Inching towards progress

From the Control Tower

It is easy to complain when product improvement progress is slow. But that doesn't mean the airlines don't have good reason for pacing changes. Sometimes it is about controlling direct costs (see the Sun Country story below) and sometimes more about indirect impacts (Breeze sure thinks so).

And sometimes it just takes a while to get the hardware finally sorted and the news announced (Air Canada/Starlink/Q400s).

Connectivity

Air Canada Plans Q400 Cabin Refresh, Starlink Wi-Fi Activation

Air Canada's smallest aircraft are getting a big glow-up. The carrier will refresh interiors on 25 of its De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, including Starlink Wi-Fi and Expliseat seating.

Notably, the announcement doesn't explicitly mention Starlink, though De Havilland also put out a release the same day.

Gossiping Around the APEX Water Cooler

Kuiper made a splash at APEX Global Expo this year, showing up with its first customer in hand. Starlink also always grabs a lot of attention. But it was the quieter conversations away from the main floor that were, as always, most interesting.

Sun Country Plans Inflight Wi-Fi, Just Not Yet

Sun Country's next cabin refresh is coming soon-ish, and inflight Internet is likely to be part of the plan.

PaxEx PR: Gogo Galileo Certified for Dassault 2000 Family Jets

Gogo's Galileo LEO IFC solution snagged a new STC, opening up the Dassault 2000 family of aircraft for installations.

In-Flight Entertainment

Riyadh Air Picks FlightPath3D for Inflight Map

Riyadh Air will partner with FlightPath3D to introduce the next generation of the inflight map experience on its 787-9 fleet.

Cabin Design

Reliability, then Product, on Breeze’s Agenda

Breeze CEO David Neeleman is confident the carrier is moving in the right direction, but he still wants to see operational reliability improve before further tweaking the product.

After heavy criticism: Korean Air stops conversion of its Boeing 777

Korean Air has put the brakes on a plan to add premium economy to its 777 fleet - and also squeeze economy class passengers more - as regulators and competition authorities in the country question the impact of that move in the context of its buyout of Asiana and commitment to not raise prices.

Air Côte d’Ivoire goes long-haul and high-ambition with new A330neo and studio class La First

Air Côte d’Ivoire has big hopes for its newly delivered A330neo — and its four-class, high-premium configuration — which is a real demonstration of what a small, ambitious airline can achieve with modern cabins and seats

Other Industry News

Delta/Aeromexico JV Termination Finalized by DOT

The US Department of Transportation finalized its order terminating the Delta Air Lines/Aeromexico joint cooperation agreement and antitrust immunity. The pair must wind down their immunized operations by the end of the year.