Ever since Qantas rolled out the Virtual Reality (VR) red carpet to their premium passengers earlier this year by offering Samsung Gear VR headsets to travelers in select lounges and first class A380 cabins, speculation about the future of VR and Augmented Reality (AR) as a viable alternative to traditional IFE has run rampant. And while a handful of forward-thinking carriers like KLM and Lufthans...
Zodiac Aerospace is exploring the opportunity of seating passengers underneath the main deck of commercial aircraft, in the area currently occupied by baggage and the occasional crew rest, catering trolley stowage, or downstairs lavatory area. The interiors powerhouse has applied for a paternt a wide range of methods to enable lower deck seating on passenger aircraft unearthed by Philip Ro...
Dr Rachelle Ornan-Stone wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. Instead, she’s the Regional Director of Cabin Experience and Revenue Analysis at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, with a background in psychology and design — and, yes, NASA — working on airline and spaceship cabin interiors. “The most exciting project that I’ve worked on to date was the design of the...
fLightWhile 3G mobile telecommunications and its successor 4G have been established for some time on the ground, it may surprise some readers to learn that inflight mobile connectivity has been limited to 2.5G EDGE for several years. But that is now changing. AeroMobile is celebrating the world’s first inflight 3G service on board an Airbus A330-200 operated by customer airberlin....
During yesterday’s International Air Transport Association (IATA) Media Day in Geneva, IATA Director of Marketing and Sales Tim-Jasper Schaaf presented new data points which cast a new light on the importance of happy passengers. The update came as a result of our previous report that IATA found no direct correlation between satisfied passengers and profitable airlines during a previ...
British Airways owner IAG SA said a joint venture with leading South American carrier Latam Airlines Group SA complementing a lucrative partnership with American Airlines Group Inc. would be a “sensible next step” in its trans-Atlantic strategy. “It’s a group that we would like to have closer ties to,” IAG Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said. “There is...
A new report on drone sightings and close encounters with aircraft finds that the proliferation of drones is quickly creating an unsafe environment in the air above U.S. airports. The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College collected data from 931 incidents involving drones and manned aircraft in U.S. airspace from Dec. 17, 2013, to Sept. 12, 2015. A close encounter is defined by the...
Fans flying to a UFC featherweight showdown in Las Vegas were treated to some in-flight fisticuffs when two brawling passengers forced their plane to return to New York. JetBlue Flight 611 was just 25 minutes into its flight Thursday night when the flying fracas erupted, the MailOnline reported. Passenger Damien Coyne told the site he was "embarrassed and angry" about the inci...
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Global Media Day on Thursday, IATA head Tony Tylor lauded the performance of Chinese airlines in recent years amid positive long-term prospects for the global airline industry. "Now the safety record (in China) is as good as anywhere else in the world. The reason that they've achieved it is that they've follo...
Weather delays can't be avoided, but a little levity from the crew can sometimes lighten passengers' mood. Which is why, on an easyJet flight from Cyprus to Gatwick in November that was delayed because of weather, a pilot joked that he would write excuses for students on board who missed school because of the delay, according to Road Warrior Voices. Much to the pilot's surprise,...
Shandong Aielines (SC) has expanded its fleet to 90 aircraft, with a new Boeing 737-800 (Registration B-7087) landing at Jinan Yaoqiao International Airport (TNA) on Dec. 11. With the arrival of B-7087 aircraft, Shandong Airlines has completed its fleet introduction plan for 12th Five Year. According to statistics, the Jinan-based carrier has taken delivery of 57 aircraft in 2010-2015,...
Moves by Britain to delay, once again, a decision on where to build a new airport runway to serve the London area highlights Europe's difficulties in keeping up with emerging countries when it comes to creating vital airport capacity. By 2035, airports across Europe will be unable to accommodate some 2 million flights due to capacity shortages according to Eurocontrol, the European Org...
