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Delta debuts free in-flight text messaging

Delta is launching free in-flight texting service. (Image: Delta)

Delta is rolling out a nice new benefit for travelers next month: free in-flight text messaging service on all its aircraft equipped with Gogo Internet.

The only other U.S. carrier that currently offers this handy freebie is Alaska Airlines, which introduced it last winter.

Although Alaska has exclusively offered the free texting for almost nine months now, Delta’s decision to match that amenity could put big pressure on United and American to do the same. It’s ideal for passengers who need to send a quick message to someone on the ground but don’t want to sign up for a paid Wi-Fi session.

Delta’s free texting service, which begins October 1, is available for users of iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Gogo-equipped Delta aircraft include all those with at least two cabins. To access the free texting, passengers should use Delta’s Wi-Fi portal at airborne.gogoinflight.com. It’s for sending and receiving text only – no photo or video files. In the past, this benefit was reserved for T-Mobile customers— now all passengers will enjoy it.

Delta is upgrading its Gogo Wi-Fi to faster satellite-based technology. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Delta’s offer is basically the same as Alaska’s Free Chat service, which also works with iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger via Gogo Internet. The free texting offer should help Delta in its ongoing market share battle for customers at Alaska’s Seattle hub.

The airline is gradually upgrading its inflight Wi-Fi service to Gogo’s high-speed 2Ku satellite-based technology. Over the next two years, Delta said, the faster Wi-Fi will be installed on more than 600 of its domestic and international aircraft. About 200 planes already have it.

Will you use the new feature? Please leave your comments below.

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New food options coming at United, Delta, JetBlue

New United package: Uno’s pizza and Miller Light. (Image: United)

We recently provided an in-depth look at United’s cheeseburger , introduced in January and now the most requested item in the airline’s Bistro on Board menu. Now United is refreshing its food-for-purchase options starting July 1, Delta is expanding its free economy class meal options on transcon routes, and JetBlue is offering a new set of boxed snacks for sale.

United is rolling out another likely winner in the comfort-food category: pizza. If you’re a pizza aficionado and you travel to Chicago, you’ve probably dined at the iconic deep-dish pizzeria Uno’s (or its sister location, Due’s). And that’s the vendor United will use for its in-flight pies.

The spinach-and-garlic pizza from Uno’s (sorry, no substitutions) will be available for purchase on United flights of more than three and a half hours. They’ll be priced at $9.99 – or you can add a Miller Light for a total cost of $13.99.

Elements of United’s protein box. (Image: United)

Other selections coming to United’s Bistro on Board menu July 1 include a Thai-style chicken ciabatta sandwich, an egg-white flatbread, and a “protein box” with hummus, tabbouleh salad, almonds and pretzel sticks. The cheeseburger will still be there, and so will United’s breakfast sandwich (egg, cheese and sausage).

Delta just announced it is increasing the number of free Main Cabin meal offerings on a dozen transcontinental routes from the current six options to 18. The airline said it will offer “distinct breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that vary on eastbound and westbound flights.” Some of the items on the new menu include a cheese plate, a Luvo Harissa roasted veggie wrap, a Greek Meze plate, a beef pastrami sandwich and a sesame noodle salad. You can see the full menu here.

A fruit, cheese and cookies plate from Delta. (Image: Delta)

In March, Delta started offering free meals in coach on its prime transcon routes between JFK-San Francisco and JFK-Los Angeles. A month later, it expanded the service to Boston-San Francisco, Boston-LAX and Boston-Seattle; Washington Reagan National-LAX; JFK-Seattle and JFK-Portland; Seattle-Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle-Orlando and Seattle-Raleigh/Durham.

JetBlue, meanwhile, is coming out with new “EatUp” boxed snack selections July 1 on flights of more than two hours, available for purchase by passengers who can’t seem to fill up on the airline’s free and unlimited snacks.

JetBlue’s new boxed snack selections. (Image: JetBlue)

The new boxed snacks include the Big Up (an RXBAR bar, coconut toffee candy, turkey jerkey, roasted chickpeas and parmesan cheese crisps); the MixItUp (a KIND granola bar, ranch crackers, a turkey stick and fruit snacks); the AmpUp (gluten-free, vegan and kosher items including red pepper hummus Mary’s Gone crackers, a MadeGood chocolate crispy rice square, Greek olives, roasted almonds and a fruit bar); and the CatchUp (salt and pepper cashews, popcorn, brownie crisps and jellybeans).

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Expansion of laptop ban put on hold

Delta put up a sign at Cincinnati prematurely last week anticipating a larger laptop ban. (Source: FlyerTalk)

Travelers concerned about the U.S. banning in-cabin laptops and tablets on flights from Europe are breathing a sigh of relief – although it may be only temporary.

Just last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was said to be on the verge of expanding its laptop ban – currently in effect for flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports – to include inbound flights from Europe as well. But after a crucial meeting in Brussels this week between U.S. and European security and aviation officials, those plans have apparently been put on hold for now.

The Associated Press quoted one official as saying after the meeting that the expanded laptop ban is ”off the table” for now.

In an official statement following the meeting, DHS and the European Commission said only that they had “reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely together on aviation security generally,” and that they have scheduled another meeting next week in Washington D.C. “to further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers, whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel.”

The U.S. is concerned that terrorist organizations like ISIS are refining methods of planting explosives inside electronic devices in such a way that they can’t be detected by existing airport security systems.

If laptops are a threat in the cabin, are they safe in checked bags? (Image: Jim Glab)

At their Brussels meeting, the two sides “exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats,” the official statement said. “Participants provided insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage.”

The statement said nothing about the proposed expansion of the laptop ban.

The Europeans were known to be concerned about threats to aviation safety if large numbers of electronic devices with lithium batteries are stowed in the hold of an aircraft, since those batteries have been known to ignite.

The threat of an expanded laptop ban led to warnings from the airline and travel industries that transatlantic travel could suffer significant damage from such an order. The initial damage would be in the form of chaos at airports as travelers and airlines adapted to the ban, and longer term in a falloff of bookings, especially among higher-paying business travelers.

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Working around the laptop ban

Qatar Airways is offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

If you can’t bring your own laptop or tablet into the cabin for a very long flight, would you accept a loaner?

That’s the strategy some carriers are adopting in the wake of the so-called “laptop ban” imposed by the U.S. and U.K. governments on non-stop flights from several airports in the Middle East and Africa. The ban bars passengers from carrying any electronic device larger than a smartphone into the passenger cabin.

First, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad decided to offer loaner iPads and free Wi-Fi starting April 2 for first class and business class passengers on flights to its six U.S. gateways.

Qatar Airways then went a step further, buying up a supply of loaner laptops that will be made available on the aircraft to U.S.-bound business class passengers starting next week. “Customers will be able to download their work on to a USB before stepping on board to pick up where they left off,” the airline said. Qatar is also offering all passengers one hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on U.S.-bound flights, or a special rate of $5 for a connection for the full duration of the flight.

Emirates’ president said that his carrier is also considering the use of loaner laptops for premium passengers.

Turkish Airlines and others will let customers check devices at the gate. (Photo: San Francisco International Airport)

Both Qatar and Emirates are letting U.S.-bound passengers keep using their tablets and laptops right up to boarding, so they don’t have to pack them in their checked luggage. Devices will be collected at the gate, flown in the hold, and returned at the destination. Turkish Airlines has also adopted procedures for checking electronic devices at the gate.

The affected airlines are not alone in worrying about the impact that the ban could have on their business. The International Air Transport Association – the leading trade organization for the world’s airlines – called on governments “to urgently find alternatives” to the device ban. The group said the ban seemed misguided and poorly conceived.

“The current measures are not an acceptable long-term solution to whatever threat they are trying to mitigate. Even in the short term it is difficult to understand their effectiveness. And the commercial distortions they create are severe,” said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac.

“With the measures now in place, our passengers and member airlines are asking valid questions. Why don’t the US and the UK have a common list of airports? How can laptops be secure in the cabin on some flights and not others, including flights departing from the same airport? And surely there must be a way to screen electronic equipment effectively? The current situation is not acceptable and will not maintain the all-important confidence of the industry or of travelers. We must find a better way. And Governments must act quickly,” said de Juniac.

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American joins the free food fight – sort of

American will bring back free meals in coach on two A321T transcontinental markets. (Image: American)

When Delta announced last month it would offer free meals in the main cabin on transcontinental flights, it was probably just a matter of time until its rival started to respond – and American Airlines is the first to do so, although on a limited basis.

American said this week that on May 1, it will also begin handing out free meals in coach – but only on two routes.

The policy change affects passengers flying American’s special transcon A321Ts between San Francisco-New York and Los Angeles-New York.

“Depending on the time of day, customers will be offered a continental breakfast or a boxed meal with a sandwich wrap, kettle chips and dessert. The menu also includes a vegetarian option and a fruit and cheese plate,” American said.

Delta’s free transcon Main Cabin offerings include a Luvo veggie wrap. (Image: Delta)

Delta’s free main cabin meals started earlier this month on the JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO routes, and will be extended as of April 24 to 10 more transcon routes, including JFK to Portland, San Diego and Seattle; Boston to San Francisco, LAX and Seattle; Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Raleigh-Durham; and Washington Reagan National to LAX. (Sorry, Atlanta, you are not included in the freebies.)

Even though American’s competitive response to Delta’s initiative is relatively muted, it still puts more pressure on other transcon carriers to match or beat the free coach meals. United, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines’ Virgin America unit all charge for anything more filling than snacks in the main cabin on their coast-to-coast routes.

For example, JetBlue has a service in its main cabin called the EatUp Café on LAX/SFO-area routes from Boston, New York and Ft. Lauderdale, offering sandwiches, salads, cheese plates and such for prices ranging from $4 to $12.

Would you rather pay for a high quality meal, or get a free one that’s just okay? Please leave your comments below. 

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Are seatback screens becoming obsolete?

Seatback screens are still staying on American wide-bodies like this 787 -- for now. (Image: American)

Seatback screens are still staying on American Airlines wide-bodies like this 787 — for now. (Image: American)

American Airlines has decided to do without seatback video screens in its newest single-aisle planes, and it is betting that passengers won’t care.

The carrier is due to take delivery of its first four next-generation 737 MAX aircraft this year – it has ordered a total of 100 – and they will come without the traditional seatback screens. American will still offer the screens on wide-bodies used for international routes, for its three-class A321Ts used on lucrative transcontinental routes, and on some other single-aisle aircraft, including 40 A321s and other 737 models due for delivery this year.

Instead of using seatback screens, passengers on the new 737 MAX planes will be able to see entertainment programming on their personal electronic devices, the airline said in a memo to employees.

The carrier said more than 90 percent of AA passengers now bring along their own tablet, laptop or smartphone, and that passengers prefer to use those devices. The airline will allow passengers to access its collection of movies, TV programs and live TV at no charge.

Satellite-based Wi-Fi links will be available for a fee, so that passengers can stream on-demand video entertainment from other providers. All of American’s new 737 MAX aircraft, and several hundred of its other domestic planes, will be getting new satellite-based Wi-Fi technology from ViaSat, the same vendor used by JetBlue.

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will likely preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new technology will permit much faster Wi-Fi for easy video streaming from sources like Netflix and Amazon. The ViaSat Wi-Fi should be on about half of AA’s single-aisle fleet by mid-2018.

American hasn’t decided yet whether it will extend the “no screens” policy to other aircraft types in the future.  But its memo to employees did say that the company expects seatback monitors to be “obsolete within a few years.”

Other carriers seem to be taking the same approach; United’s new 737-900s rely on entertainment streaming without video screens, and Alaska also uses streaming-only in-flight entertainment, although on longer flights it offers rental tablets that are preloaded with movie and TV programming.

Readers: Do you care if your domestic flight has a seatback screen as long as you can stream entertainment directly to your laptop or tablet at a reasonable speed?

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In-flight wi-fi makes small but steady gains

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

A new report finds that U.S. airlines remain way ahead of their foreign counterparts in the availability of in-flight Wi-Fi.

However, the Routehappy.com report also notes that the world’s airlines have quite a ways to go in offering what it calls the “best” Wi-Fi – i.e., “comparable to a home connection” in that it offers the highest speeds available and permits advanced media streaming.

“U.S. airlines continue to get closer to offering Wi-Fi on nearly every flight, a benefit of having started Wi-Fi rollouts earlier than airlines in most other regions,” Routehappy said. “Delta and United now have it installed on every single aircraft larger than 50-seat regional jets, while American is also closing in on this milestone. This is the result of multi-year installation programs, which are finally wrapping up.”

Airlines are shifting to Wi-Fi systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Airlines are shifting to systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

The company said that for U.S. airlines, 80 percent of available seat miles (ASMs) are now flown on Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft, compared with just 18.5 percent of ASMs on foreign airlines worldwide.  (U.S. airlines that offer none at all include ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier and Spirit, “which have no intention of rolling it out in the near future,” Routehappy said.)

In terms of quality, the company found that of equipped aircraft worldwide, only 7.2 percent offer the “best” product – an increase of just 1.2 points in the past year. Most aircraft (61 percent) provide what Routehappy calls “better” quality – i.e., capable of full web browsing and limited media streaming, while the rest have just basic service.

However, that should change fast. “While the overwhelming majority of flights operating with Best Wi-Fi today are found on JetBlue and some United flights, next-generation systems are now rapidly coming online, with major airline commitments announced more regularly than in prior years,” Routehappy said.

Source: Routehappy.com

Source: Routehappy.com

“Gogo’s 2Ku system (i.e., an advanced satellite-based network) has recently launched with multiple major global airlines such as Delta, Aeromexico, and Virgin Atlantic. Inmarsat’s GX for Aviation is also in the beginning stages of going live to passengers. Deutsche Telekom’s high-speed air-to-ground network is being built throughout the European Union and UK, and British Airways will use this network starting in mid-2017; SAS and Finnair have also tapped Viasat for European Wi-Fi. All these systems are pending installation in thousands of aircraft. While equipment installation will take years to complete, by the end of 2017 flyers will see a big increase of Best Wi-Fi available to them.”

The deployment of these newer technologies means that in-fight Wi-Fi speed and quality “will dramatically improve” in the months and years ahead, the company said, and the cost to passengers should come down as well.

Looking just at long-haul flights – which Routehappy defines as more than 2,800 miles – the report says that only seven airlines now offer Wi-Fi on 100 percent of their flights: United, Delta, Iberia, Etihad, Icelandaor, Lufthansa and Singapore’s Scoot.

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United passengers test a new way of looking at things

United passengers test the Glyph headset. (Image: Avegant)

United passengers test the Glyph headset. (Image: Avegant)

Passengers on a few United Airlines flights this week were the first to try out a new wraparound headset that provides a more immersive multimedia experience for in-flight streaming entertainment.

A company called Avegant produces the Glyph headsets, which can integrate seamlessly with streaming Wi-Fi programming. The testing took place to see exactly how the devices worked in-flight with United’s entertainment technology, and to gather feedback from passengers about the experience.

The company promises “an immersive 360-degree experience and side-by-side 3D in amazing detail,” along with superior audio quality through the headset’s padded earphones.

Headsets were handed out at the boarding gate. (Image: Avegant)

Headsets were handed out at the boarding gate. (Image: Avegant)

But it also stops short of what can be the disorienting view presented total virtual reality headsets. “The Avegant Glyph lets you see above and below the visual field, so you can easily orient yourself to your surroundings and not give up spatial awareness,” the company noted.

And it’s not just for in-flight use. The headset can plug into any HDMI-supported device for movies, gaming and other content, the company said.

Avegant is offering United travelers a 20 percent discount on the $549 headset if they order online by January 15.

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Shut up! No YOU shut up! Inflight phone debate is back

13 million flyers used OnAir's mobile phone service from planes last year (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Millions of flyers on foreign airlines have used OnAir’s mobile phone service from planes. (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Changing technology that enables travelers to make voice calls over in-flight Wi-Fi systems has led the Transportation Department to take another look and reignite the debate about voice calls in the air.

Inflight cell phone for voice calls use is already permitted by many airlines around the world.  Even highly regulated Europe relaxed its ban on flight calls way back in 2008. None have reported any of the mayhem predicted by pundits and politicians.

The current ban on in-flight phone calls was issued by the Federal Communications Commission, not DOT – and that decision was based on issues of interference with navigation systems and ground-based cell phone networks. Today, most aircraft have Wi-Fi technology that is increasingly switching from ground-based to satellite-based communication, and it permits flyers to make calls through Wi-Fi – and that is not covered by the FCC ban.

DOT said it has started a rulemaking proceeding that would not only require airlines to inform customers “from the beginning of the process” (i.e. at the time of booking) when voice calls are permitted on their flights, but also seeks to determine whether the agency should simply ban voice calls outright.

Emirates Airline does not have a problem with passengers using their mobile phones in flight (Photo: OnAir)

Emirates Airline does not have a problem with passengers using their mobile phones in flight (Photo: OnAir)

And this rulemaking has nothing to do with safety issues – it’s all about consumer protection.

“DOT believes that allowing voice calls, without providing adequate notice, would be an unfair and deceptive practice,” the agency said. “As technologies advance, the cost of making voice calls may decrease and the quality of voice call service may increase, leading to a higher prevalence of voice calls and a greater risk of passenger harm… The Department believes that consumers would be unfairly surprised and harmed if they learned only after the purchase of a ticket (or, worse, after boarding the aircraft) that the carrier permits voice calls on its flights.”

Passenger harm? DOT doesn’t explain that concern. Is it suggesting that voice calls in-flight would lead to physical fights between the caller and a seatmate who doesn’t want to hear it?

The agency noted that when it looked into allowing voice calls on flights back in 2014, “a substantial majority of individual commenters expressed opposition to voice calls on the grounds that they are disturbing, particularly in the confined space of an aircraft cabin.” The airlines’ trade group thinks airlines should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow phone calls, but flight attendants’ unions are opposed to the practice.

Still, several foreign airlines permit voice calls on their flights, and there is little if any evidence that the practice led to fisticuffs or boycotts.

Gogo’s popular inflight wi-fi system has the capability to handle voice calls, but for now, the VOIP calls are blocked on commercial flights. But the ability to use inflight wi-fi for voice calls is a very popular feature on Gogo-equipped private jets. Gogo currently offers free texting (only) on commercial flights for T-Mobile customers.

Elsewhere, airlines that have adopted the onboard technology have the ability to turn voice calling on or off– and some, like Lufthansa, have decided to keep it off. Ryanair, Europe’s largest carrier,  experimented with allowing cell phone use on its planes in 2009 and dumped the idea due to lack of interest.

Screen Shot 2015-09-02 at 9.20.13 AM

Some of the airlines that offer Aeromobile’s inflight SMS or phone service

Here are lists of airlines that offer inflight mobile phone or SMS service via Aeromobile or OnAir.

Why don’t people in these other countries yack endlessly on their cell phones on planes if they can? Because using a mobile phone on a plane is not the same as using it on the ground. It’s very expensive... calls cost about $3-$4 per minute– and charges appear on your mobile phone bill.

What’s not clear now is how inflight wi-fi (or VOIP) calling can be regulated onboard, and how it may be priced. In any case, you can bet that it will not be free. And if inflight wi-fi usage (which runs at about 7%) is any indicator, inflight calling will likely not be widespread. 

While airlines are said to be studying the issue, most are standing by previous decisions to ban inflight calls.

In any case, if you’d like to share an opinion with them on the subject, go to www.regulations.gov and file comments on docket number DOT-OST-2014-0002.

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Delta: Don’t mess with my peanuts!

Delta has new snack selections for economy class customers. (Image: Delta)

Delta has new snack selections for economy class customers, including honey roasted peanuts. (Image: Delta)

Delta Air Lines has started toying with some changes in its food offerings for economy class passengers, revamping its snack lineup and experimenting with a return to free meals one some flights.

And for peanut purists, the news may not be good.

The airline said that on December 14, it will eliminate its traditional Delta-branded Main Cabin snacks – except for Biscoff cookies, which it will keep — in favor of a new lineup that includes pretzels from Snyder’s of Hanover, NatureBix apple cinnamon yogurt bars, and Squirrel Brand peanuts.

But here’s the thing: The Squirrel peanuts will be honey-roasted, replacing Delta’s traditional lightly salted nuts. And they won’t be available on shorter flights – only the cookies and the pretzels will be. Coach flyers on trips of more than 600 miles will get a choice of all four snacks. (On international flights, the choices will be pretzels or honey-roasted peanuts.)

As a Georgia-based airline, it’s no surprise that Delta is one of only two major airlines that still serve peanuts. (Southwest does, too.) But honey roasted? Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not a fan. Honey roasted peanuts and flavored coffees are two food adulterations I could live without.

Only two US airlines now serve peanuts: Delta and Southwest (Image: Pixabay)

Only two US airlines now serve peanuts: Delta and Southwest (Image: Pixabay)

“It’s good that Delta is looking for ways to spice up the experience. But it’s a bummer that the choices are carb-only for shorter flights. Honey-roasted peanuts are favored by a niche of travelers, but the salted ones probably had broader appeal. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, there’s no more low-carb option,” says frequent Delta flyer and blogger Ramsey Qubein.

Want to try the new snacks in advance? Delta has set up vending machines with free samples at airports in New York, Seattle and Los Angeles. The airline also said that it plans to change the snack lineup more often in the future, “based on direct customer feedback.” So if you’d prefer something else — celery stalks? M&Ms? potato chips? baby carrots? –be sure to let the airline know.

Don’t miss: 12 favorite inflight meals (slideshow)

Meanwhile, economy class passengers on Delta’s New York JFK-San Francisco/Los Angeles flights may see something else on their tray tables: a free meal.

The airline has reportedly started testing a return to free coach meals on those lucrative transcontinental routes, which are among the industry’s most competitive. Delta says that on flights that are participating in the testing, the complimentary meals include the option of a Honey Maple Breakfast Sandwich or Luvo Breakfast Medley on morning flights and an option of Mesquite-Smoked Turkey Combo with chips and a brownie bite or Luvo Mediterranean Whole Grain Veggie Wrap with grapes and a cookie on afternoon flights.

But getting back to the peanuts… Is it just me, or do you think that salted peanuts are better than the honey-roasted variety? Please leave your comments below. 

 

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Delta: Bad behavior gets you banned for life

You won't see this guy on any more Delta flights. (Image:

You won’t see this guy on any more Delta flights. (Image: Emma Baum/Facebook)

>Delta bans disruptive passenger for life, refunds fares to all passengers on Atlanta-Allentown flight 

Following a major embarrassment on the Internet over the past few days, Delta Air Lines is cracking down on passenger behavior aboard its aircraft.

The embarrassment involved a very vocal Donald Trump supporter on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Allentown last week; the passenger stood up in the aisle and chanted “Trump,” peppering his outburst with profanity and a reference to “Hillary bitches.” The problem for Delta: Another passenger made a video of the rant and posted it on Facebook, where its viewership quickly passed the 2 million mark.

The ranting passenger was not removed from the flight, to the dismay of others who found his behavior seriously offensive. As a result, Delta CEO Ed Bastian felt compelled to issue a public apology and is also refunding passengers on the flight for the cost of their tickets.

“This individual displayed behavior that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers,” Bastian said. “After questioning the customer, our team members made the best decision they could, given the information they had, and allowed him to remain on the flight. However, if our colleagues had witnessed firsthand what was shown in the video, there is no question they would have removed him from the aircraft. He will never again be allowed on a Delta plane.”

He said the airline is committed to “acknowledging our mistakes so we can learn from them,” and noted that all passengers on that flight have been given a refund and an apology. “The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities.”

Still, you have to wonder – what would Delta have done in the absence of a viral video of the incident? What would you have done if you witnessed an outburst like this?

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An answer to filthy airplane drinking water?

Delta bottled water

Bottled water is expensive, heavy, and empty bottles are not very eco-friendly- but there might be a solution (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

One of the basic warnings about air travel is this: Don’t drink the water from the plane! While there are few if any reports of anyone actually getting sick from drinking airplane water, it’s been widely reported that onboard water tanks are difficult to clean. You’d be hard pressed to find a flight attendant who would touch the stuff, let alone drink it, even if it is in the plane’s hot coffee. Many airlines post signs in lavatories discouraging passengers from drinking from the faucet.

The smartest way to drink water is to get a bottle or a glass of it from a flight attendant.

And these days, that bottle of water may or may not be free. On low-cost airlines, you might have to ante up a couple of bucks for a small bottle. Don’t miss: Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for bottle of water

But now a Kentucky-based water disinfection company called AquiSense Technologies has come up with a method that it says could allow air travelers to drink from the airplane tap without worry.

The company says airlines are quite correct to keep passengers from drinking tap water, citing an EPA study which found that “water tanks in commercial flights had consistent bacteria and debris issues,” according to AquiSense’s Mitch Hansen.

Here's how the Dept of Health describes coliform bacteria

Here’s how the Dept of Health describes coliform bacteria, consistently found in airplane water tanks

“The study concluded that these tanks have residual bacteria and sediment even after the system is flushed with disinfection chemicals. Once a small amount of bacteria is present in the system it can easily grow and spread,” he said. “When a system is flushed it is common for small pathogen-harboring particulates and sediment to remain.” And some 15 percent of aircraft water tanks tested positive for Coliform bacteria.

Attempts with various methods to eliminate the problem – carbon or ceramic filters, treatment with chemicals like chlorine, and ultraviolet lighting systems based on mercury-vapor lamps – all have problems that make them impractical or ineffective for treating aircraft water tanks, the company said. Conventional UV sterilization is dangerous because the fragile UV lights contain mercury, which if damaged, could contaminate drinking water.

A small Aquisense sterilization unit can fit under the sink (Image: Aquisense)

A small Aquisense sterilization unit can fit under the sink (Image: Aquisense web site)

Aquisense touting a new technique it developed that relies on ultraviolet light produced by sturdier LEDs (light emitting diodes) that meet the space and weight constraints of airlines and can handle the shocks of hard landings. “The small size and instant on/off capabilities mean this [LED] technology can be placed near the water dispensing point, such as a sink or galley faucet, and switched-on only when water is flowing,” AquiSense said. “Disinfecting the water right before it reaches a user blocks contamination coming from the piping and diminishes the need for residual disinfection chemicals.”

AquiSense said its method is currently being tested for use on the International Space Station. Its next big challenge could be convincing airlines that it works and that passengers will agree to drink from the tap instead of the bottle– it’s estimated that each water treatment unit built to airline specs is $2,000-$3,000. And if they’re making money peddling bottled water on the plane, that could be a hard sell.

Nonetheless, a company spokesperson tells TravelSkills that the company is currently working with “aerospace industry solution providers” and that test units will be in the air in 2017.

Do you drink airplane water? Feel bad about all those plastic bottles you leave behind? Leave your comments below. 

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Another airline adds “kid-free” seating

Parents who don't control unruly kids are high on the list of bad behaviors (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Parents who don’t control unruly kids are high on the list of bad behaviors (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Passenger surveys usually find that screaming, kicking, out-of-control kids – a.k.a. adorable children – are one of the biggest annoyances for air travelers. But what if you could book a seat that guaranteed you wouldn’t have any of them around you?

Indian budget airline Indigo is the latest carrier to introduce what it calls “Quiet Zones” – seating areas where it does not allow any children under age 12 (rows 1-4 and 11-14, including the exit rows).

A similar concept was introduced a couple of years ago by a few other Asian airlines, including Thai, Malaysian, Air Asia, Malaysian and Scoot.

Also, most big airport lounges now have separate, usually glassed in, romper rooms for the kiddie-boos to keep the noise at bay.

Thoughtful kiddie playroom inside SAS business class lounge (Chris McGinnis)

Thoughtful kiddie playroom inside SAS business class lounge at CPH (Chris McGinnis)

While the idea may seem like a terrific one for many business travelers, especially those on long-haul flights, some people might take offense at what could be considered a discriminatory policy – like the parents of those kids, who are increasingly having trouble on some airlines just getting a guaranteed seat next to their offspring. Opponents of the concept might reasonably ask what other kinds of passengers might be targeted by such a policy in the future.

The no-kids seating area can also cause enforcement problems for the airline when it has to rebook passengers onto almost-full flights, for instance.

Still, a survey of 1,100 U.K. travelers a couple of years ago found that 70 percent said they’d like to see kid-free zones—and more than one-third said they would pay extra to fly on a flight with no kids at all.

OK, readers, what’s your take on this controversial topic? Would you pay extra to be guaranteed a seat away from kids? What should the age limit be for kid-free seating zones?

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:

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Are you a boozy traveler? [Poll]

cocktails

Drinking and traveling go together like gin and tonic (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

No matter how abstemious Americans may be at home, the prospect of going on a trip seems to loosen their inhibitions a bit – or a lot – when it comes to drinking. That’s according to a new survey from Cheapflights.com that asked 1,000 respondents about their drinking practices at airports and on the plane.

As you might expect, the survey found that a traveler’s inclination to imbibe depends in part on where she’s from. According to the poll, 53 percent of those from western states and 51 percent from the east coast said they drink when they travel. By contrast, only 43 percent of Midwesterners said the same. TAKE OUR POLL BELOW!

How do travelers spend time at the airport when they’re faced with a long layover? Just over one-third of the respondents said that situation will send them to the airport bar.

The proportion of drinkers bumps up to 37 percent on their flights – although the survey found that one-fifth of its respondents only do so when the drinks are free. (Speaking of spending money on drinks, seven percent of the respondents admitted that when they go on vacation, they spend more on alcohol than on food.)

Related: Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water

Drinking on trips varies by area of residence. (Image: Cheapflights.com)

Drinking on trips varies by area of residence. (Image: Cheapflights.com)

And what do Americans drink when they travel? Forty-eight percent of men said they prefer beer, while women were divided between cocktails (28 percent) and wine (26 percent).

The survey didn’t ask subjects exactly how much they pour back on their trips, but we’ve seen plenty of evidence from the evening news that overindulgence can be a big contributor to air rage, in-cabin misbehavior and even diverted flights. One in five of the men surveyed said that they had been intoxicated at the airport or on a plane, while 11 percent of women admitted the same.

And it could be a hair of the dog situation 🙂 , but six percent of the respondents conceded that they have had their first drink before 8 a.m. during a trip (11 percent of men and 2 percent of women). I’m always surprised to see folks kicking back the vodkas on those early flights… but who am I to judge?

POLL:

What about you? Do you tend to drink more, less or about the same amount, or not at all? Please take our poll!

When it comes to drinking and traveling, do you:

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Gimme better wi-fi…or else!

Passengers are getting more demanding about Wi-Fi quality. (Image: Virgin America)

Passengers are getting more demanding about Wi-Fi quality. (Image: Virgin America)

Have you ever moved your business away from one airline to another that had better in-flight Wi-Fi service? According to a new survey, an increasing number of travelers are doing just that.

The poll of more than 1,000 U.S. air travelers, conducted by Honeywell, uncovered a growing dissatisfaction with current Wi-Fi service, and rising expectations for faster, more reliable in-flight Internet connections.

“Passengers are serious about getting the best in-flight Wi-Fi experience possible. To avoid losing passengers and revenue, airlines need a connectivity service that is reliable all the time, no matter where they fly,” said Carl Esposito, vice president, Marketing and Product Management, Honeywell Aerospace, which supplies airlines with wi-fi systems.

Among the findings:

  • Almost three out of four passengers said they would switch airlines to get a better Wi-Fi link – and 21 percent said they have already done so, giving up on their preferred carrier for another with better service (up from 17 percent in a similar 2014 poll).
  • Only 22 percent said their in-flight Wi-Fi was “extremely reliable” over the past year, compared with 27 percent who said so in 2014.
  • What kind of quality are travelers looking for? Eighty-three percent said in-flight Wi-Fi should be fast enough to stream video content from sites like Youtube and Netflix; 90 percent feel they should be able to get a reliable Internet link throughout their flight anywhere in the world; and 84 percent said they want a Wi-Fi signal that is as good as what they have at home or in their office.

As you might expect, in-flight Wi-Fi quality is more important to Millennial travelers (born between 1982-1998) than their older counterparts, with a larger percentage of Millennials (27 percent, vs. 15 percent of older flyers) reporting that they have switched carriers for a better experience, and requiring speeds fast enough for content streaming (89 percent vs. 77 percent).

honeywell

Readers: Rate your overall inflight wi-fi experiences over the last year in the comments! 

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This airline fee is fading fast

Delta will offer free Delta Studio programming by July 1. (Image: Delta)

Delta will offer free Delta Studio programming by July 1. (Image: Delta)

After years of watching airlines pile on new fees for every imaginable service and amenity, it’s a little jarring to hear that they plan to start offering something for free. But that’s what’s happening with in-flight entertainment at Delta and United.

Delta said that by July 1, its Delta Studio selection of in-flight entertainment programming will be offered at no charge for all customers on its two-class aircraft, which includes 90 percent of its fleet.

The carrier said the Delta Studio selections – which provide up to 300 films, 750 TV shows, 100 foreign films, 2,400 music tracks, and live satellite TV on some planes – will be available via streaming to personal electronic devices on 1,000 aircraft, and through seat-back entertainment systems on 400 planes that have them. “Entertainment options will vary by aircraft type and route,” Delta said, with more details available at www.delta.com./studio.

Standard economy seats get 9 inch screens and 31 inches of pitch

Standard economy seats on some United jets get 9 inch screens- but most don’t have screens at all  (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Meanwhile, United is expanding free streaming entertainment to its newer 737s, a project that should be finished by the end of June. The service is already available on United’s A319s and A320s, and on many international aircraft.

United is moving away from seatback screen-based entertainment, although that will continue to be offered on older 737s, which also offer paid live DirecTV. United only offers free entertainment to those who have downloaded its app and watch on their own device. And in most cases, its aircraft do not offer in-seat power — and streaming drains batteries fast. This makes Delta’s free offering of seatback screens much better for everyone, especially those who don’t travel with appropriate devices…or extra batteries!

No word from American yet about similar moves toward free entertainment, although its new deals with competing Wi-Fi providers Gogo and ViaSat this month for satellite-based transmissions will bring high-speed streaming capabilities to its single-aisle domestic fleet in the years ahead.

And now we have learned that Gogo and Aeromexico have teamed up for a pilot program allowing free Netflix streaming onboard. 

What do you think about free inflight entertainment? Do you prefer seatback or BYO screens? Please leave your comments below.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Delta’s new domestic food-for-purchase menus

A mesquite smoked turkey and apple sdandwich highlights Delta's new Flight Fuel menu. (Image: Delta)

A mesquite smoked turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich highlights Delta’s new Flight Fuel menu. (Image: Delta)

If you fly Delta a lot and you’re getting tired of seeing the same old in-flight food options, get ready for a change: On June 1 the airline will roll out a whole new slate of menu offerings.

Called Flight Fuel, the new menus will be available for purchase on North American and Hawaii flights of more than 900 miles.

The new offerings come in three menus: regular Flight Fuel for most domestic routes; Flight Fuel Premium for Delta’s New York JFK-San Francisco and JFK-Los Angeles flights; and Flight Fuel Hawaii. The airline said the menu offerings will be revised every six months. The menu offerings will focus on “healthful options” and “fresh ingredients,” Delta said.

Transcon options include a premium fruit and cheese plate. (Image: Delta)

Transcon options include a premium fruit and cheese plate. (Image: Delta)

Flight Fuel snack boxes will provide full labeling with information on ingredients and allergens, and will include a new Tapas Snack Box ($8.99) with all non-GMO ingredients. Breakfast options include a continental breakfast (yogurt/fruit and a Kind bar, $6.99); a turkey and apple sandwich ($8.49); and a fruit and cheese plate ($8.49). The fruit/cheese plate is also on the Flight Fuel lunch/dinner menu, along with three options priced at $9.99: a turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich; a southwest grilled chicken wrap; and a sesame grilled chicken wrap. Here’s the actual Flight Fuel main menu.

A chicken and couscous salad option will be on Hawaii flights. (Image: Delta)

A chicken and couscous salad option will be on Hawaii flights. (Image: Delta)

Additional options on the Flight Fuel Premium menu include a couple of breakfast wraps and a “breakfast medley” of various ingredients, all $10.99; and lunch/dinner offerings like a Black Angus burger ($9.99) and a Mediterranean whole grain veggie wrap ($10.99), as well as an all-day fruit and cheese plate option ($12.99) from Murray’s Cheese, New York’s oldest cheese shop. The Hawaii flights will also have a chicken and couscous salad option ($8.99) and a pepperoni pizza ($8.99).

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Untangling inflight entertainment overload

A new app will let Singapore Airlines passengers select in-flight entertainment options in advance. (Image: Singapore Airlines)

A new app will let Singapore Airlines passengers select in-flight entertainment options in advance. (Image: Singapore Airlines)

As airlines upgrade their in-flight entertainment systems passengers can face a bewildering array of choices, with listings of movies, TV programs, videos and music selections that number in the hundreds. So airlines are now developing technology to help customers manage that entertainment more effectively.

For example, Singapore Airlines is introducing what it calls the first “companion app” for its Krisworld in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. It’s currently available for Apple and Android tablets, and will be offered for iOS and Android phones in the second quarter. Its initial use will be limited to Singapore’s new A350-900s, with plans to expand it to 777-300ERs.

Customers can use the app before departure to explore all the video and audio content that will be available on their flight, and create a list of their preferred selections. Linking the app to the IFE system onboard enables the personal device to be used as a remote control, to pause, play, or skip through media content.

Singapore Airlines’ KrisWorld IFE system offers a whopping 295 movies, over 470 TV shows and more than 450 CD albums each month- so this new app should come in handy!

Related: Trip Report- Singapore Airlines B333 SFO-Hong Kong

Lufthansa's new web platform lets customers preview and select in-flight entertainment options before departure. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa’s new web platform lets customers preview and select in-flight entertainment options before departure. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa, meanwhile, worked with a content and media agency called Spafax to create a new website that customers can use to see and select in-flight entertainment.

The new site (http://lh.com/mediaworld-en) lets passengers check out all the movies, TV shows, music, games and other content available from Lufthansa’s IFE system, and an interactive feature will tell them which specific offerings are available on their upcoming flight when they enter the flight number.

Users can view trailers to preview film selections, and can find a program guide that will tell them which sporting events will be available via live TV feed on its intercontinental flights.

“Interesting features will be added over time for our guests to have an even more personalized entertainment experience,” a Lufthansa spokesman said. Spafax noted that future enhancements to the site will include “the ability to personalize content recommendations based on passenger preferences.”

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Looking to the sky to speed up inflight wi-fi

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Everybody who uses in-flight Wi-Fi tends to complain about the slow speeds, lost signals and so on, but if travelers can hang on a bit longer, it looks like significant improvements are coming. Gogo, one of the leading providers of the service, just inked a big new satellite deal, and a European consultancy sees a bright future for the technology, which is spreading to more aircraft and more airlines.

Gogo said it has signed “one of the largest satellite capacity deals ever” in the commercial airline market with a satellite operator called SES, in order “to meet the growing demand for high-speed in-flight connectivity.”

The deal will give Gogo access to a pair of SES satellites due to be launched next year that will cover all of North America, Central and South America, the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. A third satellite, also due to launch in 2017, will expand Gogo’s coverage to flights over Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Russia.

“This deal will dramatically increase bandwidth and drive overall costs per bit down by orders of magnitude,” Gogo chief technology officer Anand Chariu said. The satellites will provide “high throughput spot beam and wide beam capacity,” the company said—in other words, much greater bandwidth and download speeds. And airlines already signed up for Gogo’s 2Ku technology will be able to transition to the newer satellite service “without any equipment modifications.” The new satellites will also increase capacity for Gogo’s live TV product, Gogo TV. Gogo has been gradually transitioning its service from ground-based to satellite-based technology.

Gogo’s news comes on the heels of a recent lawsuit filed against it by American Airlines, which sought to invoke an escape clause in its contract with Gogo so it could look for faster Wi-Fi service from other vendors. The suit was dropped this week after Gogo said it wouldn’t challenge American’s plans, and that it expected to give American a better proposal of its own.

Earlier this month, the global consulting firm Euroconsult issued a report predicting that revenues from passenger connectivity services on airlines will grow from $700 million last year to $5.4 billion within a decade. It said that the number of connected aircraft jumped by 21 percent just in the 12 months of 2015, and that the ongoing launch of “high throughput satellites” (HTS) including Ku- and Ka-band “is expected to be a game changer in the in-flight connectivity market.”

“HTS systems will not only tremendously increase data speeds to the plane compared to regular satellite systems, but will also significantly lower costs, thereby further driving the adoption of IFC (in-flight connectivity) services,” said Euroconsult’s Geoffrey Stern. “With more airlines opting for cabin connectivity, companies that have not yet made a decision will be increasingly pressured to offer such services to match their competitors.”

The company said it expects that over the next decade, the number of connected commercial aircraft will grow from 5,300 to 23,100, or 62 percent of the global fleet.

Some airlines are already feeling the pressure. Air France, which has long been a holdout against in-flight Wi-Fi, said last week that it has changed its tune, and will start putting the technology into its international fleet later this year. The French carrier is said to be looking into a model like that in the hotel industry, which would provide basic service free to its passengers, while charging a fee for higher download speeds.

Meanwhile, Qantas said this week that in 2017 it plans to deploy free Wi-Fi for passengers on its domestic Australian routes, thanks to a partnership with ViaSat that will offer “speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional on-board Wi-Fi, giving customers the ability to stream movies, TV shows, the latest news bulletins and live sports.”

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Healthy eating for travelers: LAX, Virgin America top 2015 ratings

Virgin America's Protein Plate breakfast. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Virgin America’s Protein Plate breakfast. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Do you try to eat healthy when you travel? Lots of road warriors figure it’s easy to lower the bar and indulge themselves on the road, because why not? Still, plenty of travelers  are trying to keep their health in mind. But the availability of healthy menu items can be inconsistent; some airlines and airports are much better than others when it comes to serving up nutritious food.

A pair of new studies show just how inconsistent they can be– and which ones are doing the best job.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has come out with its 2015 study of menu options at major airports, and it finds things are continuing to get better overall: 71 percent of the restaurants at the 30 biggest U.S. airports now offer “at least one high-fiber, plant-based vegan meal option,” the group found — a 25 percent gain from 2001.

The committee gave Los Angeles International the number one ranking, with healthy menu options offered at 44 of 49 restaurants there, or 90 percent. The group cited one LAX outlet in particular — Real Food Daily — for a good selection of entrees with “a mix of vegetables, beans and grains.”

Newark Liberty ranked second with an 84 percent rate, followed by San Francisco International and Philadelphia International, each with 82 percent.

At the bottom of the list was Minneapolis-St. Paul, where only 56 percent of the eateries served up at least one dish that met the committee’s standards; Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson wasn’t much better, with a 57 percent rate. The committee said those two airports had “a high proportion of fast-food restaurant chains, including Burger King and McDonald’s, clogging their airport terminals.”

Meanwhile, the website Diet Detective has come out with its 2015 analysis of in-flight food on U.S. airlines, and once again Virgin America was at the top of its list, earning four and a half out of five stars. The site said Virgin “is still doing a fantastic job of creating healthy food and offering strong choices in all categories except for individual snacks” — but it noted that “all of the airlines could do better with their snack choices.”

The site put Delta and JetBlue in a tie for second place, each with four stars. It noted that Virgin, Delta and JetBlue all deserve special credit for starting to share nutritional information on some of their offerings.

At the bottom of the rankings, Diet Detective gave “shame on you” ratings to Alaska, Spirit and Frontier, and noted that “Hawaiian Air was not much better.”

The best thing about Diet Detective’s study is that it gives calorie counts and nutritional data for specific menu items at each airline; it even tells you how many minutes of walking you’d have to do to burn off a specific in-flight meal. And it makes you realize some things are counter-intuitive — e.g. if you think you’re saving calories on Delta by ordering a snack box instead of a meal, think again: The average Delta meal is 546 calories, the average snack box 712.

Sadly, the Diet Detective observed that the calorie count per in-flight food item has been on a steady upward trend in recent years, from an average of 360 calories in 2012 to 400 this year. What’s more, the airlines “appear to be decreasing the number of choices they offer,” the site said.

Readers: What’s your favorite airport restaurant/in-flight meal option for healthy dining?  Otherwise, what’s your biggest eating indulgence on the road? Post comments below.

 

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United upgrades inflight coffee

United's gone Euro with its new coffee choice. (Image: United)

United’s gone Euro with its new coffee choice. (Image: United)

Business travelers love their coffee, so United Airlines executives knew they had a difficult choice to make when they decided to conduct a re-evaluation of the carrier’s in-flight java.

The winner, United said this week, is illy (yes, they spell it with a lower case i), which will be phased in starting next month on United flights and at its airport lounges. It’s not an American brew; it’s based in Trieste, Italy, and it’s been around for more than 80 years.

United must figure that customers like their coffee strong, because the illy brands that the airline selected include its Scruro dark roast for flights worldwide, with Scruro and illy’s espresso going into United Clubs. All its beans are Arabica, sourced from growers around the world.

Remember how United made a big splash back in 1996 when it announced it would bring Starbucks on board as its official coffee? That lasted until United’s 2012 merger with Continental, when the powers that be decided to put Continental’s coffee supplier onto United flights. That vendor was Texas-based Fresh Brew, which United still uses today.

Related: Coffee five ways in five cities. Or Starbucks? 

Coffee & mimosas on my last United p.s. flight (Chris McGinnis)

Coffee & mimosas on my last United p.s. flight (Chris McGinnis)

According to the Chicago Business Journal, United started its review by considering 17 coffee brands, then narrowing the list to nine and finally to three. Fresh Brew was one of the three, but Starbucks wasn’t. Maybe that’s because Starbucks earlier this year became the official coffee of Delta.

American’s coffee supplier for the past five years has been Sacramento-based Java City. Starbucks is also the coffee of choice for Alaska Airlines, while JetBlue serves up the Dunkin’ Donuts brand and Southwest offers a private-label brand called LIFT.

Readers: Do you have a favorite in-flight coffee brand? What do you think of the in-flight coffee on various airlines?

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: 5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft  + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

 

 


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In-flight entertainment war heats up

Songs from Spotify are joining Virgin America's in-flight entertainment options. (Image: Virgin America)

Songs from Spotify are joining Virgin America’s in-flight entertainment options. (Image: Virgin America)

Remember when flying used to be boring — when your diversions were limited to the in-flight magazine, the SkyMall catalogue, and a third-rate movie on a tiny ceiling screen several rows ahead of you?

Nowadays, thanks to the proliferation of personal electronic devices, new storage technology, Wi-Fi, and streaming video, passengers are enjoying a bewildering array of content choices for keeping themselves entertained from gate to gate. And the number of choices just keeps growing.

This week, Virgin America fired the latest salvo, announcing new in-flight content partnerships with the Spotify online music service and with The New York Times. On Virgin aircraft equipped with the new ViaSat Wi-Fi, Spotify users will have free streaming access to the service’s entire catalogue of more than 30 million songs. (Virgin and Spotify even pulled together dozens of playlists themed to various destination cities; you can see them at www.virginamerica.com/spotify) .

Virgin America Spotify

At the same time, The New York Times partnership will provide passengers with a selection of articles including breaking news, business news, travel, technology, and a list of “most viewed” stories, available for reading through any Wi-Fi linked device on ViaSat-equipped flights. The new content partnerships come on the heels of Virgin America’s recent announcement that flyers on those ViaSat aircraft will also be able to stream shows from the Netflix programming roster at no cost through March 2.

(Currently, there are only two Virgin planes outfitted with ViaSat, but it should have 10 by next summer.)

Content options continue to proliferate at other airlines as well. For instance:

JetBlue, which just finished installing high-speed “Fly-Fi” Wi-Fi service on its A320/321 fleet, has a new partnership with Amazon that will let Amazon Prime members stream movies and TV shows in-flight — as well as audio from a million songs in the Amazon Prime Music service. JetBlue also recently inked a contract with Major League Baseball that lets passengers stream live, real time game broadcasts from all 30 teams at their seats.

United recently announced expanded content from HBO for in-flight streaming to personal electronic devices (PEDs), with full seasons of top-rated shows like Entourage, Game of Thrones and True Detective. The carrier also said it has teamed up with Vevo to give passengers free access to hundreds of music videos and concert performances. And it has started deploying PED streaming entertainment on its fleet of 120 Wi-Fi equipped regional jets (E170s, E175s and CRJ700s). (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl had seatmate and I all weepy last night on a United ATL-SFO transcon)

Rather read than watch or listen? Global Eagle Entertainment, a packager of in-flight content for dozens of airline customers (like Southwest), recently announced it is teaming up with Zinio to make 3,000 magazine titles in 50 languages available to flyers, either by streaming or through seatback systems. The company has also joined with the folks at Lonely Planet to bring 30 of the publisher’s packet travel guides to its in-flight entertainment platform.

And today we’ve learned that Uber plans to offer seat back entertainment, too! Under a new partnership, ten Chevrolet Tahoe cars with AT&T wireless connectivity will do the rounds on four Saturdays in Detroit, Nashville, Houston and Atlanta in October and November. The vehicles will have four tablets in the back of headrests, wireless headsets and phone chargers. Riders can watch a livestream of football games through AT&T’s U-verse TV app on tablets connected to its 4G LTE network. Details here. 

Which airline has the best inflight entertainment? Why do you think so? Please leave your comments below!

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Roasted duck, flatiron steak, salmon on new United menu

United's new flat-iron steak entree . (Image: United)

United’s new flat-iron steak entree . (Image: United)

In the latest refresh of its food service, United is introducing new menu options on North and Latin American flights in all classes of service.

The changes start October 25 on Premium Service p.s. transcontinental flights, which on that date will begin operating out of United’s Newark hub, moving there from New York JFK.

Premium cabin  customers on those flights will see new lunch and dinner offerings with appetizers like roasted duck with stone-ground mustard and figs, or peppered goat cheese with pumpernickel bread; new salads like granny smith apple with shaved fennel and beets, or butternut squash with haricots verts, pumpkin seeds, bleu cheese, cranberries and pickled onions. New entrees include flat-iron steak with broccolini, gigande beans and red chimichurri; duck confit ravioli, mushroom ragout, semi-dried tomatoes and sauteed asparagus; and lamb shoulder with sauteed gnocchi, eggplant confit and lamb jus. And desserts will still include made-to-order sundaes and cookies baked on board. 

New Napa salad with salmon. (Image: United)

New Napa salad with salmon. (Image: United)

On November 1, United will bring changes to lunch and dinner service in United First and United Business cabins. For one thing, lunch service will be expanded to flights longer than three hours that depart between 1:30 p.m. and 3:59 p.m. Options include Napa salad with grilled salmon, goat cheese and fig; and an arugula salad with Milanese-style chicken. Late-night flights between Hawaii and Houston, Chicago, Newark and Washington will get full dinner service with new entrees like hoisin short ribs with wasabi grits and stir-fried vegetables.

Sandwiches like a pretzel burger with bleu cheese dressing, arugula and pickled onions will be offered after takeoff on late-night, non-p.s. transcon flights; flights between Hawaii and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver; and other late-night flights of at least five hours and 20 minutes.

For sale soon in economy: Southwestern bistro scramble. (Image: United)

For sale soon in economy: Southwestern bistro scramble. (Image: United)

November 1 is also the date for changes to the food-for-purchase selections in United’s economy class Choice Menu Bistro, for flights of more than three and a half hours that depart before 8 p.m. A new breakfast selection is a Southwestern bistro scramble; new lunch/dinner options include a rustic Italian sandwich and a French country-style bowl with slow-cooked beef, roasted carrots, onions, parsnips and white rice.

Do you think United’s food offerings have improved lately? What’s your favorite United dish? Please leave your comments below. 

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In Case You Missed It: Singapore super sale + AmEx/Apple Pay + Swiss’ ‘throne seats’ + Lame upgrade excuses

Singapore Airlines' super sale fares can be booked into September. (Image: Singapore)

Singapore Airlines’ super sale fares can be booked into September. (Image: Singapore)

A few newsy nuggets from other sources that we missed on TravelSkills last week:

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgraded Hilton HHonors app + New perks for Starwood/AmEx cardholders + Alaska/AA airport lounge benefits + New international routes

Quick note: TravelSkills will be in vacation mode during August, with only periodic posts. We’ll be back at full steam in September so stay tuned! And enjoy your summer. –Chris


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JetBlue inks big baseball contract

Live big-league ball games are coming to JetBlue. (Image: Jim Glab)

Live big-league ball games are coming to JetBlue. (Image: Jim Glab)

Worried about missing your favorite baseball team’s big game because you have a flight scheduled at the same time? JetBlue is solving that problem for passengers by bringing live, real-time broadcasts of major league games to its in-flight entertainment options on Fly-Fi-equipped aircraft.

The airline said it has entered into a deal with Major League Baseball’s media arm that will give passengers in-flight access to free Internet streaming of live baseball, as well as archived games available on demand. Passengers have to download the MLB.com At Bat mobile app, and then they can use JetBlue Fly-Fi Hub to get free access to regular season games of all 30 MLB teams.

“With speeds up to 20 mbps per device, Fly-Fi offers a true Internet streaming experience that no other U.S. carrier is capable of providing, ” JetBlue said. “MLB.TV becomes the first live sports property to join JetBlue’s robust list of leading brands offering content on JetBlue flights including Amazon Prime streaming entertainment (coming soon), The Wall Street Journal, PBS, NatGeo, Vice, Harper Collins and Time, Inc. among others.”

The addition of Major League Baseball is big plum for JetBlue, which already offers lots of in-flight sports programming through its free seatback DIRECTV system, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNJ, NBC Sports, Fox Sports 1 and NFL Network.

The airline is currently deploying high-speed Fly-Fi streaming service across its fleet, a job that should be finished for all its A320s and A321s this year. It recently announced a Fly-Fi partnership with Amazon to stream the latter’s entertainment offerings to passengers’ mobile devices.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgrades on United + TripAdvsior punked + Hotel resort fees okayed + 80,000 Marriott points + More!


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Big jump in inflight wi-fi speed

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

Do you still avoid in-flight Wi-Fi because it’s just too slow compared to the data speeds you get everywhere else?  Leading Wi-Fi vendor Gogo is predicting huge improvements in the years ahead as it transitions to satellite-based technology from ground-based transmissions.

In a presentation to investors, and in a filing with the SEC, Gogo — which supplies Wi-Fi service to the bulk of the domestic aircraft that offer it — said that within five years, customers should be seeing data speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, up from the current peak of 10 Mbps. That’s good for tasks up to and including streaming video.

The company noted that satellite-based technology will give it worldwide coverage, increasing its potential customer base among airlines.  Gogo dominates the domestic carrier market, holding contracts with Delta, Virgin America and American, among others. But Gogo’s not the fastest wi-fi around– most frequent travelers agree that JetBlue and United (both with their own proprietary satellite-based systems, not Gogo) win when it comes to speed.

Related: Gogo prices up 50% 

The new 2ku satellite-based Wi-Fi is expected to cost airlines a lot less than the current technology, Gogo officials said, and is likely to increase passenger usage, bringing in more revenue.

The company said in its filing it expects the number of connected commercial aircraft worldwide to more than double over the next 18 years. It noted that its revenues have shown a compound annual growth rate of 62 percent over the last five years.

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