A surprise twist in the Hong Kong protests as Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg resigns. Plus RFID for bags, VR for passengers and new aircraft types launching service soon. A busy week with plenty to uncover in this edition of PaxEx Update!
Panasonic
Air Canada announces new A220 routes, unveils interior
Air Canada’s first A220 is working through the Airbus FAL in Mirabel as it nears delivery. The carrier released details on the interior design this week, as well as two new routes the type will launch next Spring.
Tariffs, 737 MAX, satellite crash hit Astronics earnings
How many different ways can one company get beat up in the inflight entertainment and connectivity market? Astronics faces headwinds in its Aerospace market on three fronts. The 737 MAX grounding has costs on both new production and retrofit efforts, while the loss of Intelsat 29E grounded a connectivity program indefinitely. Add in tariffs related to China suppliers that the company is paying and the numbers are going to be rough in that segment for the foreseeable future.
This content is for subscribers only.
Register
Register
Already a member? Log in here
PaxEx Update: 2 August 2019
A new A321LR enters service for Aer Lingus, faster security screening for United and promises of faster infilght WiFi. Plus Hulu takes flight on Delta and more! Get all the details in this week’s PaxEx Update.
Aer Lingus’s first A321LR joins the fleet
Aer Lingus took delivery of its first A321LR last week and is wasting little time in pressing the aircraft into service. Flights to Hartford begin on Friday, August 2, 2019.
The Polar Connectivity Push
Emirates issued a press release touting inflight connectivity over the North Pole, which is interesting since none of the carrier’s aircraft can deliver that today and the service from Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network won’t exist until 2023. But perhaps there’s more involved in the story??
ANA brings new luxury to 777-300ER retrofit
New luxury takes flight with ANA next month as the carrier brings its latest cabin interiors into service.
Deutsche Telekom introduces flat-rate pricing for inflight wifi
Last Fall Deutsche Telekom promised an integrated billing solution that would give its mobile phone customers easier access to the inflight connectivity solution on more than 200 Lufthansa Group aircraft. As of this week that promise is fulfilled. Customers subscribing to the new “Inflight Europa Flat” add-on package on their cell phone plan now receive seamless access to wifi on board the Group’s A320 family of planes.
KLM kicked offline by Intelsat 29e outage
When the Intelsat 29e satellite failed last month anchor tenant Panasonic Avionics indicated that it had mitigated the loss of capacity for all customers. One airline is now suggesting the mitigation efforts were insufficient.
Etihad’s cabin "upgrades" to trim amenities on board
The announcement includes lots of big words and platitudes, but it is hard to see Etihad’s new A320 interior plans as anything but cuts to the short-haul product. The company hopes to slash costs with the moves while also increasing the number of seats on board, increasing the potential revenue.