United is adding 270 Boeing and Airbus Aircraft to its fleet, and retrofitting its entire remaining narrow-body fleet with new ‘signature interiors’. This massive investment is expected to generate more than US$30bn in income, lower carbon emissions per seat, create 25,000 jobs, and contribute $50bn annually towards the US economy by 2026
In response to an increase in demand for premium travel from both business and leisure customers, Lufthansa is temporarily reactivating five of its Airbus A340-600 aircraft, complete with first class cabins. First class will continue, on the airline’s incoming A350-900s
SwissportALD, a JV between Airport Dimensions and Swissport, is expanding its airport lounge network through the acquisition of No1 Lounges
Air France has received the Diamond Award in the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying awards, which recognise airlines’ efforts at implementing the strictest health and safety measures
Collins Aerospace has launched the Electronic Cabin Bag (eCB), a system that digitalises and automates cabin crew tasks, and enables passengers to use their PEDs for shopping and service requests, removing the need to touch high-traffic call buttons.
Most airlines removed their inflight magazines in 2020, as a hygiene precaution against SARS-CoV-2. However, the popular Hemispheres monthly inflight magazine will soon be found in seatback pockets again thanks to antimicrobial technology
Panasonic Avionics has unveiled a range of new and upcoming features for Arc, its 3D inflight moving map platform. The first round of new features include Arc for Young Explorers and OneMedia integration, with a map designer tool to follow
Collins Aerospace’s Venue cabin management system (CMS) has had “a little work done”, including a new GUI that simplifies cabin control for passengers
Delta Air Lines has won the J.D. Power 2021 North America Airline Satisfaction award, following positive feedback from customers who appreciated its crew standards, its approach to removing change fees, and its empty middle seats policy
The Ask First disability awareness training initiative is being launched to help the aviation industry improve the travel experience for disabled passengers
