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Boeing prepares to deliver United's 787 Dreamliner, we climb aboard for a tour (video)
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is the hottest bird in aviation, and while the American-made airliner has already taken flight with passengers aboard, it has yet to land with US-flag air carrier livery along the fuselage. Japan's All Nippon Airways was the first to take delivery, with the premier pair making their way from the assembly line in September of 2011. Last year Japan Airlines made its first scheduled voyage across the Pacific in a Dreamliner of its own, and we were fortunate enough to fly roundtrip on a domestic ANA flight leaving from Tokyo a few months later. But now the 787 is making its way to an American carrier. As the first US airline to operate the plane, United Airlines is about to take delivery of its first of 50 Dreamliners, which will join the carrier's fleet to service both existing and new routes, such as Denver to Tokyo, which is set to launch in late March of next year. We traveled to Boeing's Everett, Washington factory today for a first look at United's aircraft. While the Dreamliner looks physically identical to ANA's plane, the on-board experience is decidedly different from what we saw in Japan. Though the Dreamliner has a very similar layout to United's bigger 777, it feels roomier thanks to larger windows with dimmable shades, expanded overheard bins and higher ceilings. There's plenty more to see, though, so jump past the break for a video tour of United's new mid-size flagship, and a closer look in photos. %Gallery-161666%
United 787 Dreamliner emerges from Boeing factory, complete with golden head-to-tail 'swoop'
The first US-based 787 carrier is inching closer to its Dreamliner service launch. United Airlines celebrated the plane's rollout today at Boeing's Everett, Washington factory. The aircraft, which is set to begin international service later this year, received a custom livery, which includes a curved "swoop" -- which oddly enough appears to be the focus of design chatter. That may just be because the public has yet to take a peek inside, though we did have an opportunity to hitch a ride on ANA's variant last year, which has been flying throughout Japan since late 2011. Despite All Nippon's head start, United's flavor has garnered much attention domestically, marking a massive milestone in the Dreamliner's delayed launch. Hit up our source link below for a few more (exterior) views, courtesy of United.
Apple demos Passbook, a one-stop shop for tickets and boarding passes
From airline and train boarding passes to concert tickets, we've seen a variety of tix make their way into the digital realm at venues around the world. With today's announcement of Passbook, the hard copy credential may soon be a thing of the past. Speaking on stage at Apple's WWDC keynote, VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall demonstrated the feature with United boarding passes, Fandango movie tickets and a Starbucks gift card. While none of these examples are making their premiere debut, Passbook will certainly make the QR-code-based stubs more user-friendly, while also increasing awareness among folks who continue to opt for paper while doubting the usability and authenticity of a digital counterpart. Passbook is also location aware, bringing up a Starbucks card as you approach a shop, for example. You can also get updates related to your stored credentials, such as a gate change announcement with a pending United boarding pass. The feature will come bundled with iOS 6, set to launch this fall. Check out our full coverage of WWDC 2012 at our event hub!%Gallery-157917%
The Engadget Interview: ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg on Exede and the future of in-flight WiFi
When you think about satellite internet, dismal speeds, ridiculous latency and astronomical fees are likely first to come to mind. But the only technology capable of blanketing our entire planet in connectivity is now able to provide a fast, consistent and affordable experience, thanks to one market-leading company, and the vision and leadership of Mark Dankberg. Launched from Dankberg's home in Southern California, ViaSat lit up on the map in 1986, and spent the first two decades focused on government and corporate contracts. Last year's launch of ViaSat-1, however, beamed the company straight toward the top of the North American satellite broadband market, bringing high-speed internet to the rural masses. Pair the company's Exede household product with airline contracts for in-flight WiFi, and you have one ever-growing infrastructure giant. We sat down with Dankberg -- ViaSat's CEO since inception -- at the company's Carlsbad, California headquarters, learning about the Exede service launch, a portable newsgathering rig and what the future of in-flight WiFi may look like on airlines like JetBlue and United. Join us past the break for the interview in full, and an inside look at how ViaSat plans to transform the entire satellite internet experience.
US Army's A160 Hummingbird drone-copter to don 1.8 gigapixel camera
Starting in July of 2012, the United States Army will deploy three Boeing A160 Hummingbird drones to Afghanistan as part of a one-year trial program. Unlike the Predator drones already in combat, the A160 is a rotor-based aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings. What's more, the craft will be affixed with the DARPA-developed ARGUS-IS imaging system -- which boasts a 1.8 gigapixel camera the Army says can "track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet." The A160 Hummingbird platform will provide the Army with the ability and flexibility to: take off and land without a runway; fly for twelve hours or more without refueling; and monitor up to 65 enemies of the State simultaneously. Test flights of the unmanned chopper are scheduled for early 2012 in Arizona, but residents hoping to get a glimpse of the A160 in action best have great eyesight -- the ARGUS-IS system can see targets from almost 25 miles down range. Oh, and don't forget to smile when you look up. You want to look your best for the eye in the sky, right?
In-flight WiFi coming to 300 United and Continental aircraft beginning in mid-2012, entire fleet covered by 2015
Planning to fly on United or Continental at any point over the next few years? Then it looks like your odds of having in-flight WiFi will be getting increasingly better. United Continental Holdings announced today that it's signed an agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring satellite-based WiFi connectivity to more than 300 of its aircraft beginning in mid-2012. Those aircraft will include Airbus 319 and 320 and Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787, and the company says it expects its entire mainline fleet to be covered by 2015. No specific word on any additional content or services that will come with it (or a cost, for that matter), but the company promises that the system will "enable wireless streaming of video content."
United and Continental Airlines to hand out 11,000 iPads to its pilots
United and Continental Airlines are throwing out their paper flight manuals and navigational charts and embracing the iPad. About 11,000 iPads will be given to all United and Continental pilots starting this month. The airline expects the iPad will replace 38 pounds of documentation per pilot and 16 million pieces of paper each year. This move to electronic documentation on the iPad is a growing trend in the airline industry. Just this year, Alaska Airlines gave iPads to their pilots and Delta Airlines is testing a similar program for its pilots. British Airways also adopted iPads for its cabin crew to help with customer service. [Via The Loop]
Spilled coffee in 777 cockpit leads to inadvertent hijack warning, FAA-mandated sippy cups look likely
If you've ever spilled coffee on a piece of electronics, maybe a keyboard or even a laptop, spare a thought for the pilot of United Airlines flight 940, outbound from Chicago and heading to Frankfurt. Not long after takeoff the pilot apparently dumped a cup of Joe onto the communications panel in the cockpit and things rapidly went downhill from there. The crew inadvertently sent a code 7500, which indicates that the plane is being hijacked and, as you can imagine, that led to a lot of unwanted attention. It's not clear whether the equipment malfunctioned and sent the code or the pilot, likely struggling with a scalded lap, fat-fingered things on the panel. Either way, the flight diverted to Toronto and, rather tragically, the passengers were all sent back to Chicago to try again the next day.
United Airlines offers up 'Zune inflight audio,' no actual Zunes
Microsoft's already shown with the Xbox 360 and Kin that it's looking to take its Zune platform beyond Zune-branded hardware, but we can't say we expected it to go quite this far -- Microsoft has now teamed up with United Airlines to offer "Zune inflight audio" to passengers. That apparently won't involve any new hardware in the planes -- Microsoft or otherwise -- but it will give passengers 21 new playlists "programmed by Zune" to choose from, including options like Classic Rock, Contemporary Pop, Opera and Piano Jazz. Not many more details than that, unfortunately, with United only saying that it looks forward to "working with Zune and Microsoft to create new onboard experiences." Sure, it might not sound like much, but it should at least go some ways towards improving the Zune's name recognition. Full press release is after the break.
United puts the kibosh on in-flight video chat, one family seriously 'bummed'
It may not be illegal to tuck your kids into bed via iChat while taking advantage of United's in-flight WiFi, but that didn't stop a flight attendant from ending John Battelle's (admittedly precious) use of the service during a flight two days ago. It seems that the airline has a policy that prohibits "two-way devices" from communicating with the ground -- you know, in case some terrorists board the plane and try some shenanigans. Apparently a laptop with WiFi isn't considered a "two-way device," until you throw videoconferencing apps like Skype into the mix. Somehow, it seems, the company missed Apple iChat when blocking ports, thus enabling the whole affair. Let this be a lesson to those of you with children: save the chats for the hotel room or the airport lobby, eh?
Aircell's Gogo in-flight internet coming to United Airlines
Aircell already managed to coerce American, Delta, Virgin America and Air Canada into installing its Gogo in-flight internet equipment into at least a few of their airplanes, and now United Airlines can proudly say that it's no longer looking in from the outside. Starting this year, a baker's dozen of the company's Boeing 757s -- which will fly between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and California's Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport -- will be armed and ready with WiFi for the people. Pricing will remain set at $12.95 for the entire flight, and service is expected to roll out during the second half of this year.
United offers up LCDs, in-flight entertainment servers on recent flight
It's not like adding in a few LCDs and a swank entertainment system is groundbreaking in the airline industry, but it's still far from commonplace. Earlier this week, United Airlines Flight 952 departed from Washington Dulles and treated its passengers to an impressive array of luxuries. Beyond the elaborate meals and lie-flat beds, fliers were able to kick back and enjoy over 150-hours of on-demand entertainment from a personal 15.4-inch LCD; additionally, economy class customers even had access to (presumably smaller) displays and a digital in-flight entertainment server. Gene Fowler, who spends more time on United flights than most of us would care to imagine, was able to capture the inaugural flight to Frankfurt with a bevy of snapshots, so be sure and hit the link below if you're curious to see what you missed.[Via FlyerTalk]Read - United Flight 952Read - Gene Fowler's photo gallery
United offers gadgets aplenty in new Business seats
Not one to let Qantas get all the attention for its tricked out airline seats, United has now introduced some upgraded amenities of its own. In addition to offering some low-tech improvements like lie-flat seating, the airline's new United Business cabin also gets a boost in the gadget department, including some new 15.4-inch LCDs, a USB port, and an iPod adapter to let you charge your iPod and play your own music and videos on the seat's entertainment unit. You'll also get 20 channels of "stored XM-branded audio," with an additional 30 channels of other "stored audio" also available for you to create a playlist from, with some noise canceling headphones thrown in for good measure. Look for the first planes with the upgraded seats to roll out sometime this fall.[Thanks, Tom]
