I'm buried in a mound of work so pardon me for the quickie blog, but you simply must read the following article:

Japanese seat manufacturer Koito has admitted it fabricated safety data on 150,000 seats used by 32 carriers.

We've been talking about this subject here and on Flightglobal's IFEC channel.

I wonder how many of these seats have in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC).

As one insider tells me: "The s#%$ is moving at full speed towards the fan! So why aren't airlines in a bigger flap about this?"

On a side note - I drive a Toyota. What the heck is going on over there!?!

(Photo of Singapore Airlines A380 biz class seat by PYONKO at this Flickr stream)

Panasonic has finally given us the name of another customer for its global communications suite (GCS), and it's a good one!

Turkish Airlines will equip its new Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A330-300s with the full suite, comprising Ku-band satellite-based 'eXConnect' high-speed Internet, mobile phone connectivity and live television (a proprietary broadcast TV distribution network).

The carrier is also fitting the long-haul aircraft with Panasonic's eX2 in-flight entertainment system.

The news follows an announcement late last year that Lufthansa has partnered with Panasonic to reignite its FlyNet in-flight Internet service via eXConnect. Like Turkish, Lufthansa will also offer mobile connectivity, the so-called eXPhone product offered under Panasonic's partnership with AeroMobile.

Read all about the new Turkish delight on Flightglobal's IFEC channel (including a juicy bit from Panasonic about which birds will be line-fit and retrofit with the firm's IFEC solutions).

The timeline for Turkish and Lufthansa to offer in-flight Internet seem a bit tight, in my humble opinion. Panasonic still hasn't started its trial of eXConnect on a BBJ, but that is planned for this spring, says a spokeswoman.

Turkish Airlines' announcement, meanwhile, is just part of the carrier's broader strategy to transform its product.

Last year the airline announced plans to undergo a complete rebranding effort. It contracted Priestmangoode for an interior re-design across the entire Turkish fleet as well as the airline's ground services, lounges and check-in counters.

Okay lads and lassies, you should know that this Recaro Comfort Line (CL) 3620 seat is NOT offerable on the Boeing 787 yet! Nonetheless, it is being shown in a side room off of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner seat gallery. 

For those of you following the Airbus/OnAir/Panasonic/AeroMobile saga, you're no doubt getting quite the chuckle out of this morning's back-to-back press releases from Panasonic and from OnAir about IFEC offerability on the A350 XWB.

To give you a bit of clarity, Panasonic says its IFEC offerings - including eXPhone and eXConnect - are indeed line-fit offerable on the A350 and, in light of that, it "does have to meet the architectural requirements" of the aircraft.

OnAir says it is the only company meeting Airbus' ALNA v2 requirements "as of today". So, in all technicality, they're both right.

Interestingly, Panasonic says it is still "working with the other non-A350 platforms for offerability with Airbus" so the saga, sort of, continues.

In the end, however, it looks like Panasonic and OnAir are going to have to play nicely, since, presumably, some A350 customers are going to want Panasonic IFE and OnAir connectivity.

And yes, I'm working on a story for the Flightglobal IFEC channel. But only a select group of you understand what I'm talking about right now. And you know exactly who you are! :)

(photo above from dotbenjamin's Flickr photo stream)

I've got to rush and catch a flight out of Seattle, but do you remember my post the other day about seat manufacturer Koito being in hot water for falsifying 16g test reports? Well, we're starting to see the fall-out. And it's BIG!

Apology>


Delay in Flight Commencement of the New Boeing 777-300ER Aircraft and Change of Launch Date for New Brand and Service 



Thank you for your continued loyal support of ANA.

We deeply regret to inform you that the new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will not commence operation on Saturday, February 20, 2010 as scheduled, due to delay in development of Premium Economy seats. 

The launch date for our new brand, "Inspiration of Japan" and the new services that was scheduled to be introduced along with the flight commencement of our new aircraft has also been changed due to this reason. 

We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this may cause and kindly ask for your understanding at this time.

Commencement of flight and seating arrangement will be changed as follows. 

1. Details

(1) Commencement of new aircraft (Narita-New York route) and launch of new ANA brand, "Inspiration of Japan" (*)
Monday, April 19, 2010 (Scheduled)
New aircraft is scheduled to operate every other day until Sunday, May 9, 2010, and is scheduled to operate daily from Monday, May 10, 2010. Click here
Schedule, aircraft, seat specifications and seat maps are subject to change without prior notice.
(2) Changes of seat configuration of new aircraft (*)

Premium Economy seats scheduled to be installed will be tentatively replaced with Economy Class seats.

·Configuration Boeing 777-300ER aircraft 

- First Class (8 seats)
- Business Class (68 seats)
- Premium Economy (24 seats⇒0 seats)
- Economy Class (112 seats⇒139 seats)
-Total: 212 seats⇒215 seats
*Reason for changes in above(1)and(2): Delay in development of Premium Economy seats (Koito Industries, Ltd.: Headquarter located in Yokohama).

2. Notes

(1) Passengers traveling on the Narita-New York route may not be able to make new seat assignments on certain sections on the aircraft due to change of aircraft configuration.
(2) An updated seat map will be provided on our website as soon as it is ready.
(3) Announcement regarding further details of our new products and services will be made on our website as soon as they are ready. 

3. Inquiry 

Please visit our website for information regarding reservations for Narita-New York flights on the new aircraft. 

<Calling from Japan>
·Inquiry Desk
0120-029-691 (*Accessible via cell phones)
Business Hours: 8:00AM-7:00PM (Until March 31, 2010 on weekdays and Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays)

＜Calling from outside of Japan>
·Please click here to find a customer service center near you.

4. Additional Information

Premium Economy seats will be gradually installed on new aircrafts upon scheduled delivery of seats in August, 2010. 




February 4, 2010 3:00PM (Japan Time)
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd

Wow. What a day. My head is spinning after touring 787 Airplane 3 (ZA003), the Dreamliner gallery and Boeing's mock-ups for the 787, 747-8 and 737 Sky Interior.