Delta Air Lines is officially leaving Gogo/Intelsat behind on part of its fleet, switching to Viasat’s Ka-band in-flight connectivity offering on more than 300 single-aisle aircraft. The deal, announced on Tuesday, will see the Viasat kit installed on new delivery and retrofit A321ceo, 737-900ER and select 757-200 aircraft starting this summer.
PaxEx
Turkish Airlines completes first Global Eagle IFC installation
Global Eagle is ending the year on a high note, at least in one market. Just over a year after announcing a deal to install Ku-band satellite connectivity services on a large portion of the Turkish Airlines single-aisle fleet the company confirmed on Monday that the first of those aircraft is now equipped with its Ku-band satellite connectivity solution.
Holding the line: Intelsat sees minimal near-term change with Gogo Commercial Aviation acquisition
We’re just a couple weeks into the formal transition process of the Gogo Commercial Aviation division into the Intelsat operation, but the teams involved have never been more optimistic about the future of in-flight connectivity and the value they can deliver to airlines and passengers.
Digging deep with Intelsat on the future of in-flight connectivity
With the deal closing just a couple weeks ago Intelsat is still very much in the nascent stages of digesting its acquisition of Gogo’s Commercial Aviation business. PaxEx.Aero secured exclusive access to CEO Steven Spengler and Aviation President John Wade to discuss how things are going so far and what the future looks like for the organization.
JetBlue adds Companion Pass for 2021, lowers Mosaic qualification requirements
Elite status will be a bit easier and better in the JetBlue TrueBlue program next year. The carrier announced changes to the Mosaic status tier on Wednesday, including lower travel and spend requirements to qualify and a BOGO travel option in the first several months of the year.
Air-to-ground networking coming in New Zealand
New Zealand could be the next country to bring a dedicated air-to-ground (ATG) in-flight connectivity network online. Engineering work is almost complete to develop a trial site for the SkyFive ATG platform in the country.
Air Canada adds WiFi payment via Aeroplan points
Air Canada passengers have a new option to buy in-flight WiFi service. The carrier now offers the ability to pay with Aeroplan points on board.
NXTCOMM boosts antenna development, certification leadership
How important is hardware certification for an in-flight connectivity antenna manufacturer? At ESA upstart NXTCOMM the newly hired VP of Aero Structures and Certification will report directly to the CEO to help ensure that the program faces as few internal challenges as possible.
Canada plans aviation bailout, so long as passengers get refunds
Canada is on the cusp of pushing serious funds into its aviation industry, a move necessary to keep the planes moving as COVID-19 continues to suppress demand in the country. But Minister of Transport Marc Garneau added a caveat to the plan, one that could make passengers even happier than the airlines: Refunds must be issued for canceled flights.
APEX Weekly Wrap: Airline CEO Shuffles and Using Data to Manage Risk Volatility
This episode of the APEX Weekly Wrap reflects on a week of senior staffing news, following announcements that both British Airways CEO Alex Cruz and Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah will step aside, and way more.