Chalk up another 100 aircraft order for Airbus (plus 60 options). Air France-KLM announced a firm order to refresh the KLM, Transavia, and Transavia France fleets with A320neo family aircraft.
KLM
Azul goes live with free WiFi on board, powered by Viasat
More than a dozen Azul aircraft now offer free in-flight wifi service on board, with plans to surpass 100 fitted planes in the months ahead.
Air France picks WiFi for A220 fleet
Air France selected the 2Ku solution from Intelsat to fit its A220 fleet, adding a bit of variation to the carrier’s connectivity configurations.
KLM unveils refreshed 737-800 interiors
The first of 14 refreshed KLM 737-800s returned to service this week with a brand new cabin interior. New seats, overhead bins, and other passenger-friendly features greet travelers on board.
KLM launches short-haul in-flight connectivity with Viasat
KLM’s short-haul WiFi service went live this week, just under six months after the carrier announced plans to update the fleet. The first two aircraft with the Viasat Ka-band satellite connectivity officially activated for passengers, with a free week before the regular, three-tier pricing plans kick in.
Air France secures €4 billion, (maybe) cedes Orly slots
The French government likely just spent the most money ever on airport landing slots. A €4 billion deal to recapitalize the Air France-KLM group will see a token divestment of operating slots at Paris-Orly airport, assuming a competitor is keen.
KLM takes first E195-E2
KLM’s brand new E195-E2 contains an updated interior that should keep passengers comfortable on board, though questions remain about the full suite of amenities to be offered.
KLM selects Recaro SL3710, BL3710 for short-haul fleet
The Recaro SL3710 economy class seat is ready to fly. KLM represents on only the launch customer for the new seat, but also the first time Recaro will fly on an Embraer jet. KLM selected it for installation on the 737-800, E190 and E195-E2.
KLM selects Viasat for in-flight connectivity
KLM is moving forward with plans to equip its single-aisle aircraft with in-flight WiFi service. The company will install Viasat’s Ka-band satellite connectivity solution on the “majority of its European fleet.”
Cutting connections: Reviewing the connected aircraft retirements
Hundreds of aircraft rapidly retired from service. Hundreds more shifted into limbo, unclear of when they might fly again. The news no longer surprises, though some of the retirements bring about a sense of loss. For inflight connectivity vendors the impact is more than a sense of loss, however, as it maps to real revenue shortfalls with the aircraft removed from service.