Japan Airlines confirmed expansion of its inflight internet deployment to part of its regional jet fleet. The carrier’s first E190 – operated by subsidiary J-AIR – officially returned to service with the Intelsat 2Ku hardware on board late last year.
wifi
easyJet expands AirFi deployment to 100+ aircraft
More than 100 additional easyJet planes are now flying with AirFi’s WiFi-based streaming entertainment and passenger engagement portal on board. The move follows a successful trial of the technology on easyJet’s Swiss-registered fleet earlier this fall.
Porter Air bringing premium economy(ish) to E195-E2 fleet
Porter Air will add an almost premium economy offering, dubbed PorterReserve, as part of its E195-E2 product launch. The offering will be one of three seating options on board the carrier’s first jets, and include other benefits in the terminal and on board as well.
AirFi delivers inflight retail for AirAsia (and more)
AirAsia selected the AirFi wireless platform to boost inflight retail sales and entertainment options on board. The carrier has long offered a digital on-board experience across parts of its fleet. Plus, a few other airline customers coming online.
Gogo sees record revenue, saves on 5G lawsuit costs
Gogo’s legal victory at the end of September allows the company to continue selling its new Gogo 5G network, even as SmartSky believes it will succeed with an appeal to have the injunction reinstated. The ruling also saved the company a few million dollars.
Lufthansa takes pre-flight safety logs digital with Ditto P2P database
Looking to digitize workflows among multiple cabin crew, but lacking a reliable internet connection? Faced with a similar challenge, Lufthansa turned to Ditto, a peer-to-peer database company, to digitize paper processes via a new Crew App.
Virgin Australia picks 2Ku for Wi-Fi boost
With aims of profitability by mid-2023, Virgin Australia is ready to bring back inflight Wi-Fi for its fleet. The carrier announced plans to (re)activate the Intelsat 2Ku system on board.
AirFi LEO aims to alter the inflight retail landscape
It won’t support HD video streaming on board, but the AirFi LEO solution offers an expanded on-board shopping experience, real-time credit card payment authorizations, updated weather reports for pilots, and maybe even basic connectivity for travelers.
easyJet snags AirFi for digital inflight transformation
easyJet is the latest airline to shift its on-board retail experience to a digital solution. The carrier selected the AirFi platform as the hardware backbone to power its new inflight shopping platform.
Seeking a connected aircraft timeline
For nearly a decade the promise of reduced maintenance delays and operational savings has been a core factor in pitching airlines on inflight internet service. And for roughly that same period of time airlines have been wondering if those connected aircraft benefits will ever really arrive.