Runway Girl

A collective of aviation journalists from around the world delivering intelligence about the diverse airline passenger experience.

12/26/2024

European high-speed rail travel is broadly the same across the continent. Excluding low-cost operators, trains come in a two-class configuration with a 2+2 layout in standard class and a 2+1 layout in first, with service generally limited to a light meal and drink if offered at all.

Italian operator Trenitalia bucks this trend, however, with its Frecciarossa services featuring ‘Executive’ — a better-than-first class cabin with luxurious seats and dining (and a hefty price point to match).

But with high-speed trains offering speed and convenience, is Frecciarossa’s comfort and luxury worth the additional cost? RGN contributor Fintan Horan-Stear put this unique product to the test on a short trip from Paris to Lyon and made the most of the opulence.

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/trenitalias-frecciarossa-executive-class-proves-delightfully-decadent/

12/23/2024

There are dozens of flights between Taipei, Taiwan and Tokyo, Japan on any given day, operated by airlines ranging from the most minimal no-frills affairs to top-tier premium international carriers. Only a select few, however, operate between each city’s downtown airports rather than the far flung airports of Taoyuan and Narita.

And so, for a recent flight linking Taipei Songshan Airport with Tokyo-Haneda, RGN contributor Jason Rabinowitz selected Japan Airlines (JAL) business class for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the savvy shopper in him liked the miles redemption rate via JAL’s partner Alaska Airlines. Secondly, the airport geek in him wanted to try something brand new and somewhat unique. Lastly, and most importantly, the in him screamed for the chance to fly in one of the original Boeing 787 cabins.

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/enjoy-blast-from-the-past-aboard-jal-787-8-on-tsa-hnd/

12/20/2024

Need to travel between Tokyo-Haneda and Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido? There are no shortage of options.

Remarkably, Haneda-Sapporo is the second busiest air route in the world, boasting nearly 12 million seats in 2024. Considering that four airlines ply the route, of which three operate mostly widebody jets, I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.

For today’s flight I chose Air Do because, as much as I love the Shinkansen bullet train, the airline is new to me. Also, it operates the venerable Boeing 767. While this aircraft type is increasingly out of favor elsewhere in the world, the jet is still quite popular in Japan and very easy to come by.

Air Do was founded 25 years ago as Hokkaido International Airlines, though it has primarily flown under the Air Do name. Its intention was to function as a low-cost competitor to ANA, JAL and JAS. That didn’t really pan out, since all three of the big players immediately matched its fares and pricing structure.

Nonetheless, Air Do has managed to carve out a happy little existence with its Sapporo-based hub at New Chitose Airport.

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/air-do-delivers-avgeek-fun-and-personal-touches-on-venerable-767/

12/15/2024

The Japanese domestic travel market is remarkable. With seemingly limitless demand between many of the country’s major cities, modified widebody jets have long been par for the course on short-haul Japanese trunk routes. You’ll see Boeing 767s, 777s, 787s and Airbus A350s running 45-90m flights like mine all day long. Up until 2006, ANA even operated a fleet of Boeing 747s customized to carry over 500 people.

The country is known too for its incredibly fast boarding times. Maybe it’s the culture, maybe it’s using four boarding lanes at once instead of one or two, maybe its the dual-aisle nature of the 777. It’s probably a bit of all three. Nonetheless, boarding was completed and the door closed in — and I’m not making this up — nine minutes.

Boarding an All Nippon Airways 777-200 to fly from Osaka Itami to Tokyo Haneda, the first thing I noticed was a sea of economy class seats. There are 384 of them to be exact, in a 3-4-3 configuration. A handful of rows, especially around exits or toward the rear, are in 2-4-2. There is a small premium cabin with first-class-esque recliners that occupies the first three rows in a 2-3-2 layout. I didn’t get to see it.

I settled into seat 40A, deep in the rear economy cabin. Several minutes later we were hurtling down the runway and off for Tokyo Haneda. Turns out that a lightweight Boeing 777 takes off like a rocket, making for a super fun climb-out over Osaka.

While the flight wasn’t completely full, I still lucked out with the row to myself. I expected a spartan seat, after all this plane rarely does anything over 90 minutes, but was pleasantly surprised to see seatback entertainment screens and in-seat power.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/ana-wows-with-9min-boarding-generous-legroom-on-domestic-777/

12/09/2024

Settling into seat 2A in First Class aboard a Delta Air Lines A321neo, I was immediately reminded about the rumors concerning the seat cushions, which are disliked by passengers and are being actively replaced by the airline.

The cushion in my seat was hard as a proverbial rock, so much so that I found myself sitting on a pillow before boarding had even been completed. It boggles my mind that this issue wasn’t addressed before the otherwise solid product took to the skies.

(But perhaps it shouldn’t boggle my mind. One floating theory is that these seats were specced out during the dark days of Covid, and essential butt-in-the seat testing was perhaps rushed or ignored.)

On the other hand, Delta's ground experience at the Delta One Lounge, excelled.

Full Trip Report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/delta-one-lounge-experience-trumps-first-class-on-a321neo/

12/08/2024

Considering a career in aerial firefighting? Jennifer Draughon is the powerhouse president of Neptune Aviation Services, which dispatches aircraft wherever and whenever its US Forest Service contract requires. She gives us the lowdown on what to expect.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/neptune-aviation-jennifer-draughon-aerial-firefighting/

12/04/2024

REYKJAVIK — A light rain did not dampen the celebratory mood today at Icelandair’s Keflavík Airport (KEF) hub, where the carrier welcomed the first Airbus aircraft in its 87-year history, an A321LR fitted from nose to tail with Panasonic Avionics’ newest and most advanced inflight entertainment system, Astrova, and new and updated seats from Italian firm Geven.

Bearing the distinction of being the debut operator of Astrova, Icelandair’s 187-seat, two-class A321LR is also equipped with Viasat’s Ka-band satellite-powered broadband inflight connectivity system, which Panasonic Avionics vice president of product & portfolio management Andrew Masson said can be easily integrated in the future with the Astrova in-seat 4K OLED screens, as embedded IFE evolves to become a more connected experience.

Elsewhere onboard, and in a notable decision that will make life easier on cabin crew and indeed passengers, Icelandair is offering larger galleys and a more passenger-pleasing and accessible aft lavatory footprint than other operators plying longhaul routes with single-aisle aircraft.

“We are used to the Boeing 737 MAX. This is luxury,” a crew member confided to RGN onboard the A321LR.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/12/icelandair-a321lr-features-several-firsts-including-astrova-ife-debut/

12/03/2024

Keflavík Runway...Girl ✈️🧒

12/02/2024

Good evening from an Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX. We’re headed to KEF to see Icelandair welcome the arrival of its new Airbus A321neo LR — its first Airbus aircraft! Icelandair will also be the first airline to fly Panasonic Avionics’ new Astrova IFE system with 4K OLED screens when the A321LR enters revenue service. More info about Astrova from the archive https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/03/panasonic-astrova-4k-oled-ife-icelandair/ 😊✈️💺

11/30/2024

Widely considered one of the most successful airline entrepreneurs in the world, Breeze Airways founder and CEO David Neeleman shares his five air travel predictions for 2025. https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/david-neelemans-five-air-travel-predictions-for-2025/

11/26/2024

British Airways has new renders out for the forthcoming first class suite that it plans to refit onto its Airbus A380s, and it looks superb. The seat is elegant, with a classic feel to it that looks immediately comfortable, secluded and plush.

It’s lightyears ahead of the airline’s current product in every way, and the airline — and its most lucrative customers — should be very pleased with it.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/british-airways-reveals-elegant-new-a380-first-class-suites/

11/24/2024

Flying All Nippon Airways from London to Tokyo at 83 https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/flying-ana-at-83-london-tokyo-flight-couldnt-have-been-better/

11/22/2024

Austrian Airlines is studying the suitability of using hydrogen as an emissions-free energy supply to support regular ground maintenance of Airbus A320 aircraft at Vienna International Airport.

Under a pilot program, the carrier has been using a so-called H2Genset hydrogen generator “for all regular ground maintenance activities” including cabin cleaning and “easy standard maintenance checks up to A Check” on an A320, the airline explains to Runway Girl Network.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/austrian-airlines-studies-hydrogen-power-for-a320-ground-maintenance/

11/21/2024

SVP Reza Rasoulian joined Runway Girl Network's Podcast during the APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) Global Expo in Long Beach, sharing his candid insights on the challenges and future of in-flight connectivity (IFC).

He highlighted the need for optionality in using GEO and LEO constellations for reliable Wi-Fi. “Consistently great inflight Wi-Fi still feels elusive.”

Hughes is set to launch its ESA-based solution in 2025, bringing consistently great Wi-Fi to airlines around the world.

Listen to the full interview here >>> https://okt.to/5ph94t

11/20/2024

ROME — The election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States is “generally” seen by US airlines as “a net positive” for the industry, International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh said today on the sidelines of the association’s Wings of Change Europe (WOCE) conference in Rome. And he said he personally shares their view on the matter.

Firstly, said Walsh, when Trump served as the 45th President during the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Congress passed — and Trump signed into law — the CARES Act, which among other measures authorized billions in aid to airlines and aviation businesses.

“I think they see that as a recognition from President Trump of the importance of the industry in the United States,” Walsh stated when asked by Runway Girl Network what a Trump presidency will mean to commercial aviation.

Airlines also anticipate that Trump will take a less heavy-handed approach to regulating industry, he said, and reverse some of the decisions made under the Biden Administration.

For context, under a sweeping final rule that went into effect this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation created universal standards for refunds owed to airline passengers traveling on flights to, from, or within the United States.

Walsh also pointed to the US Justice Department’s decision to reject JetBlue Airways’ acquisition of Spirit Airlines “when it was obvious to anybody that Spirit needed to secure their future”. Spirit has since filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure its operations.

Full story: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/iata-chief-on-why-trump-presidency-generally-seen-as-net-positive/

11/17/2024

When it came time to review Iberia’s A321XLR debut, RGN contributor Chris Sloan could have opted to snag one of the swanky lie-flat Thompson VantageSOLO suites up front.

But Iberia’s premium product on the A321XLR is designed to be on par with its well-received widebody business class product so sitting up front would hardly answer the question: “Is the economy cabin on this long-haul narrowbody actually a form of purgatory?”

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/what-to-expect-in-economy-class-on-the-worlds-first-a321xlr/

11/14/2024

Your author’s history with the most recent Finnair business class product dates back nearly a decade, having been invited to Helsinki in 2017 to join frequent flyers and a variety of other contributors to give our thoughts on which passenger experience innovations would best serve the airline’s unusual route network and premium passenger base.

The answer, Finnair would decide, was none of the staggered or herringbone products on the market, choosing instead to launch the AirLounge seat developed by Collins Aerospace, a unique sofa-style pod that eschews recline for the ability to just slide down into sleep.

The seven years since 2017 bring us to a very different world, and not just because Finnair’s foundational route network model — connecting Asia to Europe the short way by overflying Russia — is not currently possible owing to reciprocal overflight bans following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It has thus taken some time to get aboard AirLounge, as your author did as a guest of the airline between Helsinki and Osaka this month.

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/collins-airlounge-exceeds-finnair-business-class-promises/

11/13/2024

MADRID — Ahead of its inaugural Airbus A321XLR flight to Boston, Iberia unveiled the new twinjet during a media event today. Runway Girl Network was able to get its hands on the new business class seat and put it through its paces before paying passengers enjoy the product.

The A321XLR is part of Iberia’s new route strategy, dubbed ‘Flight Plan 2030’, which will be published in the next few weeks, said Iberia CEO Marco Sansavini during the briefing. Service to Washington D.C. is in the cards for the New Year.

Full report: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/11/hands-on-with-iberias-a321xlr-business-class-seat/

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On 25 April, Lufthansa hosted an exclusive Lufthansa Allegris Preview Press Event, where it welcomed journalists on board a brand new A350-900 fitted with the carrier's new Allegris longhaul cabins. Runway Girl Network covered the event as a guest of the airline. Here's what we learned! Music: Clean Success by Boomer, licensed through PremiumBeat by Shutterstock

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Runway Girl Network is a collective of aviation journalists from around the world delivering intelligence about the diverse airline passenger experience, known as #PaxEx on Twitter and Instagram. The news outlet also highlights the achievements of women in aviation, promotes equality, and celebrates culture, compassion and diversity.