld’s digital backbone seeks ancillary revenue boost
Oneworld’s digital backbone middleware hopes to extend beyond the basics in the coming year, offering its members the opportunity to also sell services, not just give them away. Is this the solution to the interline ancillary revenue problem??