Qantas Premium Economy & Executive Changes at GEE: 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.
Global Eagle’s CEO and CFO Resign, Share Price Tumbles
DEADLINE | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Global Eagle Entertainment announced major executive-level changes yesterday, with the sudden resignations of CEO Dave Davis and CFO Tom Severson. Board member Jeff Leddy has replaced Davis as CEO and will serve as CFO for an interim period. GEE did not specify the reason for the departures. Following the announcement, the company’s shares fell by nearly 28 percent, closing at $4.48 yesterday. GEE also said that it would miss the Securities Exchange Commission’s March 16 deadline for submitting its annual report for 2016, warning investors to “no longer rely” on previous financial projections. Three law firms – Pomerantz, Levi & Korsinsky and Johnson & Weaver – announced that they are investigating whether any unlawful business practices took place.
[PHOTOS] Pleased to Seat You: Qantas Unveils Premium Economy Dreamliner Seat
BUSINESS TRAVELLER | FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Qantas has unveiled new premium economy seats that will debut on its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet in October this year. The seats are based on a Thompson Aero design, but have been customized by Australian industrial designer David Caon to offer extra comfort on long-haul routes. In comparison to Qantas’ other premium economy seats, these are wider and more functional, with 38 inches of seat pitch and a 2-2-2 layout. Each seat offers a recline motion that supports the passenger’s body when moving into a relaxed position. Passengers will also have access to high-definition Panasonic seatback screens that are 25 percent larger than previous iterations.
[PHOTOS] Emirates Reveals Redesigned Airbus A380 Onboard Lounge
THE DESIGNAIR | FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Emirates has unveiled the latest iteration of its Airbus A380 onboard lounge and walk-up bar. The redesigned lounge offers a new arrangement with capacity for 26 passengers – eight seated – and windows on either side of the U-shaped bar. Emirates is also introducing soundproof curtains to partition the lounge from other cabins, integrated LED mood lighting and a 55-inch LCD screen with surround-sound speakers. The updated lounges will be located on the upper deck of the aircraft, accessible to first- and business-class passengers.
Boeing Rolls Out 787-10 at South Carolina Assembly Plant
REUTERS | FEBRUARY 20, 2017
Boeing rolled out its first 787-10, the third and largest Dreamliner variant, on Friday at its assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, in a ceremony led by Donald Trump. The US president, who was joined by Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s president and CEO; Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ president and CEO; and Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina; said, “Our goal as a nation must be to rely less on imports and more on products made right here in the USA … We are here today to celebrate American engineering and American manufacturing.” However, the 787’s wings, tail and sections of its fuselage are built in Italy and Japan, while other components such as the wiring are produced in Mexico.
Qantas Reports Wi-Fi Speeds Up to 12 Mbps After In-Flight Tests
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS TRAVELLER | FEBRUARY 21, 2017
Qantas has completed the first real-world trial of its long-awaited in-flight connectivity system on board one of its Boeing 737s. The three-hour charter flight between Sydney and Brisbane carried staff who volunteered to test the system under typical in-flight usage conditions. Early signs appear encouraging, with passengers reporting Wi-Fi download speeds ranging from 7 Mbps to 12 Mbps for each connected device. Passengers on the test flight were assigned tasks such as downloading apps, streaming movies and music, sending e-mails and testing the system’s content filters.
ECR Launches First-Ever All-in-One Contactless Point-of-Sale Device for Airline Industry
INFLIGHT ONLINE | FEBRUARY 24, 2017
London-based ECR Retail Systems has launched what it says is the first fully certified contactless mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) device for the airline industry. The new ECRGo2 product reduces the number of devices currently required to accept payments and allows airlines to accept contactless MasterCard and Visa transactions. The ECRGo2 hardware also accepts payments from mobile wallet options such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet and PayPal. “[We] believe that this first all-in-one contactless mPOS payment device not only improves the customer experience for the modern passenger, but that it will significantly help cabin crews be more effective and efficient with their in-flight duties,” said Simon Pont, CEO of ECR Retail Systems.
