
Episode 009: Low Cost and Costly Delays
03/01/14 • 29 min
Welcome to episode 009 of the #PaxEx Podcast.
Ancillary fees are fairly new for the Latin American market, but Volaris passengers will need to start getting used to them. Now that Volaris has migrated to a new reservations system, the carrier is banking on a new ancillary revenue scheme to expand its ability to develop non-ticket sales. In this episode, Ghim-Lay updates us on Volaris’ plan and considers it in the broader context of how ultra low-cost carriers are growing.
Speaking of LCCs, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary made headlines this week when he promised that the carrier would eventually offer $10 flights across the Atlantic. Yes, we’ve heard O’Leary make these claims before, but co-hosts Max Flight and Mary Kirby join Ghim in addressing the question - are we seeing a race to the bottom in terms of both fares and the passenger experience (#PaxEx)? They also discuss whether the introduction of Wi-Fi on LCC carriers might lure more business travelers to LCCs.
On the inflight connectivity front, Delta Air Lines tomorrow will launch Gogo's Ku-band satellite-supported Internet on two Boeing 747s. The carrier schedule for rolling out of connectivity on its long-haul fleet is significantly delayed, however. We talk about the reason for this costly delay. Mary also reveals details about some of the behind-the-scenes finger pointing that's occurring, and highlights areas where the US major is, in fact, progressing.
Ghim recently attended the Singapore Air Show, which represented a return for Flightglobal to producing a show daily magazine at the event. We get Ghim’s pulse on the show, and talk to her about the now notorious Nok Air press conference, in which Nok Air’s CEO left an impression on Ghim and others in the room. “I’ve never seen women quite as objectified as they were at the press conference,” she says. Max gives us his take as a man who flew for decades for his aerospace industry employer.
Last but certainly not least, we talk about how Delta and American Airlines and other carriers fought to ground Arizona’s anti-gay bill, which, if implemented, would have had a profoundly negative impact on businesses, employees, passengers and, of course, human rights. Props to these airlines for taking a stand!
Welcome to episode 009 of the #PaxEx Podcast.
Ancillary fees are fairly new for the Latin American market, but Volaris passengers will need to start getting used to them. Now that Volaris has migrated to a new reservations system, the carrier is banking on a new ancillary revenue scheme to expand its ability to develop non-ticket sales. In this episode, Ghim-Lay updates us on Volaris’ plan and considers it in the broader context of how ultra low-cost carriers are growing.
Speaking of LCCs, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary made headlines this week when he promised that the carrier would eventually offer $10 flights across the Atlantic. Yes, we’ve heard O’Leary make these claims before, but co-hosts Max Flight and Mary Kirby join Ghim in addressing the question - are we seeing a race to the bottom in terms of both fares and the passenger experience (#PaxEx)? They also discuss whether the introduction of Wi-Fi on LCC carriers might lure more business travelers to LCCs.
On the inflight connectivity front, Delta Air Lines tomorrow will launch Gogo's Ku-band satellite-supported Internet on two Boeing 747s. The carrier schedule for rolling out of connectivity on its long-haul fleet is significantly delayed, however. We talk about the reason for this costly delay. Mary also reveals details about some of the behind-the-scenes finger pointing that's occurring, and highlights areas where the US major is, in fact, progressing.
Ghim recently attended the Singapore Air Show, which represented a return for Flightglobal to producing a show daily magazine at the event. We get Ghim’s pulse on the show, and talk to her about the now notorious Nok Air press conference, in which Nok Air’s CEO left an impression on Ghim and others in the room. “I’ve never seen women quite as objectified as they were at the press conference,” she says. Max gives us his take as a man who flew for decades for his aerospace industry employer.
Last but certainly not least, we talk about how Delta and American Airlines and other carriers fought to ground Arizona’s anti-gay bill, which, if implemented, would have had a profoundly negative impact on businesses, employees, passengers and, of course, human rights. Props to these airlines for taking a stand!
Previous Episode

Episode 008: Google Glass and Virgin Class
Welcome to episode 008 of the #PaxEx Podcast. On this week's show we look at how Virgin Atlantic is now getting “up close and personal” with passengers, by having concierges at its Upper Class lounge at Heathrow wear Google Glass. Is this a gimmick or is Virgin Atlantic really onto something here? Has 'Big Brother' officially arrived, and aren't we 'opting in' with voracious social media use?
Our guest, Gavin, recently wrote an OpEd for the #PaxEx Forum on Runway Girl Network that references another Virgin brand, Virgin America. Gavin did some data mining, and has drawn the conclusion that Virgin America faces some very serious challenges ahead. We discuss the vast amount of premium capacity being thrown at the transcon market, and whether US majors and JetBlue will - like a pride of lions attacking a Gazelle - go for the kill. We also talk about how connectivity has become a very important competitive factor, and why it's essential for Gogo's ground to orbit (GTO) system to be flying on Virgin America soon.
Finally, we discuss two important actions involving personal electronic devices (PEDs) on board aircraft in the US. The FAA has issued a final rule disallowing pilots from using PEDs for personal use in all operations, and the House Transportation Committee has passed legislation that seeks to ban the inflight use of cell phones for voice calls. And we highlight the fact that pilots are using inflight WI-Fi for their own personal use, despite prohibitions.
Next Episode

Episode 010: Tragic Disappearance and Media Perseverance
Welcome to episode 010 of the #PaxEx Podcast.
Our guest this week is Jason Rabinowitz, who writes for numerous #AvGeek and #PaxEx publications, and researches #PaxEx data for flight search and review site Routehappy.
As we all know, passenger safety is the most important part of the passenger experience. That’s why we’ve dedicated today’s podcast to discussing the disappearance of MH370. Jason has been tracking developments since Malaysia Airlines announced that ATC had lost contact with the 777. In this episode he gives us an update on where things stand.
We also address how an aircraft can just disappear in 2014. And we discuss what is holding the industry back from streaming black box data. It's clear that MH370 is going to invoke change in this regard.
Also, social media is having a profound impact on how aircraft accidents and incidents are covered. Jason’s colleague at Routehappy, John Walton, was among the very first people to break news of the Ethiopian Airlines ET702 hijacking on Twitter. We talk to Jason about how aviation geeks are besting the mainstream media when covering these types of stories.
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