Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Paris Oct 2, 2013 With the background of the Eiffel Tower in the background,  Air France unveiled its new offer of products and services in the Premium Economy and Economy cabins.  Interestingly, we were sitting in the meeting room, called the Electric Room when the power went off! The French, used to nuke power that is almost always reliable, didn't know what to make of it. "This is the first time I have witnessed a power outage," an official told me. Buddy, you should come to India- we'll provide you that experience! The first stage of the move upmarket for all Air France customers, will be followed in 2014 by the new La Première and Business offers. The first flight with the new Air France cabins will take place in summer 2014. The airline says it is the ONLY carrier to serve champagne in its long-haul economy classes. so CHEERS! Good to hear that there will be some competition to Gulf carriers! Kudos. In Eco...

Neelam Mathews May 19, 2013 There is an increasing realization on how the DGCA casually announced the unbundling- the newest word added to aviation parlance in India.Don't get me wrong. While I'm the first to support openness and transparency in the aviation sector, there are some c oncerns and we hope the DGCA is listening and, not just partially, like the BCCI!  Why, for instance, was the regulator in such a hurry? A date could have been indicated when the new system would start to ensure passengers, ie. consumers (yes they still exist!), could be given a chance to understand how it works for them. There is utter confusion in the market today. We think- given the comparitively new aviation business in India- DGCA could have set some guidelines for the unbundling, a word more misunderstood that most issues today. For instance, are the emergency seats on sale? If they are, that's a big safety issue. What if a disabled person is allotted the exit seats? Not the best...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 22, 2011 The Europe-India route is generally one of the last to get benefits of upgradation of  fleets. Change is in the air. From July 19, Air France’s Boeing 777-200ER took off for the first time from Mumbai to Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. The Boeing 777-200ER seats 309 passengers in a 3-cabin configuration with 35 seats for Business, premium Economy, 24 and Economy with 250. Good news- the aircraft is equipped with the new Air France Business Class seat. With a fixed shell seat guaranteeing the passenger’s privacy, the seat structure and environment have been redesigned to offer. a seat bed with comfortable beds (2-metres long – 61cm wide); multiple positions with the new relaxation position, with legs extended on the new fixed footrest including during the take-off and landing phases, among the most highly appreciated; simpler and more practical controls;   new, more spacious storage areas. Many features of the seat are also a...