Alaska Airlines has grand visions for growth, targeting a 40% increase in passenger count over the next five years. Digital solutions are a large part of the plan to meet that growth, touching every facet of the business, including the tags on checked bags.
United Airlines
United joins T-Mobile’s free inflight WiFi program
United Airlines plans to offer free inflight WiFi to some T-Mobile customers beginning this fall.
United’s quirky Economy Plus sales options
United Airlines is expanding access to its Economy Plus extra leg room seating option. The carrier now offers passengers the option to purchase it directly in search results, appearing akin to a distinct class of service between economy class and business or first class on board. But it is not a different cabin of service. And that’s just one of the ways the implementation is a wee bit wonky.
Intelsat goes multi-orbit with OneWeb LEO option for airlines
Commercial airlines will soon have another option for in-flight connectivity (IFC) delivered via low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Intelsat secured a global distribution partnership with OneWeb, allowing for the development of a multi-orbit offering. The partnership builds on Intelsat’s extensive IFC experience and existing geo-stationary (GEO) satellite service, augmented with the OneWeb LEO constellation.
US airlines delivering less efficient operations
A review of employment numbers and schedules suggests the airlines are up to 20% less efficient than in 2019 on a per-employee basis.
Delta, United both win access to serve Cape Town this winter
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines spent the past five months bickering over a scarce resource: access to fly from the US to Cape Town South Africa. The US DOT managed to negotiate a solution where both come away winners.
MAX 10 on the ropes: What’s an airline (or congresscritter) to do?
Boeing currently holds orders for more than 700 737 MAX 10 aircraft across 20 airlines*. It is the second most ordered variant of the MAX family. And if the company is forced to upgrade the flight deck to meet new safety certification requirements those could all be at risk.
Spirit wins Newark slots, with conditions to keep them
pirit Airlines led the legal charge to ensure the slots Southwest Airlines abandoned at Newark would be reallocated. Now, after much legal wrangling, the carrier won the rights to those 16 slots.
JSX adds MileagePlus for points earning
Passengers on JSX can now earn points in the United Airlines MileagePlus program. The partnership is “a critical advancement of the continued relationship between JSX and United Airlines, with more cooperation to be announced later this year.”
United opens newest, largest ever lounge at Newark
United Airlines’ newest lounge opened at Newark, offering a massive expansion of premium space for its passengers. Located in Terminal C3 near gate C123, this club is the largest club in United’s network, at nearly 30,000 square feet and 480 seats.