Category

Airlines

qatar airways farnborough airshow 2022

Inmarsat to provide IFC on board Qatar Airways 787-9 and 737-10 fleet

By Airlines, Featured, IFECNo Comments
qatar airways farnborough airshow 2022

Inmarsat has announced it will be providing in-flight connectivity for Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 fleet.

Inmarsat’s high-speed global in-flight broadband service GX Aviation has already been rolled out successfully on other Qatar Airways aircraft. Under the new agreement, it has already been activated on the first seven Boeing 787-9s.

Qatar Airways provides one hour of free access to its ‘Super Wi-Fi’ which is powered by GX Aviation. After that, there is an option to purchase full access for the remainder of each flight.

Qatar Airways is preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November and a huge influx of tourists is set to travel by air to the event. The carriers’ passengers will be able to stay up-to-date with match scores, watch video replays and livestream games on board.

His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive commented: “Over the years, Qatar Airways has pioneered a range of game-changing innovations as part of our exceptional five-star passenger experience. This, in turn, has resulted in the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax naming us ‘Airline of the Year’ an unprecedented six times.

“The launch of our Super Wi-Fi, powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation, is a prime example. We were amongst the first airlines in the world to adopt this technology and remain the largest operator of GX-equipped aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa.

“Making Super Wi-Fi available across our fleet is an important milestone at a time when staying connected with loved ones and friends has never been more important for passengers. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches, Inmarsat is the perfect partner we need to ensure Qatar Airways can offer unrivalled inflight connectivity to each and every passenger, continuing our track record of service excellence.”

Niels Steenstrup, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “It has been more than four years since Qatar Airways became the launch customer for Inmarsat’s GX Aviation in the Middle East and North Africa and, during that time, millions of passengers have enjoyed access to its Super Wi-Fi service. We are delighted to expand our important partnership even further.

“Qatar Airways’ decision to select GX Aviation is testament to its continued satisfaction with our global, consistent, and reliable connectivity, as well as the positive feedback it has received from passengers. It has been a pleasure working with the airline on this rollout.”

Inmarsat’s GX Aviation is powered by global broadband network Global Xpress, offering superior in-flight connectivity on par with mobile Wi-Fi on the ground. The Global Xpress network currently consists of five Ka-band satellites and will be further enhanced with additional seven more satellites as part of Inmarsat’s fully-funded technology roadmap.

September 7, 2022
WIZZ Air external aircraft

Wizz Air introduces fixed roster pattern for pilots and cabin crew

By Airlines, Featured, Insights, WellnessNo Comments
WIZZ Air external aircraft

Wizz Air has introduced a fixed roster pattern for both its pilots and cabin crew. The carrier’s fixed rostering scheme will be gradually introduced across the Wizz Air network from October 2022, improving roster predictability and the quality of work-life balance for the crew.

The airline says the new scheme has been developed to maintain operational stability as well as to support its ambitious development plans.

The new fixed roster patterns might differ based on location and will be introduced around the Wizz Air’s bases over the next six months. Pilots choosing to remain with their current flexible roster pattern will be offered compensation based on their rank.

Roland Tischner, Operations Officer at Wizz Air, said: “I am excited to offer our crew the option to choose a fixed roster pattern. We welcome current and future employees to choose their schedule based on their own individual preferences. I believe that this flexibility will further support the work-life balance of our crew, making Wizz Air an even better place to work.”

The carrier is currently recruiting for new pilots and cabin crew who are passionate about sustainability and travelling the world. The dynamic airline is looking for enthusiastic candidates who have always dreamed of a career in the sky. For more information and to find out more about the fixed roster patterns, click here.

September 6, 2022
Finnair_A350_Business_Class_Seat_IFE (1)

Finnair’s new IFE system wins international Red Dot Award

By Airlines, Featured, IFECNo Comments
Finnair_A350_Business_Class_Seat_IFE (1)

Finnair’s newly redesigned in-flight entertainment (IFE) system has won an international Red Dot Award 2022 in the Brand and Communication Design category.

The Red Dot Design Award celebrates design and innovation and has become established internationally as one of the most sought-after marks of quality for good design.

The system and its interface form part of the airline’s substantial €200 million investment to enhance the customer experience which included the unveiling of the new AirLounge Business Class seat, a new Premium Economy cabin, refreshed Economy Class and a new in-flight dining experience.

Harri Valkama, Finnair Digital Channel Lead for IFEC said: “We are proud that Finnair’s in-house IFEC team was behind the design and development of our new and award-winning in-flight entertainment system. The new system has been thoroughly tested with our customers across the globe which has allowed us to further refine it to ensure it offers the best IFE experience in the sky.”

Practical and easy to use

The IFE is designed to be both practical and easy for customers to enjoy and offers a unique and dynamic inflight entertainment experience from gate to gate.

The system is aimed at supporting customers’ current and future journeys and provides a dynamic overview of real time progress of their journey, with the IFE system constantly adapting to the latest phase of the flight.

By providing relevant and timely information and services at each stage of the journey, Finnair’s IFE system features new connecting flight functionality, and provides customers with personalised messages on the status of their connecting flights. In addition to this, the IFE system’s extensive entertainment selection provides customers with the very latest topflight movies and TV shows, popular music tracks and games.

Passengers travelling in Finnair’s brand-new long-haul cabins can view their entertainment on high definition 18” screens in Business Class, 13” in Premium Economy (16” on front rows), and 12” screens in Economy.

The new IFE system will gradually become available along with the fully renewed cabin on Finnair’s long-haul flights during 2022-2023.

September 6, 2022
Menzies secures LATAM contract in Australia

Menzies secures contract with LATAM in Australia

By Airlines, Featured, MRONo Comments
Menzies secures LATAM contract in Australia

Global aviation logistics specialist Menzies Aviation has secured its first engineering contract in Australia with its long-term customer LATAM Airlines.

Under the agreement, Menzies will provide a full suite of engineering services to LATAM at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport and Auckland International Airport. LATAM will operate up to seven Sydney flights and 14 Auckland flights a week.

Significant milestone

Menzies says this contract win marks the first piece of engineering business with LATAM across the entire Menzies Aviation network. The company already provides engineering services for a number of other domestic and international, narrow and wide body airlines at Macau International Airport, Auckland International Airport, Christchurch Airport, Wellington Airport and Hamilton Airport.

According to Menzies, this contract is a significant win for the company as it plans to grow its engineering services throughout Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia. Menzies says it will be expanding engineering services to Queenstown Airport by the end of 2022.

Alistair Reid, Executive Vice President Oceania, South-East Asia and China – Menzies Aviation said: “We are thrilled to announce our latest contract win with LATAM Airlines. We have built a strong relationship with the airline in Latin America, which has assisted with the growth of the partnership through this extension in Australia and New Zealand. Not only does this contract mark a significant expansion of our services for LATAM but introduces our engineering offering to Australia. This milestone paves the way for the growth of our engineering capability across the region in the coming years.”

September 5, 2022
offer environmentally friendly inflight meal options for its first and business classes

ANA to offer environmentally friendly in-flight meal options

By Airlines, Catering, FeaturedNo Comments
offer environmentally friendly inflight meal options for its first and business classes

All Nippon Airways (ANA) will be offering environmentally friendly in-flight meal options for the carrier’s First Class and Business Class passengers on select international routes.

The menus will feature sustainable dishes and ingredients with that have a smaller environmental impact.

Tomoji Ishii, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience Management & Planning of ANA commented: “The sustainability of the society we live in is just as important as the health of our customers. With our sustainable approach to in-flight meals, among other initiatives, we aim to make a difference in the world and inspire others to do the same.”

ANA Catering Service has recycled 100% of the food waste collected from in-flight meal preparations into compost and animal feed since 2008. In March 2022, it also started serving soft kale grown with compost recycled from in-flight meal preparation waste on economy class on certain international routes. ANA also says that kale focaccia, handmade one by one in-house at the in-flight catering facility and kneaded with soft kale paste in the dough, will be available as part of its First and Business Class in-flight meals on select international routes from Japan from 1 September through 30 November.

Bamboo shoot delight

ANA will also serve a new Nobeoka bamboo shoot dish on select international First Class routes departing from Japan from 1 September through 30 November. Nobeoka bamboo shoots are made from bamboo shoots grown in Nobeoka, a city in Miyazaki prefecture Japan and developed to tackle the issue of abandoned bamboo groves.

In addition to these initiatives, ANA says that, starting October 2022, it will adopt rice that has been out of circulation in the market in the ANA Group Training Center employee cafeteria in cooperation with Food Loss bank, Inc. This rice has been out of circulation due to time since harvest and not due to quality issues. The carrier says it hopes this will increase employee awareness for sustainability.

September 1, 2022
A330-200P2F_Copyright_mas_Airbus

Lufthansa Technik to provide component support for mas

By Airlines, Featured, MRONo Comments
A330-200P2F_Copyright_mas_Airbus

Mexican carrier mas and Lufthansa Technik have signed a comprehensive Total Component Support (TCS) contract. The agreement covers the repair and overhaul of components for mas´s Airbus A330F fleet and governs supply for up to eight aircraft over a period of eight years.

This is the second contract as Lufthansa Technik already supports the Boeing 767F fleet with its TCS product. Luis Sierra, Chief Executive Officer of mas commented: “Our new A330 logistic network is a global network with destinations in Asia, Europe and America. To support our network, we need a global player in technical aircraft services whose experience and reliability we highly value. Lufthansa Technik already proves day by day to deliver first class services, which is required for our operation. This is especially important now that we are on an ambitious fleet expansion plan.”

“We are very pleased to continue our service for mas’s A330F fleet. We are proud to be part of mas’s journey because the Mexican market remains highly competitive,” said Soeren Stark, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik.

August 30, 2022
Etihad CL3710 EIS2

Etihad to adopt a mangrove tree for every Economy Space booking

By Airlines, Featured, Seating, SustainabilityNo Comments
Etihad CL3710 EIS2

Etihad Airways, which launched its ‘Etihad Forest’ initiative in February 2022 contributing to biodiversity, wildlife and environmental protection through a network of mangrove and other forests being established in Abu Dhabi and around the world, has committed to adopt a mangrove tree on behalf of every guest who books an Economy Space seat. This aims to ensure each of the carrier’s Economy Space seats sold is eventually carbon neutral.

Etihad’s Economy Space offers generous legroom and more space to relax and is available only on Etihad-operated flights. Etihad Guest Platinum members can book an Economy Space seat for free or save 50% as an Etihad Guest Gold member.

The initiative aims to plant 182,000 mangroves trees by the first quarter of 2023 in Abu Dhabi. Following this, the programme aims to plant new forests in international destinations. Etihad says mangroves remove up to four times more carbon dioxide from the air than other tropical forests, helping to fight the effects of climate change such as coral bleaching and coastline degradation, as well as support biodiversity and wildlife as an important habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.

According to Etihad, each mangrove it plants will absorb up to 250kg of CO2 in its lifetime – the same amount that is produced by an eight-hour flight.

Mariam Al Qubaisi, Head of Sustainability, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “In addition to our own sustainability ambitions, we made a commitment to helping our guests and partners to travel more sustainably and empower them to make conscious choices. With the latest evolution of our sustainability programme to plant a mangrove on behalf of every guest who books an Economy Space seat, we’re simplifying the process so anyone can travel sustainably.”

“The Etihad Mangrove Forest is a key initiative in our sustainability journey to ensure our responsibility to remove carbon from the atmosphere is progressing. The intent is to create forests on all continents we fly to, and to provide our guests with an engaging opportunity to take part in the solution.”

Every guest who books an Economy Space Seat will receive a confirmation of their gifted mangrove in the Etihad Forest within 10 days of flying and can track, virtually visit and see details of their tree. Passengers also have the option to register their claimed tree so they can easily revisit it at a later day. Through the platform’s app, Etihad guests can “chat” with their chatbot-enabled tree, while also being able to track every tree with satellite maps and access data, including CO2 consumption metrics.

Guests in other cabins can also take part in the Etihad Forest initiative using Etihad Guest Miles in the Reward Shop.

August 30, 2022
Etihad Cargo

Etihad Cargo introduces additional 50 tonnes of belly capacity to JFK

By Air Cargo, Airlines, FeaturedNo Comments
Etihad Cargo

Etihad Cargo is introducing additional 50 tonnes of belly capacity via its four new weekly direct passenger flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

The extra capacity will be added from 15 November 2022 and including the additional flights, the carrier will offer a total of 11 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and New York.

Etihad Cargo also provides capacity to other key destinations in the US via freighter and passenger flights. The carrier operates nine flights per week to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and daily flights to Dulles International Airport, Washington.

Etihad’s new Airbus A350 aircraft has been deployed on the New York route since June 2022. The new flights will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Etihad Cargo continuously reviews its network to add more capacity to meet the needs of its partners and customers. The introduction of four additional weekly flights to New York to the carrier’s winter schedule further demonstrates Etihad Cargo’s commitment to customers, offering additional capacity on this key trade lane and strengthening the US’s connection to the rest of the world via Etihad Cargo’s hub in Abu Dhabi.”

August 24, 2022
Emirates Engineers Testing The Panel Removals On The Largest Known Fleet Retrofit Project

Emirates undertakes largest known fleet retrofit project

By Airlines, Design, Featured, Interiors, MRONo Comments
Emirates Engineers Testing The Panel Removals On The Largest Known Fleet Retrofit Project

Emirates will be upgrading the entire interior cabins of its 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. The multi-billion dollar project officially commences in November and is managed by Emirates’ engineering team.

The airline says nearly 4,000 brand new Premium Economy seats will be installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design. As part of the upgrade work, carpets and stairs will also be upgraded and cabin interior panels refreshed with new tones and design motifs, including the iconic ghaf trees which are native to the UAE.

The target is to completely retrofit four Emirates aircraft from start to finish every month and once the carrier’s 67 earmarked A380s are refreshed and back in service, 53 of Emirates’ 777 aircraft will undergo their facelift.

A world first

According to Emirates, it is the first carrier to handle a retrofit of this magnitude in-house, and there’s no blueprint for such an undertaking. The airline’s engineering teams have been planning and testing extensively to establish and streamline processes and identify and address any possible snags.

Emirates says trials have already begun on the airline’s A380. As part of this, engineers took each cabin apart piece by piece and logged every step. Every action was tested, timed and mapped out from removing seats and panelling to bolts and screws.

Engineers discovered several unexpected solutions during the trials; for example, existing food catering trucks could be easily repurposed to move parts destined for refurbishment from the aircraft to the workshop for their refresh, as these vehicles had doors of the right width and offer sufficient space.

Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin class is currently available to Emirates customers travelling on A380 routes to London, Paris and Sydney. More customers will be able to experience the airline’s new Premium Economy cabins starting from year end, as the retrofit programme picks up momentum.

August 23, 2022
Cathay Pacific is resuming flights to Dubai with the introduction of Premium Economy cabin on-board its Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Cathay evolves membership programme

By Airlines, Ancillary revenues, FeaturedNo Comments
Cathay Pacific is resuming flights to Dubai with the introduction of Premium Economy cabin on-board its Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Cathay has announced that from today, its members can enjoy the best of Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles under one Cathay membership programme.

There will be more options to earn and redeem Asia Miles and Status Points, formerly known as Marco Polo Club Points, to unlock more exclusive privileges when travelling or spending with Cathay.

The carrier says it has been expanding its lifestyle offerings in payment, dining, shopping, holidays and wellness, and currently has over 800 partners. More exclusive travel and lifestyle offers and experiences will be rolled out for Cathay members in the coming months.

Director of Customer Lifestyle, Paul Smitton said: “As a home-grown airline from Hong Kong, we have been connecting our home city to the world and have grown together with our members for more than 75 years. Our world has evolved in the past few years, with changing expectations for travel and lifestyle. We continue to listen to our members and to invest in new experiences to help them move forward in life.

“We wanted to make it easier for members to get the most out of Cathay. That’s why we have simplified the programmes and evolved our membership to provide more benefits and choices that elevate our members’ lives, both on the ground and in the air, keeping everything they know and love about Cathay whilst innovating for the future. We want to thank our community of over 12 million members for their ongoing loyalty and support over the years.”

As part of the programme, Cathay is enhancing its digital experience from its curated website to the Cathay mobile app, enabling members to access their membership card, earn and redeem Asia Miles, accrue Status Points and access unique offerings all in one place. New members can sign up to Cathay through a simplified process with no joining fee and immediately access a range of member benefits and rewards through these digital platforms.

The programme has a four-tier structure of Diamond, Gold, Silver and Green. Current Marco Polo Club Diamond, Gold and Silver members will directly transition into the corresponding Cathay status with automatic status renewal through 2022. Meanwhile, current Marco Polo Club Green and Asia Miles members will transition into Cathay Green members.

You can find more information on the “Life Elevated with Cathay” website.

August 17, 2022