On any other day the SIA Training Centre is a fortress. Restricted, where visitors are admitted only after a specific invitation and a thorough security checking. But, only July 25, 2015, Singapore Airlines is throwing open this secretive centre open to the public as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the island nation’s founding. Called the SIA Open House, …
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Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched TCS CrewCollab, a tablet based digital flight-bag solution developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) The application has been developed through a collaboration project by the airline and the software giant, leveraging SIA’s strength in service excellence and TCS’ strength in digital technology development. The airline is the launch customer for the TCS CrewCollab Solution and …
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Qatar Airways became the 12th operator of the Airbus A380 super jumbo when it took delivery of its first aircraft registration A7-APA two days ago. The airline has produced a series of four videos showing the aircraft from concept to delivery. Enjoy them. Episode 1 – The assembly [bsu_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngxw37gqHQM” width=”640″ height=”360″ controls=”alt” autohide=”yes” showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” theme=”light”] Episode 2 …
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Michael O’Leary’s pursuit of a high density Boeing 737 finally came to fruition. US airframer Boeing has launched the 200 seat version of the 737 MAX 8 with a 100 airplane commitment from Ryanair, the Irish ultra-low cost carrier. Ryanair will also have options to purchase up to another 100 737 MAX 200 as the aircraft is being called. By …
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The Tata-SIA Airlines Ltd. (TSAL), the 51:49 joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines officially unveiled Vistara as its airline brand yesterday. Drawn from the Sanskrit word Vistaar which means limitless expanse. The logo is derived from a ‘yantra’, a perfect mathematical form that reflects the unbounded universe. Its fluid interconnecting lines reflect the seamless experience the airline wants …
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US airframer Boeing which manufactures the world’s most popular aircraft the 737, will increase the cabin’s baggage storage capacity by over 50% from late next year. Boeing will offer a new type of over-head bin called ‘Space Bins’ which can carry six bags in place of the current four standard size carry-on bag measuring 9x14x22 inches (23cm x 36cm x …
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Announcing a $325 million investment in upgrading 19 of its Boeing 777-300ERs to its newest generation cabin product currently in service (read our story with pictures), Singapore Airlines has also announced the airline will introduce a premium economy class in the second half of next year. The new class will be initially offered on the airline’s 777-300ERs and later, on …
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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, unveiled its over the top ultra-luxurious first class called First Apartments which will be offered on its Airbus A380 super-jumbos. The nine 39 square feet ‘apartments’ which are about 74 percent larger than standard first class suites will be located on the front upper deck and unlike the twin aisles …
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Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, has gone beyond over the top, and unveiled the world’s first private multi-room cabin on a commercial passenger aircraft. Called The Residence, the uber-luxury 125 square feet three room cabin is meant for single or double occupancy and is located in the forward upper deck of the airline’s soon to be delivered Airbus A380 super-jumbos. It …
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Over the weekend, Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways made a series of announcements about the cabin products on their new Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s, including the new first class apartments the largest first class cabins in the sky, as well as “The Residence” which is the only three-room product in the sky. We will cover the announcements in detail …
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At last month’s India Aviation 2014 in Hyderabad, we had the opportunity to go onboard the Embraer Legacy 600 operated by AirOne charter company. The Legacy 600 is based on the Embraer ERJ-135 but features extra fuel tanks in the tail for extended range, winglets and an extensive drag reduction program. VT-AOK is an Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600, it was built …
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An update of our last year’s infographic comparing the seat layout and cabin configurations of the various A380 operators. Airlines compared include Air France, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, China Southern, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, and Skymark Airlines.
Read More »European airframer Airbus has unveiled proposed cabin interiors for its latest aircraft, the A350 XWB. This cabin interior is installed on board ‘MSN002’ (manufacturer’s serial number) the flight-test aircraft which made its first flight on February 26, earlier this year In a counter to the 17 inch economy class seat widths offered in the 10 abreast seating on many Boeing …
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Delta Air Lines has upgraded its Mumbai Amsterdam flight to full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite class. The upgrade was effected on March 30th, the start of the 2014 summer schedule. The flight will be operated with a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 36 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration in the premium cabin (see cabin map). The business class cabin features a …
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At ITB Berlin, Qatar Airways’ CEO Mr. Akbar Al Baker unveiled the first class seat on its A380s which are expected to commence service this year. The seat is said to be the widest in the industry and the in-flight entertainment system features a 27″ TV.
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by Devesh Agarwal What are the best seats for tall or wide passengers on IndiGo flights? Read on to learn. Two weeks ago, as I was making a booking on IndiGo for a flight to Delhi, I was offered a chance to buy ‘Premium Seats’ under the airline’s Seat Plus value add-on plan for Rs. 500 per seat per flight. …
Read More »by Devesh Agarwal The United States’ aviation regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has today allowed airlines to relax rules regarding the use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) on-board flights below 10,000 feet. In a release the FAA said Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, …
Read More »by Devesh Agarwal Singapore Airlines débuted its latest cabin products on its Boeing 777-300ER flying between Mumbai and Singapore for a limited time. This is the latest cabin product of the premium airline which will be standard on its Airbus A350-900 aircraft, but which is also fitted on eight of its new Boeing 777-300ERs, the latest of which was recently …
Read More »by Devesh Agarwal Flag carrier Air France, revealed its new upgraded economy class and premium economy class service offering which includes new seats, new meal services, in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, ice-cream and second hot meal service on longer flights. The carrier will equip 44 of its long-haul Boeing 777s starting from summer 2014 with the new product. These upgrades are …
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Until recently, like many others, I was under the opinion Air France was a stuffy airline, an uncaring crew, and one I was not likely to fly any time soon. Recently, I was a guest of Air France to attend the launch of their new “Best and Beyond” campaign in Paris, and had the opportunity to fly the airline in …
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