AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
PaxEx
EL AL expands connectivity partnership with Viasat
Add another half dozen planes to the backlog, and a new type for Viasat’s inflight connectivity platform. EL AL will fit its 777 fleet with the Ka-band wifi service in the coming year.
Lufthansa to cut inflight service on long-haul routes
Feeling peckish towards the end of a long flight? On most airlines a second meal typically shows up an hour or two before landing. For economy and premium economy class passengers on Lufthansa, however, the hot meal will no longer be provided. That’s just one of the changes – mostly bad for passengers – rolling out later this month
LiFi takes flight with Air France, Latécoère
Move over WiFi; LiFi is now flying. Delivering on a promise made during the Paris Air Show Air France and hardware supplier Latécoère operated the LiFi (Light Fidelity) system on board a commercial flight this week, bringing a new means for high speed data transmission into service.
Eutelsat plans more Ku-band capacity; Gogo signs on for increased service
More Ku-band capacity is coming on line over Europe, the North Atlantic and Middle East in 2022. Eutelsat will launch 10B, a replacement for its existing 10A satellite, delivering a significant boost to capacity. Gogo is a committed customer for the new satellite and others are also in the wings.
United Airlines’ 50-seat RJ refresh will not include IFE/C…Yet!
With the United Express ERJ-145 slated for a full interiors refresh starting in early 2020 is now time for entertainment and wifi to also take flight on the company’s smallest jets? It seems likely, even if that bit was not supposed to be public just yet.
Vueling gets online with Inmarsat’s EAN connectivity
Flying an LCC in Europe no longer means being disconnected while in the sky. IAG’s Vueling operation soft-launched inflight wifi connectivity delivered via the European Aviation Network (EAN), powered by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom, on five of its aircraft earlier this month. Vueling is the third EAN airline and the first LCC with the service.
What to expect on board as United’s new CRJ550 takes flight
Removing nearly 30% of the seats from an aircraft is guaranteed to make the remaining product a more comfortable experience. Still, until United Airlines opened up its new CRJ550 to passengers over the weekend it was not clear just how much better the on board passenger experience would be. This plane is a big win, and not just for first class passengers.
Hawaiian pushes off inflight WiFi decision
Hawaiian Airlines will add inflight wifi to its fleet. Eventually. But not particularly soon. CEO Peter Ingram does not believe the technology is sufficiently mature to serve his airline’s customers, but has he missed out on viable solutions already on the market?
Some Sunrise skepticism
Over the weekend Qantas brought another 787-9 home to its fleet in Sydney. But this was not a normal delivery flight. Project Sunrise is coming, and maybe it shouldn’t.