Comments for APEX Editor's Blog

Comment on Emirates puts emphasis on inflight live television as mammoth deal with Panasonic is revealed by Vinay Rao

Vinay Rao — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:39:49 +0000

Nice read. Posting a few large pictures of the system integrated into the aircraft would have been great.

I could have sworn that Emirates was going with Thales ICE. On an EK flight its impossible to tell whose system it is because there’s no OEM branding on the display, remote, seat or interface. We’d created a system similar to the phone + curated TV, for another (much smaller) brand, that wants to work with low cost carriers but offer near similar services to the big birds. They/we were watching the EK deal with interest.

Comment on Heath Tecna identifies market of 3,000 Boeing 737NGs for new Project Amber interior by Aerospace Guy

Aerospace Guy — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:11:20 +0000

Heath Tecna #ProjectAmber adds 1000lbs to @boeingairplanes #737NGs interior. Must by why @qantasairways hasn't ordered any more.— Aerospace Guy (@Aero_Interior) May 19, 2013

Comment on Gogo scores key FCC license to offer Ku-band connectivity; awaits green light from FAA for Delta 767 launch by Weekly Travel News Recap: May 12 - 18, 2013

Weekly Travel News Recap: May 12 - 18, 2013 — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:11:57 +0000

[...] Gogo gains important FCC license to hopefully usher in in-flight satellite internet - Gogo is now much closer to implementing a satellite that would provide Ku band connectivity, allowing high-speed internet on international flights. (Apex) [...]

Comment on New programme at Lufthansa encourages family travel by Sylvia Jordan

Sylvia Jordan — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:20:39 +0000

Very nice program. Family-friendly indeed. When I book my planned family vacation through www.travelrepublic.co.uk, I'll make sure that I'm going to get a Lufthansa flight.

Comment on Gogo scores key FCC license to offer Ku-band connectivity; awaits green light from FAA for Delta 767 launch by marketing.com.gr » Gogo wins FCC license and could launch satellite Wi-Fi for Delta

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:28:47 +0000

[...] via Gogo scores key FCC license to offer Ku-band connectivity; awaits green light from FAA for Delta 767…. [...]

Comment on Gogo scores key FCC license to offer Ku-band connectivity; awaits green light from FAA for Delta 767 launch by Gogo wins FCC license and could launch satellite Wi-Fi for Delta, by Skift

Gogo wins FCC license and could launch satellite Wi-Fi for Delta, by Skift — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:11:45 +0000

[...] via Gogo scores key FCC license to offer Ku-band connectivity; awaits green light from FAA for Delta 767…. [...]

Comment on Trip Report: Malaysia Airlines’ big bird is big hit…if only it still flew London-Sydney nonstop by Hayden

Hayden — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:02:27 +0000

Thanks for the review. Am flying the KL->London route on the A380 in a few weeks and interesting you mention that the non-child policy on the upper deck is being ignored. It was something I was planning on taking advantage of. There is nothing worse than sitting next to a whinging/crying kid for hours on end or a having a kid kick the back of your seat constantly (especially if the parent does nothing about it and laughs it off as a joke)….an no, this is not what a business class seat is for. Regular travellers cannot afford business class tickets I’m afraid so this is a totally unrealistic expectation. It’s interesting how parents get off on their high horses when someone complains about “screaming kids on a plane”. If I have paid $1000 for a long haul fight then this is a lot of money to be spent just to sit next to a crying baby. I know the world is a little PC these days but hey that’s my opinion. Hopefully more airlines can embrace a “family area” policy while assigning seats.

Also flying the new-series A330-300 in the coming weeks so will be interested in the improvements.

Comment on Roll out of NextGen is progressing slowing but surely. Should passengers care? by Dan

Dan — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:43:31 +0000

Jeff Poole couldn’t have said it more eloquently- “Air traffic control might seem to be remote but the passenger feels it immediately if something goes wrong. And conversely nobody gets any thanks when it works perfectly because it’s invisible.

Another point is that as air traffic continues to grow (especially outside of North America) at the rate it is, more efficient Air Traffic Mgmt is imperative to accommodate the growth. There is a reason why the OEMs (Boeing has dedicated ATM group, including Jeppesen and Airbus has invested in many companies via AirbusProSky) have invested in this area. They both would rather see airplanes in the air versus sitting on ground (either at factory or at an airport).

As complex and grand as ATM area is, there will be both criticism of lack of progress (such as IATA beating down on SESAR) and there will be praise/applaud of the small victories. We live in world of bureaucracy no matter what industry, and aviation is as susceptible to such obstacles (for e.g. building an efficient flt path using RNP may benefit most, but not if you are an environmentalist or a group of residence whose homes are right under the path).

And of course there is the ultimate challenge of equipage and critical mass to see real benefits.

Comment on Sounding off on the air travel challenges faced by deaf and hard of hearing passengers by Vicki C

Vicki C — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:23:01 +0000

It is all about communication and providing communication in a variety of ways. This is important for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing, but also for people who are unfamiliar with the language, or people who are in a noisy environment (can anyone really hear the announcements in an echoing terminal?), or people who are just not paying attention (plugged into their music, telephone calls, etc.).

Fixing this is relatively simple to do – but you need to convince the airlines and the airport that it is important. Hearing loops will help those with hearing aids in airports and airplanes. Visual displays will help people who are deaf, or in a noisy environment. Symbology on the displays will help those who don’t speak the language. It is all do-able.

Comment on Oman Air’s economy class product named best in the Middle East at World Travel Awards by muhammed noufal

muhammed noufal — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:13:47 +0000

very good

Comment on How competition is working in favour of the passenger experience on certain US domestic routes by Glen Towler

Glen Towler — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:09:30 +0000

The only domestic carrier I have flown with in the US is Virgin and I was very impressed and would fly anyone else lets hope that more American airlines raise there service to match virgin. But I have a feeling that they won’t as it costs too much and the funniest thing is that virgin is the cheapest.

Comment on How competition is working in favour of the passenger experience on certain US domestic routes by Cook

Cook — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:36:43 +0000

More than 90% of this is PR fluff from the carriers. Truth told, they announce these BIG improvements when – or before the first airplane is equipped. It can take a decade to extend an important service to the fleet and the majority are retired/replaced before it ever happens. The Frequent Flyer (Business or better) may see some fluff between JFK and SFO/LAX, but the folks that fly only half the continent will likely NEVER enjoy any of these perks. Even with a ‘majors’ ticket, most of that flying is passed off to the regional carriers, where a First Class ticket may get a wider seat, but little else. I note that “Premium Economy” is becoming a popular option, but I suspect the savvy flyer will BUY that upgrade only once. Where extra leg room is included, the carriers call even ONE INCH ‘premium.’ And those “Free” snacks and drinks? Do the math. On even a 5-6 hour trans-con domestic flight, no pax that I’ve ever seen can eat enough snacks or drink enough liquor to make these seats a reasonably good buy. (I cannot be sure about the alcohol – I don’t drink it,) but otherwise, for domestic flights under four hours, I’ll stick with the back end. Long fights, international flights and those where the rare special features are known to be common are often worth buying a Business Class (or better) ticket, just to avoid the tank-tops, shower footwear and the ‘unwashed masses.’ The ad campaigns love to suggest that all of the bonus features will be available to YOU – as soon as next week. Nuts. Truth is, the vast majority of the major’s and regional’s fleets will likely NEVER have these enhancements, even when the carriers buy new airplanes. And finally, probably as a cost conservation measure, malfunctioning pax convenience items like IFE are at the bottom of the maintenance priority list. IFE systems are not Safety of Flight issues and are not part of the mandated ME: lists; the repair them when they and the airplane have the time. So when that IFE or the WiFi that you were counting on does not work or is not available, don’t be too surprised. If but a single airframe has those feature, they can be promoted. If you flight does not have them – or they don’t work, the carriers cover themselves with a polite apology – and keep all of your money. Once you book that ticket, you’ve still bought only A-to-B transportation and the carrier is under NO obligation to make the convenience and comfort features work, even on the few airframes that have them. Long-haul international is a slightly different story, but still has a lot in common with the thoughts noted above. Regardless of cabin class, the seriously smart flyer will bring his/her own and, in many cases is advised to bring food as well. Buyer beware! Again, these are not Safety of Flight issues and the carriers are NOT required to make them functional. With even the slightest of reasons, the flight deck can – and will hit the OFF-Button (simply kill the power to) all IFE systems. So what is the take home here? No matter where you are flying, book your flight based on carriers that you prefer, a schedule that works for you and perhaps airplanes that you like. Don’t bother booking a specific flight based on promoted IFE/WiFi options, because the odds are better than 50-50 that it won’t work. Heck yes, it would be Great Fun to see some of the in-house statistics that the airlines keep about the “Dispatch Reliability” of the various IFE and WiFi systems. With good reason, they are not about to release these stats for public consumption — especially after having spent so many dollars (or Euros) to promote these systems. If IFE is important to you, medium length domestic and especially for long-haul international take your own! An e-book reader comes to mind, a laptop with canned selections, a canned choice of private audio and, if all else fails, an ordinary book. The airline delivers safe transportation and that is the end of their obligation to you. If the IFE works, wonderful, but have your own options as well.

Comment on How competition is working in favour of the passenger experience on certain US domestic routes by American announces additional JFK-LAX flights | News of the Air

American announces additional JFK-LAX flights | News of the Air — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:39:20 +0000

[...] this route. (American discussed its A321’s on-board product last year with Boardingarea.com, and APEX compares the transcontinental products of JetBlue, Virgin America, United, Delta and American). While Delta does not advertise special service for this route, it does offer BusinessElite seats, [...]

Comment on Bamboo charcoal is latest product to help airlines go green(er) inside the cabin by amitmadhvani

amitmadhvani — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:41:52 +0000

make the beddingfor ba bamboo clor or blue and for mirates beige or bamboo

Comment on Singapore Airlines reaches out to AvGeeks; gives them first class treatment at LAX by Singapore Airlines Connects with AvGeeks at LAX | Airline Reporter | Blogging on the airline business

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:00:55 +0000

[...] Story on the event on APEX Magazine [...]