The Future Of Air Travel: On-Flight Upgrade Auctions

by Jessica Festa on

Sitting in economy class on an airplane, it’s hard not to pine for the spacious seating in business and first class. Pretty soon, however, your longing could become a reality – for a lot cheaper than you’d expect.

On-flight auctions that allow passengers to bid on available seat upgrades are currently being adopted by certain airlines in Canada and China. And, if everything goes according to plan, within the next two to three years all airlines will use the service.

How it would work is the auction would begin with an announcement being made over the loud speaker, letting all passengers know about its commencement. Flight attendants would then distribute hand-held devices for the bidding.

Other in-flight innovations currently in the works include broadcasting live sports and ordering meals and duty-free items on your smartphone.

What do you think of on-flight upgrade auctions?

[Image via mrkathika]

Airline Launches Teddy Bear Check-Ins For Children

by Jessica Festa on

Fact: Each month, London Gatwick Airport receives up to 30 forgotten stuffed animals. That’s one airport alone. The loss of a furry friend can be devastating for a child, and unfortunately, the chaos of travel leads it to happen way too often.

To help combat the problem, Thomson Airways has created the “teddy bear check-in.” The program allows kids to check in their stuffed animals at the airport’s front desk. Each furry friend will receive a special boarding pass, which can be exchanged for a “Very Important Buddy” (VIB) tag at the gate. The idea behind the unique check-in is for children to pay closer attention to their toys when flying.

“As a family-friendly tour operator, we like to make a fuss of children travelling on our holidays, both in resort and on their flight,” says Carl Gissing of Thomson Airways. “We know that kids will love checking their toys in and taking home the VIB tag as a souvenir.”

While we’re not so sure this will really help cut back on the amount of lost teddy bears, it is a fun idea.

Do you think this service will help kids keep track of their toys when flying?

Airlines Push Entertainment Options, Legroom Too, Eventually

by Chris Owen on

It sounds like a dream come true for many airline passengers. A new generation of technology promises to deliver in-seat headphones, video screens and the ability for airline passengers to use their own devices – all the time. But at what cost? Existing technology runs through miles of leg room-consuming wire threaded through seats, but the future promises great entertainment and more space too.

Right now, the trend differs. “It’s of more value for an airline to add two rows worth of seats and have a good inflight entertainment system rather than do the opposite and give passengers more legroom,” aviation writer Mary Kirby told Technology Spectator.

Looking to the future, TriaGnoSys has teamed with Siemens to launch what the two firms say is the smallest, most complete in-flight entertainment and connectivity solution available.

The new system will replace expensive, leg room-consuming technology and can provide:

“The fact it incorporates both IFE content and connectivity makes it possible to provide live updates, for example for news, sport and destination information,” said Siemens CMT vice-president of technology Gerald Schreiber in Electronics Weekly.

All the necessary airborne hardware used with the new system is small and light enough to be mounted within the ceiling panel and connects to the aircraft’s existing communications system.

The idea is that once seats are free of wires and cables, airlines can use less bulky seats.

It would be a win for airlines, enabling them to maintain the number of seats they need to make their profit recipe work out.

It could be a win for air passengers as less bulky seats give back legroom, unless airlines get greedy and add more, less bulky seats.


Flickr photo by hugojcardoso

New Airline Program Pairs Seatmates Based On ‘Mood’

by Jessica Festa on

“Do you want your seat neighbor to be like-minded, share hobbies with you or speak a specific language? Do you want to chat, or to rest while flying?” These are the questions asked by airBaltic, the national airline of Latvia who is introducing a new SeatBuddy program.

SeatBuddy is designed to pair seatmates based on three specific “moods”: those who want to do work, those who want to make new contacts and those who simply want to be left alone. Passenger information will be collected in a secure database, and will take into account fliers’ hobbies and interests to seat those with similar personalities together.

SeatBuddy is optional and free, and testing of the service will begin at the end of this month. From there, the airline will be able to see its commercial potential. The idea grew after KLM Royal Dutch Airlines implemented social media seating and allowed passengers to choose seatmates via Facebook.

What do you think of this new service?

Galley Gossip: 10 Signs You’re Commuting, Non-Reving, Or Traveling Standby

by Heather Poole on

You know you’re a commuter when you pack 20 pairs of pantyhose inside your crew bag. This is what I was thinking as I packed my suitcase to go back to work last week. Of course two seconds later I had to stop what I was doing so I could update my Facebook page with that very thought. Priorities, people! It didn’t take long for the hilarious comments to come rolling in. That’s when I knew I had to create the list: 10 signs you’re commuting, non-reving, or traveling standby.

But first a little airline 101:

NON-REV, NON-REVING, NON-REVENUE PASSENGER: Airline employees and/or eligible family members and friends who are traveling on an employee pass. Travel passes are also known as buddy passes. Non-revs will standby for open seats.

COMMUTER, COMMUTING: is the process of getting to work, in other words, flying to one’s base city. Commuters are Non-Revs, but non-revs are not always commuters.

STANDBY PASSENGER– A passenger or airline employee who is waiting for an open or available seat on a flight they are not ticketed on. Full-fare passengers will often “standby” for earlier flights, while non-revs and commuters standby for every flight.


10 signs you’re commuting, non-reving, or traveling standby

1. You know 10 different ways to make your uniform look like you’re NOT in uniform – so you can have a cocktail. – Kelley Fulmer

2. Your workday starts 15 hours before you sign in or get paid. – Beth Henry

3. A three-hour delay doesn’t even faze you as long as you have boarding pass in hand! Or for that matter an hour sit on the taxiway doesn’t bother you simply because you’re on the aircraft – Sonja Hollen4. You have actually sat in the middle of a crowded gate area and sobbed after an agent just informed you (on your tenth attempt) the flight is full. – Cindy Lunsford

5. You’ve flown five segments all over the country through multiple hubs to get home and still end up 60 miles from home. – Brian Hewitt

6. You’ve pretty much memorized the entire flight schedule of every airline in the US. – Bob Nadelberg

7. You’re happy in a middle seat. – Jim McDonough

8. You have no idea what the flight number is or what time you’ll land. You just know you’re going in the right direction. – Heather Poole

9. The working crew makes smart comments about how many bags and/or their size. – Karol Harris

10. You’ve driven half way across the country because it’s faster than rolling your bags from flight to flight for multiple days. – Brian Hewitt

[Photo courtesy of Akbar Sim]