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.
Panasonic
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.
Viasat, China Satcom partner for Ka-band connectivity over China
More inflight connectivity opportunities are opening up in China. Viasat is the latest provider to make a move, inking a deal this week with China Satcom to partner on efforts to grow the market and connect planes in the region. The partnership combines Viasat’s on-board experience with China Satcom’s business license, satellites and access to the domestic market.
PaxEx Premium: Mitigating the loss of Intelsat 29e for inflight connectivity
Last week's anomaly on the Intelsat 29e satellite took the Ku-band system temporarily offline. Further details now suggest that a recovery is increasingly unlikely. While that has a short-term impact on the inflight connectivity market a deeper review suggests that the overall exposure could be mitigated relatively quickly.
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Pitching inflight wifi to NEOS: A look at the options
How does an airline go about comparing the inflight wifi connectivity options available on the 787 Dreamliner? Lots of contract details about pricing and delivery timeframes are certainly critical, but occasionally the data is summed up into two slides in a briefing deck. For Italian charter operator NEOS the contest settled between Viasat and Panasonic Avionics back in 2017. It appears the carrier chose neither vendor, but the summary of the positioning from the two finalists is intriguing.
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Now boarding: Bluetooth audio connections
After years of insisting it would not fly two inflight entertainment companies delivered great news for travelers last week: Bluetooth headphones integration on inflight entertainment systems will be available to airlines very soon. Both Panasonic Avionics (PAC) and Zodiac Inflight demonstrated the solution at the recent APEX EXPO in Boston.
PAC picks up an IFEC a pair
Panasonic snagged a pair of IFE/C deals this week, adding 20 aircraft to the backlog. These are still Ku connectivity contracts, not yet taking advantage of the new InmarPAC partnership announced last week.
EXPO Preview: What’s on tap this week
The annual APEX EXPO is less than 24 hours away and anticipation for this year’s event is high. Many suppliers are promising big new throughout the week. In the inflight connectivity world it remains to be seen if anything will top the Panasonic Avionics/Inmarsat announcement from last week. Of course new order announcements are anticipated and will likely be big news. But what additional news will develop during the week?
PaxEx Premium: Panasonic’s Pivot
Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) and Inmarsat are poised to reshape the inflight connectivity world with a landmark deal. The ten year strategic collaboration project will see PAC sell Inmarsat's Ka-band GX connectivity solution while Inmarsat bundles some of PAC's data analytics and services offerings into its sales efforts. Is this the consolidation the market so desperately craves?
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