Pinch-and-zoom and panning gesture controls familiar to smartphone and tablet users the world over are now availalbe to the flight deck for the first time in a commercial aircraft. Airbus and Thales delivered the first certified and equipped plane to China Eastern, kicking off a new generation of interactive experiences for pilots.
Thales
Antenna woes derail Spirit’s WiFi installation efforts
More troubles for the Spirit Airlines inflight wifi program came to light today. Antenna issues with the Thales FlytLIVE kit will require the few existing installations to be replaced and tested anew before the full fleet deployment resumes.
Thales PureFlyt brings an "entirely connected" upgrade to aircraft FMS
Thales is set to deliver an “entirely connected” flight management system (FMS) upgrade in the middle of the next decade. PureFlyt is billed as the FMS of the future designed to incorporate data from multiple sources, internal and external to the aircraft, making aircraft operations more efficient.
Global Eagle signs with Turkish Airlines for inflight connectivity
Adding more than 100 Turkish Airlines planes to its inflight connectivity backlog is good news for Global Eagle. Perhaps more significant, however, is the potential for additional program growth that come from the partnerships it established to secure this Turkish Airlines deal.
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.
Live from the CRJ550: PaxEx Update 25 Oct 2019
United’s newest aircraft type takes flight this week and the CRJ550 interior really is as special as the company has been hyping. Airbus orders and Boeing delays plus some fancy new wifi and upgraded airports on the horizon. Another busy PaxEx week.
SES, Thales, Thinkom raise the bar on inflight connectivity performance with GEO/MEO blend
Blending GEO and MEO satellites delivers a hybrid of coverage, performance, and cost that is hard to beat. SES, Thales, HughesNet, and Thinkom are on the cusp of delivering a commercially-viable solution in this space.
On board the new JetBlue A321neo
What’s it like to fly on JetBlue’s newest A321neo? Come along on board as I put it through the paces.
JetBlue selects Thales AVANT for A220 IFE
JetBlue’s A220-300 fleet will bring a new passenger experience to the airline. But it will do so with familiar partners. The carrier announced today that the planes will fly with the Thales AVANT inflight entertainment (IFE) solution on board. Delivery for the first of seventy A220s to the carrier is due in 2020.
Air Canada confirms Thales as 737 MAX WiFi provider
The news was not particularly secret. Still, confirmation proved elusive until today. Air Canada now affirms its selection of Thales as the inflight wifi provider on its 737 MAX fleet.