The Business of Passenger Experience
Just how many aircraft carry inflight connectivity hardware? And which kit?? A pair of announcements this week gives greater insight into which kit is where and how the market is shifting, rapidly in some cases. Not that installation number 1000 matters more than number 999, of course. Yet somehow it does. Just a little.
Finnair joins the rapidly growing collection of European airlines offering inflight internet connectivity on its regional flights. Thanks to Viasat and Eutelsat passengers can now connect on some flights with more aircraft coming online over the coming year.
The launch of inflight wifi connectivity on Spirit Airlines presents many questions about the business model associated with that deal. Earlier this month, on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting in Sydney, Dominique Giannoni, CEO of Thales InFlyt, spoke about the arrangement and why just focusing on the contract terms doesn't really answer the bigger questions around how the service will operate and prove profitable to both parties.
Partners are important. But Viasat is not deterred by its lack of partners when it comes to developing the global ViaSat-3 constellation of Ka-band satellite connectivity. Indeed, the wait while searching for a partner on one of the satellites may prove beneficial when it finally launches.
When senior airline executives are willing to trash their vendors in public that's usually bad news for everyone involved. Welcome to the inflight connectivity world, where airlines are almost as unhappy as the passengers struggling to stay online in the sky. Alas, only part of that frustration is grounded in reality.
One lucky 737 MAX 8 BBJ customer will soon be flying with the newest triband connectivity radome available in the business aviation market. The sleek tailmount kit is the latest from Technik’s in-house innovation team, part of a transition the company is making towards developing more cool systems rather than just installing those designed by other companies.
Looking for some quality misinformation about the current state of the inflight connectivity market? A recent marketing video from Inmarsat is a great place to start, assuming you don’t mind a whole lot of misleading details and partial truths.
It worked, exactly as advertised. That was the main takeaway from last week’s media demo flight of the new SAS high-speed inflight internet service on the carrier’s single-aisle fleet. The part where it is free for many passengers is great news, too.
Spirit Airlines will add inflight wifi as it seeks to improve the onboard passenger experience. The carrier's full fleet will carry Thales FlytLIVE hardware by the end of Summer 2019.
New seats, new screens and more live television took flight one JetBlue this week. The first of the restyled A320 planes is now in service, delivering upgraded amenities. And 12 extra seats on board.
