American Airlines Unveils Dreamliner & Emirates’ Seat Selection Fees: APEX Daily Experience Week in Review
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Here are the most-read stories from this week’s APEX Daily Experience newsletters. To receive breaking passenger experience industry news in your inbox on a daily basis, subscribe here.
[PHOTOS] Inside AA’s First Boeing 787-9 With Premium Economy Cabin
AIRWAYS MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
American Airlines took delivery this week of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, ahead of its planned entry into service on October 6. The aircraft comes linefit with AA’s new partitioned premium economy cabin, which is the first of its kind offered by a US carrier. The new cabin class is installed in a 2-3-2 configuration and features B/E Aerospace-manufactured seats with 38-inch pitch and extendable foot, leg and headrests. The premium economy cabin comes equipped with a Panasonic in-flight entertainment system and in-flight Wi-Fi.
Thales and SES Partner to Provide Broadband Over the Americas
APEX MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 12, 2016
Thales has entered into an agreement with SES to offer airlines in-flight Ka-band connectivity across the Americas. Thales’ FlytLive will begin operating in mid 2017 using current in-orbit satellites, but SES will procure a new satellite for launch by 2020 to add extra capacity. “Through this partnership with SES, and by leveraging Thales Alenia Space’s expertise, we are developing a satellite uniquely optimized for the fast-moving aviation and mobility market,” says Patrice Caine, chairman and CEO of Thales Group. “This will enable us to offer airline customers a simple and seamless connectivity solution with unmatched performance.”
Stellar Entertainment to Launch One-Stop Shop IFE App at APEX EXPO 2016
APEX MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
Content service provider Stellar Entertainment announced yesterday that it will launch a new in-flight entertainment product called pixL at this year’s APEX EXPO, taking place in Singapore from October 24 to 27. In addition to providing information like airline release date and availability and handling catalog management and budgets, the web app includes a data analytics portal that informs programming and purchasing decisions. “The world has moved to relying on big data,” Joel Joslin, Technical, Research and Development manager at Stellar Entertainment, told APEX Media. “The IFE industry has struggled to move as quickly, weighed down a little, understandably, by legacy equipment … We want our partners to set aggressive KPIs (key performance indicators) and meet them every time.”
Emirates to Charge for Economy Seat Selection
BUSINESS TRAVELLER | SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
Emirates will soon introduce a new ancillary fee as a means of boosting revenue. The Dubai carrier will begin charging passengers who purchased economy-class Special and Saver fares for advanced seat selection as of October 3. Business Traveller suggests the fees are being implemented because the Dubai carrier’s revenue per seat is not keeping pace with the growing number of passengers, many of which pay below the standard rate. At last week’s London Aviation Festival, Emirates president Tim Clark was also reported saying, “We are seriously evaluating a premium economy product.”
Ultra Low-Cost Carrier Spirit Airlines Contemplates Some Frills, Including Wi-Fi
APEX MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
In addition to improving its on-time arrival score, reducing passenger complaints and adding route capacity to accommodate growing demand, ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has recently made a shift toward customer-centric initiatives. The airline plans to join the TSA PreCheck program, is working on a mobile upgrade, which will include a website redesign and mobile app, and is considering the addition of in-flight Wi-Fi as an add-on option. “We need to do something different in the marketplace now that we have customers who want to come back and fly with us,” Sagi Varghese, Spirit Airlines’ director, IT Service Management, told APEX CEO Joe Leader at Future Travel Experience Global in Las Vegas last week. “Customer experience is really important to us.”
Emirates Appoints Outgoing Malaysia Airlines CEO for New Digital Role
AIR TRANSPORT WORLD | SEPTEMBER 12, 2016
Emirates has appointed outgoing Malaysia Airlines (MAB) CEO Christoph Mueller as chief digital and innovation officer, as part of a wide-ranging process review. Mueller announced his resignation from MAB in April, citing “changing personal circumstances” as the reason for his planned departure later this month. He will assume the new role on September 20 and is expected to contribute to reworking Emirates’ internal processes to see where efficiency gains can be made. “Christoph and his digital transformation team are coming at the right time,” says Tim Clark, president of Emirates. “This will streamline 50 percent of what we do. It will take costs out of the business and make us much more efficient.”
