Aeroméxico’s Dreamliner Livery & iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Removal: 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.
What Does Apple’s Decision to Remove the 3.5mm Headphone Jack Mean for IFE?
THE VERGE | SEPTEMBER 08, 2016
Initial verdicts on the iPhone 7 have been positive, with tech website The Verge calling it “another excellent update to what was already, for many people, the best smartphone in the world.” However, Apple’s decision to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack raises questions about how airlines and the in-flight entertainment hardware industry will adapt to a wireless future where passengers may increasingly travel with Bluetooth-enabled rather than wired headphones.
More Wi-Fi Please: SAS to Equip ViaSat Broadband on Short and Medium Haul Fleets After Rave Pax Feedback
GET CONNECTED | SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
SAS will equip its entire short- and medium-haul fleet with ViaSat’s onboard connectivity services delivered in partnership with Eutelsat. The announcement comes after the Scandinavian flag carrier received positive passenger feedback for its long-haul in-flight broadband. Now its smaller aircraft will offer in-flight Wi-Fi speeds of 12 Mbps or higher per passenger – enough to stream live TV, music and movies. The first in-flight Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft of this rollout will enter service in the second half of 2017.
[PHOTOS] Aeroméxico Unveils Its Feathered Serpent
THE DESIGNAIR | SEPTEMBER 07, 2016
Aeroméxico’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has rolled out with a special livery. The aircraft is named Quetzalcoatl, in honor of a Mesoamerican deity in the form of a feathered serpent, and its livery was the winning entry from the carrier’s “Design in the Air” competition. The paint job took nine days to apply to Aeroméxico’s Dreamliner – six days longer than expected due to the colorful hues in the design. “This aircraft will become an icon of our fleet and a reflection of what Mexico is today, with culture and tradition represented in what we consider to be one of the most sophisticated creations of modern aviation engineering,” says Aeroméxico’s CEO, Andrés Conesa.
[PHOTOS] AA Rolls Out First Retrofitted Boeing 757-200
AIRWAYS MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
American Airlines has rolled out its first retrofitted Boeing 757-200, to be deployed on routes to Europe and Latin America. The updated cabins are part of the carrier’s $3-billion investment in the standardization of its narrow-body fleet. AA says the retrofit gives the aircraft an updated look consistent with its branding, in addition to modern technology and connectivity. Both cabins come equipped with overhead monitors, while business-class passengers will have access to airline-supplied tablets. More retrofitted 757-200s will progressively roll out until mid-to-late 2017.
PALs in Comfort: Philippine Airlines to Feature Lantal’s Air Cushions in Business Class
AIRCRAFT INTERIORS INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 7, 2016
Philippine Airlines has announced it will introduce Lantal’s Pneumatic Comfort System (PCS) as its business-class seat cushioning inside its reconfigured Airbus A330-300 aircraft in early 2017. The system uses air-filled cushions, which both the company and airline believe will be more comfortable than the foam cushions that are currently installed on the 18 Thompson Vantage CL seats in PAL’s A330 business-class cabins. Lantal’s PCS automatically adjusts the cushion’s firmness grade during takeoff, flight and landing, and allows passengers to adjust comfort settings and activate a massage setting.
Now Streaming: Dragonair Brings Wireless IFE to Flights Between Hong Kong and Kolkata
INDIA BLOOMS | SEPTEMBER 6, 2016
Dragonair will start operating its fleet of wireless in-flight entertainment-equipped Airbus A320s on flights between Hong Kong and Kolkata. The Cathay Pacific subsidiary carrier will offer tablet devices to business-class customers, while economy passengers will be able to stream content to mobile devices via the airline’s Studio app. “The east India market has seen a significant growth in the last few years,” says Rajesh Menon, South Asia Regional Sales and Marketing manager for Dragonair. “The new product suite on board the A320 fleet, on all our flights from Kolkata is a great boost to this trend.”
