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Two airlines are bringing faster WiFi to their international flights
Two airlines have made moves to upgrade their WiFi offerings today. Cathay Pacific Group will provide GoGo's 2Ku satellite-based broadband technology starting in 2018 and Emirates has partnered with Thales to bring 50Mpbs connectivity to its Boeing 777X fleet in 2020.
In a bid to improve its service, Emirates introduces....AR
Emirates is looking to boost customer service and improve the travel experience with the help of AR. The airline wants to equip its staff with AR goggles that would help them tailor service to each customer.
Emirates will hand out Surface tablets on flights from Dubai
In mid-March, the US hastily instituted an indefinite ban on electronic devices larger than a cellphone from being carried on to the flights of nine Middle Eastern airlines. Reportedly, it was to prevent terrorists from sneaking an explosive-laden fake iPad into the cabin, though few details on the specific threat have emerged in recent weeks. To compensate travellers for the hassle of spending hours on a flight without their trusty laptops, Emirates has begun offering complimentary Microsoft Surfaces for the durations of affected flights.
Watch two 'Jetmen' fly alongside an A380 superjumbo
We've seen Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy (aka Jetman) fly his carbon fiber jet wing over Rio, and above Dubai with his protege Jetman Vince Reffet. The latest video from the fearless aviators sees Rossy and Reffet share the skies with something a little bigger -- an Emirates A380 airliner. Once again, the flight takes place over the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai skylines. We can only imagine the duo gives the A380 pilot constant heart palpitations as they deftly maneuver around the plane (y'know, with its jet intakes and all that).
Dubai's beating the heat with Mall of the World, a massive climate-controlled city
Dubai is hot. Summer temperatures can easily exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and desert conditions can mean weeks without relief. The city is already home to a slew of all-weather venues, such as Ski Dubai, the Middle East's first indoor ski resort, but the UAE's latest project could bring comfort to millions of residents and annual visitors. Mall of the World, as the complex is to be named, will include 20,000 hotel rooms, making up some 100 hotels and apartment complexes, the world's largest indoor theme park, an 8-million square foot mall and a 3-million square foot "wellness district," with doctors and inpatient facilities for medical tourists.
Emirates hands out HP Windows 8 tablets to flight crews, aims for first-class cabin tech (video)
You know your tablet platform has made it when you've scored a supply deal with an airline, whether it's for the passengers or the staff. Microsoft undoubtedly feels that kind of validation now that Emirates has decided to give Windows 8 PCs a try. The air carrier will eventually outfit all its flights with HP ElitePad 900 slates, each loaded a custom Knowledge Driven Inflight Service (KIS) app, to help crew and customers alike. Attendants will get feedback and a heads-up on what to expect from everyone onboard; passengers will have chances to make their voices heard and upgrade their seat classes on the spot. Only 100 of the tablets will be in use by the end of January, but the 1,000 ElitePads needed for all aircraft should be active before 2013 is over. We just hope the rollout is quick enough to let us splurge on a sleep-friendly seat during a long trip to Dubai.
New iPhone in June? Somebody seems to think so
Apple has a habit of refreshing its iPod and iPhone-type products on a pretty regular schedule, so a new iPhone in June really wouldn't be the surprise of the century, but now we've got word to that effect from the United Arab Emirates. Etisalat is picking up the iPhone 3G over there, along with providing support for existing iPhones sold on the gray market, but the writeup in Business 24/7 makes mention of a brand new iPhone hitting in June, which Etisalat will also get at launch. This could easily be a misunderstanding on the part of the reporter, a misquote, or a combination of signs, portents and omens, but it's certainly an interesting little tidbit. We'd have to think that anyone liable to get this story right would also be aware that a brand new iPhone would be worth more than a passing reference, but we suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Apple Insider also mentions rumblings of an upcoming iPhone having a fairly significant architecture overhaul -- that's mostly conjecture at this point, but might make sense (or room) for an iPhone nano. And you know how we love the iPhone nano.[Via Apple Insider]
Emirates permits world's first in-flight cellphone call, plane doesn't crash
Like it or not, a new era has dawned. More than a year later than anticipated, Emirates says that the world's first authorized cellphone call was made by a passenger during an Airbus A340 flight between Dubai and Casablanca. Once the aircraft reached cruising altitude, passengers were permitted to make and receive both calls and text messages. Emirates plans to fit additional aircraft with the interference-blocking AeroMobile system later this year while adding BlackBerry and "other data services." To keep the annoyance factor to a minimum, the flight crew requests passengers to silence their ringers and will shut off the in-flight service when appropriate. For example, during long-haul, red-eye flights or breaking celebrity scandals on TMZ... we hope.[Thanks, Jonathan F and Andrew B.]
Dubai's Emirates airline first to allow mobile calls in flight
In a move that is bound to simultaneously please and annoy most airline passengers, Emirates is busting out in-flight cellphone service for its planes, in partnership with Aeromobile. The service will be similar to that of Ryanair, 'cept Emirates plans to beat them to the punch by having its first 777 equipped by January, as opposed to mid-'07 for the competition. Rates for phone usage are apparently "comparable to international tariffs," meaning "dang expensive," but it should be at least a bit better than the extortion of those lame satellite phones. Also, the whole system can be controlled by the cabin crew, so phone operation can be limited to texting for overnight flights or whatnot. Aeromobile claims to be currently in talks with other airlines in regards to implementing its system, and expects in-flight call revenue to be as large as £1.5 billion (2.85 billion US) by 2010.
