China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has “announced the discovery of three suspected floating objects and in the South China Sea” according to CNN.
According to CNN, the objects are “13 by 18 meters (43 by 59 feet), 14 by 19 meters (46 by 62 feet) and 24 by 22 meters (79 feet by 72 feet). For reference, the wingspan of an intact Boeing 777-200 ER like the one that disappeared is about 61 meters (200 feet) and its overall length is about 64 meters (210 feet).”
According to the Chinese, the objects are located atย 105.63 east longitude, 6.7 north latitude (see map below) in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam..
Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has unveiled its next generationย First, Business and Economy Class seats, together with the next generation KrisWorld, according to the airline “the worldโs most advanced in-flight entertainment system”. The airline issued this statement:
Customers will soon be able to experience the next generationย KrisWorld, the worldโs most advanced in-flight entertainmentย system to date, onย new Boeing 777-300 ERs entering Singapore Airlinesโ fleet in the coming months.
The newย KrisWorld, based on a Panasonic Avionics hardware platform, will initially be available onย eight new Boeing 777-300 ERs that will begin to enter service from September 2013. It will also be introduced on new Airbus A350s scheduled for delivery in the coming years, in line with the terms of an agreement valued at nearly $400 million that was signed with Panasonic Avionics in 2012. Existingย KrisWorldย systems on other aircraft already in service may also be retrofitted with the new system.
Singapore Airlines agreed last year to be the launch customer for Panasonic Avionicsโ next-generation eX3 system for the Airbus A350s, as well as the first to offer the eX3 experience on the Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline will also be the first to offer Panasonicโs Global Communications Suite on the A350s, with the capability to provide broadband Internet services to passenger devices and the seat-back, as well as mobile phone services.
The newย KrisWorldย features larger LCD screens andย video touch-screen handsetsย across all classes. LCD screens will increase from 23 to 24 inches in First Class, 15.4 to 18 inches in Business Class and 10.6 to 11.1 inches in Economy Class. Economy Class customers will also be able to browse through the more than 1,000 on-demand entertainment options by swiping or scrolling through the touch-screen monitor.
Working with renowned design company Massive Interactive, Singapore Airlines has seamlessly integrated theย functionality of the video touch-screen handset into the core design of a new, innovativeย KrisWorldย user interface to ensure that navigating through menus and programmes is intuitive and user-friendly. Customers will be able to multi-task among the varied entertainment options available. For example, they may watch a movie, while at the same time use the handset to keep up to date with the latest news headlines or track the aircraftโs flight path. Alternatively, customers may use the handset as a touchscreen trackpad to navigateย KrisWorld.ย New features such asย ย โQuick Searchโ, where a flickย of the handset pulls up a playlist of entertainment choices, are also being introduced.
Leveraging on technology, a number of thoughtful features are being incorporated intoย KrisWorldย with customersโ convenience in mind. For example, the Notification Centre on theย KrisWorldย dashboard contains information relevant to the flight, reducing the number of onboard announcements, thereby allowing customers to watch movies uninterrupted.
Customers will also experience greater personalisation, withย KrisWorldย providing content recommendations based on passengersโ preferences. They may also rate movies and see how others have rated these.
Twenty-oneย aircraft have been equipped to date and the service will be rolled out to the rest of the Airlineโs Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft by the end of next year.ย Inflight connectivity service on the 21 aircraft is provided by OnAir. For the new 777-300 ERs entering the fleet over the next two years, the service will be provided by Panasonic Avionics.
Entertainment โ movies, TV, music, radio channels
More than 230 movies, over 340 TV programmes, 22 hosted radio programmes and more than 790 CDs.
Games
In addition to more than 80 interactive games including high performance 3D games, popular touch-screen games are now available.
Applications
New to KrisWorld:ย
Travel Forum: Introducing a social networking element to KrisWorld, customers can now share their travel experiences, tips and recommendations with fellow passengers.
DK Travel Guides: comprehensive guides to major cities in the world.
Live News: Customers can stay connected to the happenings on the ground with news from Channel NewsAsia
Flight Path iXplor 2: Improved flight path informationย ย allowing customers to view key points of interests, for example, the Taj Mahal, when they are flying over it.ย
Copyright Photos: Singapore Airlines. The airline hasย launched its next generation First, Business and Economy Class seats, together with the next generation KrisWorld, the worldโs most advanced in-flight entertainment system. They will be available on new Boeing 777-300 ERs over the next two years. Customers travelling on select flights between Singapore and London will be the first to experience the new products from September 2013.
Singapore Airlines:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-312 ER 9V-SWJ 9msn 34575) arrives back at the SIN hub.
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has announced that movies on demand are now available on allย WiFi-equippedย Southwest aircraft for only $5 per movie, per device.ย The airline also announced an upgrade to their television package.ย In 2012, Southwest became the only airline in the world to stream live television directly to Customers’ personal devices.ย Now, in addition to eight channels of live news and sports, Customers can also select on-demand episodes of popular television shows.ย The upgraded TV package is $5 a day, per device on WiFi-enabled planes.
“Providing a comprehensive and robust inflight connectivity system for our Customers is paramount,” said Dave Ridley, Southwest Airlines’ Senior Vice President Business Development. “Our Flight Attendants are famous for delivering superb Customer Service, and we’re excited to enhance our onboard entertainment offering and take the Customer Experience to new heights.”
The majority of Southwest Customers now have access to WiFi, movies on demand, and the upgraded television offering. ย As of February 6, all Southwest Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft were equipped with Row 44 satellite technology that enables these entertainment offerings/services.ย This milestone represents nearly 75 percent of all Southwest aircraft, which completes the retrofit installations. ย Moving forward, all new deliveries and AirTran conversions will enter service with Row 44 technology installed.
WiFi service can be purchased for $8 a day, per device including stops and connections.ย Customers do not need to purchase WiFi in order to access movies or TV.
Accessing the Internet, or watching movies and television is simple.ย Customers use their WiFi-enabled device onboard any Boeing 737-700 or 737-800 aircraft, connect to “southwestwifi,” and launch their browser to be directed to the inflight entertainment portal.ย From the portal, Customers are able to select WiFi, movies, or television.ย The portal also provides free access to a flight tracker, shopping, and games.ย With Row 44 satellite technology, connectivity continues to work over bodies of water so Customers remain connected all day, no matter where they travel.
Allegiant Air (Las Vegas), as well as three other international airlines, have begun operational trials of Allegiant Systems’ย FlyDesk Cabinย solution, which digitizes manuals, automates reporting and offers secure communication tools using Apple iPadยฎ hardware. Using more than 200 iPads at the four airlines, FlyDesk Cabin creates a “paperless” operation, cutting back on unnecessary weight, facilitates accuracy of manuals and improves efficiency, while decreasing operational costs.
The four-week trial began on December 3 and will help define the operational benefits that mobile technology brings to the airlines’ cabin crew members. Crew members at each airline are using the advanced paperless workspace function of FlyDesk Cabin to improve customer service and productivity, while streamlining operational processes and increasing revenue opportunities.
The trial, which includes airlines in Europe and Central America , includes the advanced use of digital manuals and has demonstrated the multi-lingual capacity of the system. As part of the trial service, Allegiant Systems has also included training, hardware logistics and ongoing support services to the airlines.
In addition to the reporting and paperless functionality of FlyDesk Cabin, Allegiant Air also launched a new, integrated FlyDesk Buy-on-Board application, which allows the cabin crew to use the same iPad to process onboard customer purchases.
The initial hardware deployment and training has been completed successfully and thus far, the response from in-flight crews at all four airlines has been positive. The trial continues until the end of 2012, at which time the full results of the trials will be available.
According to the airline, FlyDesk Cabin is the first of several flyServices offered within the FlyDesk mobile platform by Allegiant Systems, all of which will offer increased efficiency for airlines, with faster deployment, effortless scaling and continuous support.
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