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JetBlue Introduces Core Experience on Airbus A320 Aircraft

March 21, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Second and Final Phase of Airbus A320 Interior Cabin Restyling Ushers in New Era of Comfort and Connectivity for JetBlue Customers.

The Most Legroom in Coach® Now Features the Widest, Most Comfortable A320 Seats, Larger Seatback TVs with Even More Entertainment, Expanded Gate-to-Gate High-Speed Internet on Nearly Every JetBlue Route—and More!

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190320005524/en/

The restyling effort has been several years in the making, with the latest aircraft marking the first to receive this all-new 2019 design. The aircraft, named “If You Can Read This, You’re Blue Close,” re-joins JetBlue’s fleet today, with roughly a third of JetBlue’s A320 aircraft scheduled for restyling completion by the end of the year.

“JetBlue rocked the airline industry in 2000 with seatback television and all leather seats. In our first makeover since, this incredible new onboard experience represents what the founders would have done if they were launching JetBlue today,” said Marty St. George, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, JetBlue. “The new experience brings together technology, entertainment, and comfort with the great service JetBlue customers love so much.”

For most of the airlines 100+ destinations the A320 restyling will bring the upgraded JetBlue experience to their city for the first time.

A major focus of the restyling is keeping customers connected throughout their flight, including a new inflight entertainment system, high-definition seatback televisions, in-seat power outlets with USB ports and continued free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed internet with an expanded coverage area – including throughout the Caribbean and Latin America where Fly-Fi had not been available until now.

The Widest Seat Available For the A320

In 2019, JetBlue will outfit its A320 aircraft with the Collins Meridian seat, customized for the airline’s needs and featuring a number of design elements with customer comfort in mind:

Expanded seat width of more than 18 inches, the widest available for the A320.
The most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (a).
Enhanced cushion comfort.
Adjustable headrests, a new feature for JetBlue’s A320.
Contoured seatback design at knee level creating additional living space for every customer.
Redesigned seatback stowage options, including an innovative elastic grid to accommodate a variety of customer items.
At least two easy-to-reach power connections at every seat.

“We are proud to partner with JetBlue on its A320 restyling project by supplying our Meridian Seat,” said Cynthia A. Muklevicz, Vice President, Account Management, Interiors for Collins Aerospace. “Meridian offers passengers industry-leading comfort and living space through an intense focus on ergonomic design supported by optimization of the underlying seat structure.”

IFE

Also in 2019, JetBlue will build on its reputation as an industry leader in inflight entertainment options with Thales AVANT and ViaSat-2 connectivity. With this system, JetBlue will offer customers aboard its restyled A320s expanded entertainment choices in nearly every region the airline flies (b). JetBlue is the only major U.S. airline with seatback entertainment screens at every seat on every aircraft.

10.1 inch, 1080P high definition screen at every seat.
More than 100 channels of live television with DVR-like pause and rewind functionality.
Expanded collection of on demand movies, TV shows and video content, plus new gaming features.
Destination-specific content allowing customers to enhance their travel experience.
Picture-in-picture function
Enhanced, 3D flight map offering multiple ways to track time to destination.
Personal handheld device pairing capabilities for use as a remote or gaming controller.
Expanded Fly-Fi connectivity, providing coverage to nearly the entire JetBlue network.

“Thales is proud to have been a business partner with JetBlue since the beginning of their IFE evolution. The airline has reimagined the flying experience, and with our custom-designed AVANT IFE solution, we’ve helped JetBlue reimagine their customer experience on the A320 platform,” said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales InFlyt Experience. “We look forward to collaborating with the airline to create new opportunities that wow their customers with a unique and personalized inflight experience.”

“JetBlue continues to be an industry leader in its approach to inflight internet—bringing free, high-speed connectivity to every customer onboard,” said Don Buchman, vice president and general manager, Commercial Aviation, Viasat. “We’re honored to once again partner with JetBlue on inflight connectivity, giving them access to ViaSat-2, the world’s most advanced satellite network, enabling all JetBlue customers to enjoy fast Fly-Fi service on more routes where JetBlue flies.”

Completing The 2018 Phase

The first phase of JetBlue’s A320 interior cabin restyle began in spring 2018 and modernized the airline’s so-called “classic interiors” with products that matched those found on the airline’s newer A321 aircraft – features such as more modern seats and larger seatback TVs. More than a dozen A320 aircraft have been restyled with these products so far and several more are scheduled for completion in the coming weeks. This spring the restyling will fully transition to the 2019 version of onboard products for all aircraft going forward.

About JetBlue Airways

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of more than 1,000 daily flights. For more information please visit jetblue.com.

(a) JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.

(b) Fly-Fi is available on all JetBlue-operated flights. On ViaSat-2 equipped aircraft, Fly-Fi may not be available on portions of some routes. On all other aircraft Fly-Fi may not be available while operating outside of the contiguous U.S., or until the aircraft returns to the coverage area.

JetBlue Corporate Communications
Tel: +1.718.709.3089
corpcomm@jetblue.com

Source: JetBlue

18 REASONS TO FLY WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS IN 2019

February 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

British Airways’ new year’s resolution is to provide its customers with even more quality and choice in every cabin on every route – with a £6.5bn investment and 18 great reasons to look forward to flying with the airline in 2019.

Here are some of the reasons to fly with British Airways this year:

New routes. Customers can try out the airline’s new routes to Charleston y’all, with Pittsburgh, Osaka, Kos and Corsica, Ljubljana, Montpellier, among others. It’s the airline’s most extensive route network in more than a decade.
New aircraft. Customers can fly on one of the carrier’s 15 plush new aircraft being delivered this year – including four fabulous A350 aircraft.
A brand-new Club World seat, featuring on the new A350 aircraft, and two 777 aircraft by the end of the year.
WiFi. The best, live streaming WiFi on all short-haul flights and the vast majority of long-haul flights so customers can sit back and enjoy films and TV shows from their favourite streaming service.
A new look for First. New first-class dining, bedding and amenity kits from one of the UK’s best-loved designers.
An industry-leading makeover for World Traveller Plus. Look out for new bedding and new dining in this intimate and exclusive cabin.
New lounges for customers to relax and enjoy ahead of their flight, in San Francisco, Johannesburg, Geneva and JFK.
An extended partnership with premium dining supremo Do&Co, the airline’s new in-flight caterer from Heathrow and already providing meals in Club Europe.
A new ba.com homepage, making booking with British Airways even easier and more intuitive.
New partners for the British Airways Executive Club, offering even more ways to collect and spend Avios.
Digital bag tags. A UK airline first. Sync your personal baggage tag with the BA app, drop your luggage at the airport, and fly.
Self-service baggage drops at Heathrow T3 offering customers the same service as T5.
Facial recognition technology. More biometric technology at Heathrow, London City and Gatwick, New York JFK, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and many more. The system makes boarding faster and more convenient, helping British Airways depart flights on, or ahead of time.
New emissions-free, remote-controlled pushback vehicles for long-haul aircraft to continue to improve punctuality. Short-haul versions reduced pushback delays by more than 70 per cent.
New winter equipment – helping British Airways safely de-ice its fleet of almost 300 aircraft quicker than ever during the frosty winter months.
Hotel reservations. Investment in new technology will see rooms automatically booked for customers who miss their flights due to disruption.
Enhanced customer service. Almost 30,000 staff will receive the airline’s all-new customer service training. At T5 – more airport hosts than ever before are being re-trained to manage any customer issue, from re-booking to upgrades, lounge access, baggage and transfer queries and flight information.
And last but not least – look out for British Airways’ Centenary celebrations. It’s going to be 100 years’ old this year, and will be celebrating in style, sharing its heritage and looking at what to expect from flying in the future.

A British Airways 787 Dreamliner G-BBJA flying over Derby ‘s Rolls Royce sites.

Story and image from http://www.britishairways.com

American Airlines Takes Delivery of its First A321neo

February 3, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

PITTSBURGH — After an 8 1/2-hour nonstop journey from Hamburg, Germany (XFW), the newest member of the American Airlines fleet has landed.

N400AN, American’s first Airbus A321neo, touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) shortly before noon Feb. 1. After clearing customs, the plane will head to American’s Base Maintenance facility at PIT, where it will spend a couple of weeks undergoing the usual extensive acceptance checks conducted whenever the airline adds a new aircraft type to its fleet. The Tech Ops – PIT team will install ViaSat satellite Wi-Fi, conduct general ops checks and add interior and exterior placards as they customize the aircraft for American. After that, it will visit other American bases before entering service.

The A321neo is scheduled to begin flying customers April 2 between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Arizona and Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida. Once the company takes more deliveries, additional routes will include PHX–Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in Alaska over the summer, and PHX and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hawaii later this year as the A321neo begins to replace retiring Boeing 757s. The A321 is already a versatile aircraft, and the A321neo (which stands for “new engine option”) adds about 400 nautical miles in range thanks to improved fuel burn from the new engines, putting additional destinations within reach.

American has ordered 100 of these jets with deliveries running over the next several years. They seat 196 customers and, in addition to the fast Wi-Fi, include power at every seat and free wireless entertainment to each customer’s own device including free live television. Additionally, American is the launch customer for Airbus’ new XL overhead bins which significantly increase capacity. The A321neo is American’s first aircraft delivered with these bins and the company will begin retrofitting existing A321s with this same bin later this year.

American is taking the “Cabin Flex,” or “NX,” option of the A321neo, which has a new door configuration. The A321neo is part of the order for 460 aircraft placed by American in 2011, which also included 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The aircraft from that order have transformed American’s fleet into the youngest among U.S. network airlines.

Story and image from http://www.aa.com

Gulfstream Expects Business Jet Market Growth In 2019

October 17, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Gulfstream Aerospace expects growth in both sales opportunities and deliveries next year, as the U.S. business jet maker brings two new large-cabin corporate planes to market, company President Mark Burns said on Wednesday.

Burns said in an interview that the entry into service of the company’s new G500 and G600 business jets will drive market growth for Gulfstream, a division of General Dynamics Corp. (GD.N)

“I expect next year will be a growth year,” he said on the sidelines of the National Business Aviation Association annual corporate jet show in Orlando, Florida. “We’re bringing two new airplanes to market at a time when the market is improving.”

After years of sluggish sales, potential buyers at the show are looking closely at new aircraft models with longer ranges and technology for smoother rides, while weighing the advantage of recent U.S. tax deductions. Hopes for new orders in the industry have also been underpinned by a dwindling supply of pre-owned aircraft.

Burns said he is confident that Gulfstream will meet its existing 2018 plans to deliver between 115 to 125 planes this year, although he could not be more specific ahead of the company’s third-quarter earnings report next week.

The G500 was certified in July and its first delivery was made in September. The slightly larger G600, which can fly nonstop from London to Los Angeles, is expected to be certified by year’s end and enter service in 2019.

A 10-year outlook by Honeywell Aerospace (HON.N) ahead of the convention forecasts up to 7,700 new business jet deliveries worth $251 billion from 2019 to 2028, up 1 percent to 2 percent from the 10-year forecast in 2017.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

JetBlue Introduces Core Experience on Airbus A320 Aircraft

18 REASONS TO FLY WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS IN 2019

American Airlines Takes Delivery of its First A321neo

Gulfstream Expects Business Jet Market Growth In 2019

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