Connectivity
Satcom Direct, Avcon sign exclusive, fleet-wide connectivity deal
Keeping a diverse fleet of business jets connected around the globe is not an easy task. To support its efforts Austrian aircraft management and charter operator Avcon Jet selected Satcom Direct (SD) to fill that role. SD now supplies all connectivity tools for the company, including voice and data services, flight deck communications and cybersecurity solutions.
Cabin Design
Safran’s Interspace retrofits aim to deliver more isolation on board
Privacy and isolation on board are, perhaps, more valuable than ever. With that in mind Safran Seats partnered with Universal Movement to develop concepts that can retrofit to existing economy class and premium cabin structures, delivering a new style of passenger accommodation on board under an exclusive partnership.
Loyalty
Commercializing frequent flyer program member data
How much are members worth to a loyalty program? When properly collected, managed, repackaged and sold onwards behavioral data can be a more valuable proposition than selling points or other direct marketing efforts. And in many cases the customer doesn't ever know they were the product being sold.
Other Industry News
China blinks, US to back down on flight ban
Looks like flights between the US and China won't be stopping mid-month after all. Chinese regulators backed down after the US took a hard line in the negotiations. But the two sides remain far apart on a return to normal traffic levels.
From pre-flight massages to COVID-19 testing: XpresSpa pivots to XpresCheck at JFK
Few are traveling and those who are tend to avoid direct interactions at the airport. That's bad news for XpresSpa, provider of spa services at airports around the globe. The company sees a silver lining, however, as it pivots to deliver COVID-19 testing in terminals.
ATPCO moves to ease ticketing changes for airlines worldwide
Automating millions of airline ticket changes is no easy task. Retroactively adjusting the fare rules was nearly impossible. But ATPCO stepped up to deliver a new Emergency Flexibility option to airlines and distribution channels, massively easing the change burden for the industry.
Searching for (Project) Sunrise
Project Sunrise, the planned Qantas nonstop services from Sydney to London and New York City, is grounded for now. But the company believes that is a temporary situation, not a long-term shift in the market.