There are many reasons to despise flying, from delays, to fees, to overzealous TSA staff. But shrinking seats and the pain, claustrophobia, and rage they can trigger are arguably the biggest justification for airline loathing. The modern seat, with its power to pack more customers onto any given plane, is at the very heart of the industry’s 21st century economics. Slimmer seats and less legroom between rows has enabled “cabin densification” across domestic and international fleets. There are limits, however, even beyond physical constraints. Regulators mandate a certain ratio of attendants to seats, and carriers want to keep labour costs down. Still, the trend has clearly been moving toward scrunching you. Soon, however, that squeeze-play may come to an end. <br/>
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Boeing has selected connectivity provider Global Eagle Entertainment to supply its Airconnect 3.0 inflight Wi-Fi system as a line-fit option for the 737 MAX. Installation will begin this fall. Further discussions are ongoing between the two companies about offering line-fit installation on other aircraft types as well. Global Eagle said its Airconnect 3.0 system—which flies on 865 aircraft—is an integrated broadband connectivity platform that “provides airlines, advertisers and passengers a clean, customisable portal on all smartphones, tablets and laptops to surf the web, send emails and text, watch TV and movies, play games and more. It is fully customisable with a modular user interface, providing airlines the flexibility to offer passengers a personalised easy-to-use experience.” <br/>
Aircraft seating specialists AIM Altitude and Thompson Aero Seating have joined forces for the first time as sister companies to offer business-class seating and cabin furniture for the Airbus A330neo Airspace cabin. The two companies have been linked since December, when AIM Altitude’s Chinese owner AVIC International Holding acquired Thompson Aero Seating. The two AVIC companies were invited by Airbus to design, manufacture and install furniture and full-flat business-class seats for the A330neo Airspace cabin, for display in Airbus’ full-scale mock-up centre in Toulouse. As part of the project, AIM Altitude designed cabin furniture including aisle and literature stowage, working with IFE-equipped Thompson Vantage XL seats. The companies worked to create a bespoke trim and finish, defined by Airbus. <br/>