Connectivity
Zipair pick SpaceX Starlink for IFC update
Japanese long-haul airline Zipair plans to fit its fleet with inflight internet from Starlink. The company announced it would become the first Asian airline to offer the service, fitting out its 787s.
Anuvu taps Telesat for MicroGEO gateways
What does it take to manage communications with some of the smallest GEO satellites in orbit? How about some really, really big parabolic antennas. When Anuvu's first MicroGEO satellites come online later this year they'll communicate via new 9 meter gateway antennas, managed by Telesat.
Cabin Design
Air France brings back amenity kits for kids
Looking for another sign of post-pandemic recovery? Air France is bringing back its activity kit for kids, and the new versions are adorable.
Boasting about Basic: On board with Avelo
For most airlines the idea of being seen as "basic" is not appealing. Upstart Avelo, however, does not seem to mind. Indeed, the company celebrates that as a compelling part of its passenger experience.
Other Industry News
Universal Hydrogen Completes First Taxi Tests and Is Granted Experimental Airworthiness Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration
Time to get these hydrogen-fed electric engines in the air!
JetBlue teases new routes, international connections with Spirit merger
Beyond the typical beauracracy, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are using routine merger-related DOT filings to further justify their planned combination. The new routes teased make for a far more interesting read than prior mergers have offered.
So long, SpaceJet
The program had been more or less already dead for three years now. But this week Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI) finally formally and fully killed off its SpaceJet regional jet program.