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easyJet founder wants to sue Netflix for calling a show 'Easy'
One of Europe's leading budget airlines is lawyering up to take Netflix to court over its Easy dramedy. The UK's easyJet -- which serves more than 30 countries, helping it rake in more than $6.5 billion in 2017 -- says the show's name infringes its European trademarks. If easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou gets his way, Netflix could be forced to change the program's name in Europe.
easyJet is serious about electric planes
When you think of easyJet, the first thing that comes to mind is budget travel. The airline has built its brand on no-frills flights and low pricing, but that doesn't exclude it from innovation. The company has been experimenting with new tech, from smart glasses that can detect dents in a fuselage to virtual reality cabins that can help train flight crews. For its latest demo, easyJet is thinking big: It wants to change the way we fly.
easyJet to offer free in-flight streaming service
Most easyJet flights are short enough that you can usually stave off boredom with a book and an expensive beer, but in-flight entertainment could soon be part and parcel of your airfare. Instead of retrofitting planes with seatback screens, easyJet is going down the increasingly popular route of launching a bring-your-own-device entertainment service. Connect your phone or tablet to the plane's WiFi network, point your browser at the Air Time portal and you'll have access to TV, films and audiobooks for adults and kids alike.
Recommended Reading: Shoes that vibrate to guide your travels
These vibrating shoes guide your steps as you play tourist Maurizio Pesce, Wired Imagine all of the things you might notice on your next weekend trip if you weren't constantly staring at your phone to guide you. EasyJet's Sneakairs vibrate to let you know when to turn or if you've arrived at your destination using Bluetooth and the Google Maps API. And yes, they were made by the UK budget airline, which makes the project even more interesting.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla's most affordable EV, and more!
Tesla just announced plans to launch its most affordable electric car next month. The Model 3 is expected to cost $35,000 and is set to debut on March 31st -- but it already has competition. Chevrolet showcased the Bolt EV at the start of the year, and Volkswagen confirmed that it's working on the world's first mass-market electric car. Meanwhile, Google is developing electric cars that drive themselves, and soon they'll be able to charge wirelessly. In aviation news, Easyjet announced plans to trial the first hybrid hydrogen plane, and Elon Musk is considering building a vertical take-off and landing electric jet.
ICYMI: Cockroach torture, an app for Parkinson's and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-567613{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-567613, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-567613{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-567613").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: A cybernetic cockroach how-to describes how to use an Arduino to control where a cockroach goes, which makes all of us uncomfortable.
easyJet's hybrid plane design has a hydrogen fuel cell inside
Aiming to save the European airline money, oh and the environment, easyJet hopes to trial new hybrid plane designs later this year. We're not talking about a new paint job or minor wing design changes, however: the company wants to embed a hydrogen fuel cell into a new hybrid plane design, with aircraft brakes that absorb energy on landing to be reused, even powering the jet through taxiing without using its engines.
easyJet's new cabin crew uniforms are covered in LEDs
Whether it's recon drones, VR training or 3D-printed plane parts, easyJet is quick to embrace new technologies. The company's latest experiment is a little more garish -- to mark its 20th birthday, cabin crew and engineers are getting brand-new uniforms littered with colourful LEDs. With the cabin crew, you'll notice tiny lights on their jacket lapels that illuminate to reveal flight numbers, destinations and other useful tidbits. Extra LEDs have been sewn onto the shoulders which, along with some illuminated hems, are designed to help staff and travellers in the event of an emergency. Finally, there are built-in microphones so the crew can communicate with one another and the passengers.
Why easyJet is banking on VR, drones and 3D printing
When you book a flight with a company like easyJet, it's usually for one of two reasons: you want the cheapest tickets possible, or it's the only airline operator flying to your destination. Nobody chooses easyJet for their in-flight entertainment, or the drinks and nibbles that are available while you're thousands of feet up in the air. But for the most part, that's okay. We're all looking for a deal, and provided the flight is on time and the seats aren't too uncomfortable, most of us are happy to forgo these luxuries in order to save some cash. easyJet knows its business model well, and that's why it's exploring new technologies that can help with its day-to-day operations. These are projects that could make its commercial flights cheaper, more reliable and ultimately less stressful for customers. Some are designed for the public and clearly visible, but others are being developed behind closed doors to improve training, manufacturing and repairs. To explain some of its more experimental ideas, easyJet crammed them all into an aircraft hangar in Milan.
easyJet's iOS app is now your personal guide to Gatwick
easyJet already has a mobile app that many airline peers would do well to take inspiration from. Beyond storing electronic boarding passes, the app lets you manage bookings, track flights and even check in using a photo of your passport. The low-cost, tech-savvy airline has made its app that much better today, though, with new features that'll guide you through every step of a journey from London's Gatwick airport. Prior to departure, the app will prompt you to check in and remind you of your baggage allowance, but the so-called "Mobile Host" really kicks in when you get to Gatwick. Once it sees you've arrived, a push notification will tell you where to dump your bag, and direct you there using indoor maps courtesy of Google. If you're just taking carry-on, then it'll point you towards the departures area instead, and once through security, you needn't keep your eyes glued to information screens, since it'll let you know when your gate opens and how to get there.
Easyjet now lets you check in using a photo of your passport
Despite being known for low-cost flights, Easyjet often leads the pack when it comes to taking the hassle out of travel. While you can already book a flight using its apps, the airline today announced a new upgrade that will let you check-in by simply taking a photo of your passport. Where before you'd need to manually enter your passport number into the Easyjet website, the new iOS and Android apps (with backing from validation specialist Jumio) now let you automate the process up to 2 hours before you take off from one of 110 Easyjet airports. That means you can now book, check-in and board your flight all via your phone -- helpful if you're itching to get some sun now that autumn is well and truly here.
Drone inspectors: UK airline easyJet looks to tech to cut costs
Virgin's the kind of brand we're not shocked to see playing with the latest tech -- after all, Richard Branson's got a space plane. Experiments with Google Glass, smartwatches and iBeacon for Virgin have all focused on boosting customer experience, as long as you're in Upper Class, anyway. European airline easyJet, however, is known for its no-frills, low-cost approach, which is why we're curious to see the company investing in an "innovation" arm that looks at how new technologies can be applied to aviation, with no immediate return. easyJet sees it differently, though, as the long-term goal is to save money by reducing technical delays, or hopefully avoiding them all together. This has a knock-on effect of improving customer service by minimizing disruptions, of course, but make no mistake: easyJet's motivated to explore emerging tech because a grounded plane might as well be a money pit.
easyJet expands Passbook support to 75 airports
In May, popular European discount airline easyJet announced that it was testing Passbook ticketing support at six airports in Europe, with support to come from more airports if the trial was found successful. And judging by today's easyJet app update, it looks like that's the case. Now the company is offering Passbook ticketing support at a whopping 75 airports in Europe. This is significant because easyJet is one of the most popular discount airlines. Passbook-supported apps have been slow to catch on outside of the US (and even inside the US). But Passbook support isn't the only thing new in the latest easyJet update. Check out the other goodies and the release notes below: What's New in Version 2.3.0 - More airports enabled for mobile boarding passes. Now live at over 75 airports across Europe - New options to book a hotel or car - via our partners at Europcar and Booking.com - Add travel insurance to your completed booking in one click - Improvements to the look and readability of mobile boarding passes - Enhancements to Passbook integration to address a timezone issue reported by some users - Updated mobile FAQs easyJet is a free download.
Popular European discount airline easyJet adds Passbook support
Outside the United States, Passbook-supported apps are a rarity. That's why it's especially exciting that uber-popular European discount airline easyJet has just added Passbook support to their iPhone app. The move comes days after easyJet announced that it is eliminating check-in desks at airports. Now all easyJet passengers will be required to print or download their boarding passes before they leave home. But that shouldn't be much of a hassle for iPhone owners. With version 2.0 of the free easyJet mobile app, fliers can download and store boarding passes in their Passbook. Currently easyJet is trialing mobile check-in and boarding passes at six airports: Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nice, Southend and Stansted. But the company says that if the trial is successful, it will work with other airport partners to roll out the digital boarding passes to other airports.
easyJet airline plans to fit its planes with ash detectors
UK budget airliner easyJet unveiled a plan last week to install ash detectors on its fleet of planes. The radar devices will be fitted to the tail fin, and should be able to detect ash clouds within 60 miles and will work like other weather-detection systems already in use to pick up on thunderstorms in advance. The new ash cloud system is being dubbed the Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector, A/K/A AVOID, and it'll provide both pilots and air traffic control to see an ash cloud at altitudes between 5,000 feet and 50,000 feet, and easyJet's CEO Andy Harrison thinks it could have the power to "make large-scale ash disruption history." easyJet will have to have the devices approved by European regulators and widespread adoption across the airline to have much effect. easyJet is spending around $1.46 million to research and outfit its planes with the systems.
