The Open Skies debate in the U.S. heats up, Ryanair pulls off the ultimate fake-out, Vueling’s Wifing rocks, Finnair gets finer with its own Wi-Fi announcement, and other interesting developments both in the air and at the airport.
The EU Is Coming to the Support of U.S. Airlines Angry About Gulf Carriers, Skift
Spotlight On Japan: Luxury Travel and a Spot of Controversy, APEX Digital
New Seat Designs From British Airways That We Really Hope Will Fly, Skift
TAM Airlines Celebrates Rio’s 450th Birthday With a Copacabana Paint Job, Skift
Etihad Adds Residence Suite to New York Route in Open Skies Amenities Escalation, Skift
US–UAE Business Council Tells U.S. Airlines to Compete More and Complain Less, Skift
Oman Prepares for Tourism Spike With Technology to Improve Border Crossings, Skift
The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Ends Well With Millions of Bags Properly Tracked, APEX Digital
Bag tracking has becoming a key point of dialogue for the aviation industry, as IATA’s resolution 753 mentioned in this APEX article moves towards its deadline date of 2018.
Ryanair Makes Valencia’s Notorious Ghost Airport Its New Spanish Home, Skift
Etihad Brings Its Fancy Dreamliner to Washington, D.C. for Open Skies Battle, Skift
Rockwell Collins’ New vMUSE Mobile Check-in Desk is Set to Simplify Travel, APEX Digital
Big Data is a Big Priority for Airports, Says Thales, APEX Digital
Video: 50 Years of Airport Evolution From the Field’s Leading Architect, Skift
Nicole Kidman Tells You All About the Reimagined Etihad in New Ad Campaign, Skift
Gulf Carriers ‘Have a Lot of Explaining To Do’ Says New Open and Fair Skies Spokesman, Skift
I was pretty psyched to get this rendering of Ryanair’s new cabins before the rest of the world which was revealed exclusively here to Flight Chic readers.
It is a significant improvement over the existing cabin (though I confess some emotional attachment to that project–story for another time).
And then, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, this happened:
Thus the Fight Begins: Ryanair Is Coming to the U.S., Skift
And much too soon for April Fools Day, this happened:
Ryanair Now Says It Won’t Begin Low-Cost Transatlantic Service, Skift
What is there to say? The more things change…the more it comes down to planes. Ryanair didn’t really say it wouldn’t start Transatlantic service, only that it would only do so under a separate airline brand. But we’ll have to see whether that other brand gets the aircraft it needs to fly these longer routes, and whether it can overcome some of the same Open Skies strife affecting the Gulf carriers and Norwegian. This is one to watch..patiently.
American, Etihad and Emirates Bosses Battle for Best Open Skies Soundbite, Skift
The EU Is Coming to the Support of U.S. Airlines Angry About Gulf Carriers, Skift
The Other Open Skies Debate: U.S. Carriers Jockey for Position in China, Skift
Maria Cardenal Tells Us All About the Art of High-Speed Vueling, APEX Digital
It’s always rewarding to highlight the achievements of women in the aviation sector, and this interview with Maria Cardenal at Vueling was just delightful.
I was very impressed by the clarity and confidence with which she answered my questions. She is a consummate professional, with a great mind for technology and for marketing. She understands the product and the passenger, and she projects that same well-grounded optimism which characterises the Vueling brand. The Wifing experiment is an exciting development for In-Flight Connectivity in Europe. We hope it will be the beginning of a new era where accessing the internet in flight will be as common here as it has become in the U.S..
5 New Airline Cabin Features Changing the Way We Travel, Skift
The New Airline Seat Design Fit for Passengers and Low-Cost Carriers, Skift
World’s Smallest In-Flight Entertainment System Makes Short Flights More Informative, Skift
Finnair Investing $33 Million to Install Wi-Fi Across Fleet, Skift
Finnair is making a meal of its new A350XWB. Rightfully so, it’s going to be a beauty and it’s a major development for a European carrier to be the first to fly this aircraft. It’s also a treat for passengers, and Wi-Fi is just the icing on that cake. Can’t wait to see it fly.
Not Losing Our Luggage Has Made Airlines $18 Billion Richer, Skift
The Billions of Dollars Driving a Wedge Between U.S. Airlines and Airports, Skift
The New Interactive Windows for the Plane of Tomorrow, Skift