From the Control Tower
Summer is over and conference season is back with a vengeance. Connected Aircraft Intelligence Summit kicks off this week in Denver, followed by RedCabin in Seattle, APEX EXPO/FTE Global in Long Beach, and World Aviation Festival in Lisbon each week thereafter. I have to miss RedCabin, unfortunately, but I'll be at the others. Hope to see you there!
PaxExTRA by PaxEx.Aero
Connectivity
Wi-Fi now active on Korean’s A321neo, powered by Viasat
Korean Air activated inflight Wi-Fi on its A321neo fleet this month. The carrier selected Viasat as the provider, diversifying its supplier base.
paxex.aero
Cabin Design
Sweltering plane cabins are travelers’ newest misery
Three of the largest U.S. airlines have no maximum temperature standard during boarding. Unions say that’s a problem.
politico.com
Airlines add premium, first class seats as travelers treat themselves
Airlines are investing heavily in new seats to attract bigger spending customers.
cnbc.com
Other Industry News
Alaska Eliminates the Need for the Airport Passport Check
We’ve all been there. You’ve checked in online for an international trip and gone to the gate only to have your name called over the loudspeaker. Why? It’s because your passport has to be manually verified by an agent. This step is annoying for the airline, especially since there’s always some guy at Cinnabon who doesn’t get to the gate until the last minute and then acts clueless when agents are continually calling his name over and over.
crankyflier.com
Calhoun's moonshot for the Next Boeing Airplane
As people try to figure out when Boeing is going to launch a new airplane, confusion continues over semantics and doubts continue over willingness.
The semantics revolves around the words “launch” and “introduce.”
leehamnews.com
Qantas CEO to depart early as airline looks to rebuild reputation
Australia's Qantas Airways said its long-serving CEO would bring forward his retirement amid a publicity firestorm over an accusation of illegal ticket sales, signalling what the flagship carrier hopes is the end of a tumultuous period.
reuters.com
Europe Regulators Find AOG Technics Supplied Fake Jet-Engine Spare Parts
European aviation regulators have determined that an obscure London-based company supplied bogus parts for repairs of jet engines that power many older-generation Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 planes.
bloomberg.com