Emirates’ US Cutback & Air Koryo’s Branded Cigarettes: 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.
Emirates Reduces Flights to US, Cites “Weakened Travel Demand”
THE HILL | APRIL 19, 2017
Emirates today announced it will reduce flights to five of the 12 US cities it currently serves. The Dubai carrier said the move was due to weakened demand, also citing the US travel ban and other administrative restrictions. “The issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand,” said Emirates in a statement. “Over the past three months, we have seen a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our US routes, across all travel segments.” The cutbacks will see the airline’s daily services to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando reduced to five times a week, while flights to and from Seattle, Boston and Los Angeles will go from twice daily to once a day.
[PHOTOS] Iberia Reveals Premium Economy Cabin
APEX MEDIA | APRIL 20, 2017
Iberia today unveiled its long-haul premium economy cabin on an Airbus A340-600 at a special event in Madrid. The Spanish carrier’s middle-market cabin aims to fill a growing gap between the economy and business passenger experience, as more airlines reveal increasing luxuries, including suites, to business class. The cabin’s 19-inch-wide Recaro PL3510 seats give passengers 3 inches of pitch and an adjustable 7-inch recline. The seats are also equipped with articulating headrests and feature Panasonic Avionics’ eX3 in-flight entertainment 13-inch high-definition seatback displays.
[PHOTOS] La Compagnie Transforms Aircraft Windows Into Street Art
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER | APRIL 19, 2017
La Compagnie has partnered with Brooklyn-based street artist Kevin Lyons, known for his quirky monster doodles, to install artwork on 80 of its aircraft windows. Lyons will debut 40 new characters as window decals on a flight from Paris to New York this Friday, which will also carry the artist himself. The business-class carrier’s flying art gallery will remain on board flights between Charles de Gaulle and Newark until May 19. The commissioned characters were inspired by different types of travelers with names including L’Hyperactif and Le Curieux.
United Airlines Makes Policy Changes After Last Week’s Passenger Removal Incident
THE NEW YORK TIMES | APRIL 17, 2017
United Airlines says it will no longer allow employees to take the place of civilian passengers who have already boarded overbooked flights, following last week’s removal incident. The policy revision comes in addition to a previously announced change by United, which will no longer ask law enforcement to remove passengers who do not pose immediate security threats. The Chicago-based carrier says it is reviewing the circumstances that led to the forced removal of David Dao by Chicago aviation police officers on April 9, adding that it would share the findings of the review by the end of the month.
Sixty Percent of APAC Travelers Willing to Pay for In-Flight Wi-Fi
TELECOMASIA | APRIL 18, 2017
More than 60 percent of Asia-Pacific travelers would be prepared to pay up to $5 to access in-flight Wi-Fi, according to YouGov’s latest air travel survey. Only one in 10 respondents ranked lack of connectivity as one of the top three worst aspects of air travel, with 20 percent saying they have tried onboard Internet and planned to do so again. Nearly one in three APAC travelers surveyed said they would be willing to pay up to $10 for in-flight Wi-Fi access, while 40 percent expressed interest in VoIP calls during a flight. However, four-fifths also said passengers should be given the option of sitting in a different section of the aircraft where VoIP calls are not permitted.
North Korea’s Air Koryo Expands Into Cigarettes and Colas Amid Threat of New Sanctions
REUTERS | APRIL 21, 2017
North Korea’s state-owned carrier Koryo Air is expanding into consumer products, say visitors to the isolated country. The airline has now branched out into selling Air Koryo-branded cigarettes and soft drinks, in addition to operating its own taxi fleet and gas stations. The airline has dropped several routes in recent months, including to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kuwait, after the United Nations imposed new nuclear sanctions on the country. Reuters says it’s not clear whether the recent diversification into domestic consumer products is related. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see more Air Koryo products make it to market before too long,” said Simon Cockerell of Beijing-based Koryo Tours. The US is now considering tougher measures, including a global ban on the airline.
