Can narrow-band wifi options for inflight passenger connectivity work? Lufthansa Systems pulled the plug on one such program recently, seeking to avoid “pissing everyone off.”
inflight connectivity
Epic Troubles: Satellite failure slashes inflight wifi capacity
What happens when gigabits of capacity goes offline? Passengers and inflight connectivity providers alike are about to find out. Intelsat 29e, the first of the Epic Ku-band High Throughput Satellites, suffered a fuel leak on 7 April 2019, followed by a second issue on 9 April. The satellite is in "safe mode" meaning all customer-facing services are disabled as the operator seeks to address the problems. This represents a significant hit to Ku-band capacity over the Americas and the North Atlantic Ocean.
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Further troubles for Jet Airways: Collapse appears likely
India’s Jet Airways continues towards its demise as the days without new funding drag on. The latest news has critical services cut off and aircraft impounded. Optimism seems a bad choice at this point.
Mahata secures additional funding to support Garuda GX rollout
Mahata Aero Technology (MAT) secured an additional $21 million in funding to help accelerate the growth of its budding inflight connectivity business. MAT is the integrator and financier behind the connectivity contracts for Garuda Indonesia and its LCC arm Citilink. The $21 million cash infusion will “accelerate the installation of inflight connectivity infrastructure in all Garuda Indonesia Group […]
Virgin Atlantic’s new A350 cabin delivers upgrades nose to tail
“There are new planes and then there are Virgin Atlantic new planes.” That’s the tag line the carrier used this week to introduce the cabin of its new A350-1000, set to fly at the end of the summer. The entire interior gets a refresh, with updated seats, entertainment and connectivity systems. Virgin Atlantic takes advantage of technology to refresh […]
PaxEx Premium: India inflight internet intentions
Where and when will inflight internet finally take flight in India. A pair of players – Inmarsat and Global Eagle – are leading the charge to deliver connected aircraft in the region. At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg last week both vendors provided updates on their efforts, with neither appearing likely to fly in 2019.
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PaxEx Premium: A pleasant surprisESA
The only official announcement around electronically steered antennae (ESA) for commercial aircraft this week at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg came from Gogo. And it probably was the least significant ESA story from the show. Instead, a surprise from a different supplier stole the spotlight.
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United’s premium transon fleet gets a Viasat wifi upgrade
Arguably the most premium routes for United Airlines are finally receiving the inflight wifi upgrade they need and deserve.
FlightPath3D crunches big data to improve the moving map
Looking to maximize passenger engagement with an inflight entertainment system? The moving map interface is the best place to start and FlightPath3D released two new options this week to keep travelers entertained while also potentially increasing airline revenue. The company’s moving map interface is already flying with more than 50 airlines and delivers airline-specific data […]
SmartSky, StandardAero secure certification on Embraers
SmartSky took another step forward as it seeks to deliver its ATG wifi solution later this year. Certification on the E135/140/145 family, facilitated by StandardAero, brings JetSuiteX (and potentially others) much closer to flying with the service.