A pair of executive moves atop satellite connectivity providers could alter the landscape a bit. Both Inmarsat and Intelsat saw changes this week, with one departure and one new arrival.
IFE
Panasonic Avionics’ Welcome Aboard Collection offers improved cabin safety designs
Passengers and airlines alike have different priorities these days. With those new needs in mind Panasonic Avionics (PAC) reviewed its broad range of offerings, pulling together a focused set of services and products dubbed the Welcome Aboard Collection to help airlines navigate the shifting landscape and reinforce customer confidence.
OWG picks Bluebox for streaming IFE
Holiday makers on Canada’s newest airline will have movies and TV shows available on their flights to Cuba this winter. OWG, an offshoot of Nolinor, signed a deal to fly the Bluebox Wow streaming IFE kit on board.
Southwest going app-free for IFE
Watching movies and TV on Southwest Airlines is getting a little easier. The carrier’s inflight entertainment portal, powered by Global Eagle’s Airtime platform, no longer requires a dedicated mobile application for consumers to stream content on board. The DRM-protected content can instead be consumed in the web browser of the devices.
AERQ brings new IFE solution, cabin digitalization to market
Airlines now have another option for delivering inflight entertainment to passengers. AERQ, a joint venture of LG and Lufthansa Technik, is bringing its new cabin digitalization platform to market and already has at least one airline signed up as a customer.
Global Eagle’s connectivity business shines as content falters
Global Eagle quietly released its Q2 2020 earnings last Friday and the numbers are bad. But, in at least one context, not nearly as bad as they could have been. Somehow the company’s global connectivity business segment managed to eke out a positive margin for the quarter.
Time is running out for Global Eagle’s financial restructuring
Global Eagle bought itself a few extra weeks. Literally. The company missed an $11 million interest payment on 9 July but negotiated an extension to the end of the month before it will be considered in default on the loan.
Connections and Connectivity: The Weekly Wrap
This week we’re talking about a big new partnership connecting passengers JetBlue and American Airlines, as well as how Middle East Airlines will be getting connected with Panasonic Avionics.
The "new normal" of travel: FlightPlan survey reveals industry expectations
Traveling by air today brings a new set of challenges and concerns for passengers, but the means to address them remain scarce. A survey conducted as part of the Inmarsat/APEX FlightPlan event earlier this year reveals what industry executives believe the future holds. And follow-up conversations with some of those parties reveal how it might even get paid for.
Ka-band inflight connectivity goes live in China
New product launches are rare and a successful one in China even more so. But Qingdao Airlines now has Ka-band inflight connectivity online, powered by China Satcom, FTS and Gilat.









