The past few years have not been easy for top leadership at Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) . Following a bribery scandal in 2017-2018 the company brought in many new executives, including CEO Hideo Nakano and CTO David Bartlett. Nakano departed that role in November 2019, replaced by Ken Sain. PaxEx.Aero has also learned that Bartlett is no longer with the company.
IFE
Swiss completes A340 retrofit with updated IFE/C suite
Passengers on the Swiss International Air Lines A340 fleet are now guaranteed to fly with the company’s newest product. The carrier announced this week that the fifth and final aircraft completed its retrofits and returned to service.
Air Canada launches A220 flights
Air Canada inaugurated service on its new A220-300 today, the latest carrier to bring the type to passengers.
American’s Oasis 2 removes IFE screens
No one really liked the American Airlines “Oasis” retrofit. Fortunately a new version of that interior will be flying soon but it comes with a major change on the IFE front: no more screens on board!
China Eastern takes an interesting angle for new premium seating
Putting flat bed seats in single-aisle aircraft is hardly a new phenomenon. As the planes fly farther and passengers appear willing to pay for increased comfort that trend will likely continue, with seat manufacturers continuing to innovate in the space. Or, perhaps, taking a step backwards from time to time.
ZIPAir brings a basic cabin configuration to life
Fully flat beds are coming to the Asian LCC market in mid-2020. But that’s about the only thing exciting in the new ZIPAir cabin configuration unveiled last week. And some of the finer details straddle the line between disappointing and concerning.
Evelop taps Inflight VR for premium passenger entertainment
Some passengers on Spanish leisure carrier evelop! have a new inflight entertainment option on board. The Turista Plus (premium) cabin on the carrier’s A350s is now stocked with InflightVR headsets to help entertain passengers traveling between Spain and the Caribbean.
Air France to swap A380, A340 fleets for A350 with expanded order
Air France will add ten more A350-900 aircraft to its fleet in the coming years, supporting the retirement of its A380s and A340s. The deal will help the carrier to simplify its operations and deliver a more consistent passenger experience across its long-haul operations.
Putting AirAsia’s new GX WiFi to the test
Deploy quickly and work out the bugs along the way. That’s not a typical approach to anything in the aviation world, and for good reason. But for AirAsia’s GX Aviation WiFi deployment that’s the plan, even if it means some hiccups along the way, as were experienced during a recent demonstration flight.
Astronics inks deal for deeper access into China
Doing business in China means finding a local partner to help build relationships. Astronics now has just such a deal to facilitate bringing its IFE/C hardware into what will soon be the largest aviation market on the planet.