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Cheapskate Ryanair considers in-flight Wi-Fi & TV options, hesitates over cost
TransportRyanair is weighing options for on-board passenger wi-fi, with firms including US-based LiveTV having pitched solutions to the carrier, the IrishIndependent has learned. The airline has been reluctant so far to roll out an in-flight wi-fi system because it would need to justify the installation cost with the return it might generate. The airline could eventually plump [...]
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Airlines await yet another revenue stream pending faster Wi-Fi
Transport…despite the rapid expansion of Wi-Fi on airplanes, no one has found a profitable way to cover installation costs with the scant revenue generated by the limited number of passengers who have been willing to pay for Internet service at 35,000 feet. The great advances in airplane Internet connections are being driven far more by [...]
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Qantas creates custom books to read in-flight
TransportAussie airline Qantas is asking consumers to ditch their Kindles and curl up with a good book — one that’s been specially penned by the airline so that fliers they’ll manage to finish just as their plane touches down. Droga5 Sydney, which won the client’s business last year, teamed with publishing house Hachette to create a push [...]
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Trend alert: Airlines offer flyers access to thousands of digital publications
TransportAirlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power ports and introducing onboard Wi-Fi and/or wireless inflight entertainment portals. In an effort to offer passengers a much wider variety of news, instead of the rather obligatory bunch of newspapers and magazines [...]
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Top U.S. airlines for extra fees in 2012: Delta Air Lines leads the way
TransportAccording to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, for the third consecutive year Delta Air Lines beat out all other U.S. airlines in checked baggage and reservation change fees. Out of a total of more that $6 billion in fees collected by all reporting U.S. airlines, Delta took home [...]
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The FCC just set off a high-stakes battle between in-flight Wi-Fi providers
TransportSatellite-based Wi-Fi services such as Row44 and Panasonic Avionics, which power on-board wireless networks for Southwest and United, respectively, have a clear competitive advantage over air-to-ground networks because the satellite systems offer much greater capacity for travelers trying to stream video or access bulky emails. But the Federal Communication Commission’s decision last week to begin [...]
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Turkish Airlines reverses course on red lipstick ban
TransportTurkish Airlines is quashing a ban on female flight attendants wearing red lipstick and nail polish, its chief executive said on Thursday, after an outcry by secular Turks worried the country is becoming too Islamic. The national carrier had said in a statement this month the use of red and dark pink lipstick and nail [...]
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FCC commissioners vote to expand availability of airborne Wi-Fi access
TransportThe Federal Communications Commission took a step toward improving Web access for air travelers, voting to write rules to open frequencies for an air-to-ground Internet service proposed by Qualcomm Inc. The agency in a 4-0 vote today advanced the plan to help travelers pull in Facebook pages, spreadsheets, videos, games and music on planes equipped [...]
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Lots of people forget to turn off digital devices on flight says study
TransportMore and more flyers are taking their portable digital devices on flights, that much is obvious. If they own them, they will take them on the plane, of course. Now a new survey by Airline Passenger Experience Association and the Consumer Electronics Association puts some numbers behind the trend, and have discovered some interesting findings, [...]
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Airlines tease passengers with popular brands to spike in-flight meal buys
TransportAir Baltic is not the only airline that regards innovative meal services as a way to sweeten its passengers. Deploying familiar brands seems to be a favoured approach. At least six carriers…serve Starbucks coffee. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have both dished up Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. This correspondent’s personal favourite was Japan [...]
