u/Speedbird87

Flight crews had recorded four suspected bird strikes involving the same engine during the previous year, with bird remains found after two of them.

United States air safety investigators have found evidence of metal fatigue in an engine fan blade that fractured during a Ryanair flight last month, sending debris into the cabin and shattering a window where a passenger was partially pulled into the opening.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that about 37 percent of the fracture surface on the failed blade showed features consistent with fatigue

Investigators traced the damage to an area near the root of the blade, finding signs of high-amplitude fatigue caused by repeated stress. The agency has not yet determined the root cause of the failure.

Cabin depressurised
The July 10 incident occurred on a Boeing 737-800 operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary, flying from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft was climbing through 16,000 feet (4,877 metres) when the pilots received a high-vibration alert from the right engine. The vibration rapidly increased before the crew heard a loud bang and the cabin lost pressure.

Fragments from the engine struck the fuselage and penetrated the cabin, shattering the window at row 11.
A flight attendant responding to calls for help found a 61-year-old passenger in seat 11F partially lodged in the missing window opening. Passengers managed to pull the man back into the cabin.

The passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. A doctor on board treated him as the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki. Passengers also used a metal box from the galley to try to block the opening.

[effacé]

Will you be taking your neck pillows when travelling with Emirates?

Had to chance to fly Lufthansa First Class on their A340-600 from JFK to FRA in early May, just before they started blocking first class awards for partner airlines (rip).

This is the First Class leg of my award from JFK to Nairobi via Frankfurt, with the latter portion in Business. Thanks to Lifemiles’ prorated mixed cabin pricing and my Lifemiles+ 10% membership discount, the entire award was just 76,270 miles + ~$100 in taxes fees - which I’d consider to be a phenomenal deal.

I got an alert about 2 days before the flight, notifying me that the award had opened up. Interestingly, Lufthansa chooses to fly their older A346 on JFK, rather than the more prestigious, higher capacity B748s or A380s. Boarding was a chaotic mess, with a ~50 person queue for everyone in first/business/priority, which all boarded at once. Luckily, First Class had our own dedicated jetbridge to door 1. Upon stepping onboard the plane, I was immediate greeted by the lovely flight attendant who proactively greeted me by name without even any prompting.

The seat itself is pretty standard. While nothing cutting edge, I’d say it gets the job done. My biggest issue with the hard product is how small the A340 overhead bins are. The bins on the side can’t even store rollerboards straight in - they have to be put side ways. As a result, despite First being only 5/8 full, we ended up using just about all the overhead spaces in the cabin. I can’t imagine how messy the overhead situation gets in a full economy cabin.

Upon settling in, I was offered a choice of pre-departure beverage. I love how Lufthansa has a beverage set up at the front of the cabin. I ordered a glass of champagne, which was Veuve La Grande Dame 2018 (definitely on the younger side), along with Lufthansa’s signature macadamia and olives. Lufthansa recently introduced their new FOX service concept, which included minor improvements in First Class such as the addition of olives, Barbor amenity menu, new PJs etc. Honestly the differences are very minor in First, but a lot more noticeable in Business, which I will share in a next installment.

Once in the air, service started with drinks and a trio of amuse bouche. About an hour after take off, the cart rolled around with Lufthansa’s signature appetizer trio and caviar service. I of course partook in both, as well as the lobster bisque. As a part of the new FOX service concept, the soup was poured table side, which was a nice touch. Everything was solid, but nothing to write home about. For my entree, I ordered the halibut & scallop, which I could appreciate on paper, but I just found the whole dish to be somewhat disappointing. On the bright side, the desserts were mostly solid, although the panna cotta was a bit hard and seriously lacking flavor.

I do appreciate how comfortable Lufthansa’s beds are, and was able to sleep for almost the entire 3.5hr remainder of the flight before waking up shortly before landing.

In true German fashion, the service was a bit hit or miss. The male flight attendant working the galley was absolutely lovely, with some great charm and nice humor. At the same time, the older female flight attendant serving my aisle was mostly just going through the motions - nothing actively wrong, but she wasn’t particularly pleasant or seemed to want to be there.

Given the price point that I paid, I’d say it was a fantastic deal on such a long, partially first class journey all the way to Kenya. Most of the recent service improvements are fairly minor. As has been the case in the past, I’d say Lufthansa really shines when it comes to its caviar, appetizer, and dessert courses, while the entree is usually nothing to write home about. Hopefully we’ll see Lufthansa First Class awards made available for partners again in the near future!

United Airlines is experimenting with a new cabin concept on its upcoming Airbus A321XLR fleet: a row where the middle seat is intentionally left empty and replaced with a shared tray table for the aisle and window passengers.

The idea is to offer a “no middle seat neighbor” experience“ essentially a mini‑premium zone within economy. It’s a subtle but interesting shift in how airlines monetize comfort: not by adding legroom or fancy screens, but by removing the one thing most travelers dread the middle seat.

I’m curious how this will play out in practice. Will it feel like a genuine upgrade or just a marketing spin? Could this design influence future cabin layouts, especially for narrow‑body long‑haul aircraft like the A321XLR?

Would you pay extra for a seat in this row, or do you think it’s just clever branding?

Specially discounts for Reddit community - DM to arrange booking 🤣

Prior to the A380 First Class Apartment that I shared in my previous installment, I had the chance to check out Etihad’s new (ish) Business Class on their 787-9 from Nairobi to Abu Dhabi.

The entire First Class award from Nairobi to Toronto via Abu Dhabi costed just 120k AAdvantage miles + ~$70 in taxes. As this version of the 787-9 does not have First Class, I found myself in a very empty Business cabin for the rather short 4hr flight.

Based on the seat map in the days leading up to the flight, I thought I was going to be flying Etihad’s old staggered business seats. Much to my surprise, upon boarding, I found myself in a GORGEOUS cabin. I cannot say enough how elegant this cabin felt - there was something about the cabin lighting, color scheme, and seat arrangement that gave a very chic vibe.

I was in one of the forward facing seats tucked away from the aisle. Not only did I have 3 big Dreamliner windows to myself, I also had a ton of privacy. I would highly recommend one of these “true” window seats in even rows A/K. The seat itself was comfortable, especially for the short 4hr day time flight. Waiting at my seat was a pillow and (very soft) day blanket. I was quickly approached an FA with a range of PDBs to choose from, including water, champagne, OJ, and lemon mint juice. The drinks were served in Casa Armani glassware. I was also presented an Armani amenity kit, as a part of Etihad’s collab with the brand.

Upon take off, I decided to try Etihad’s signature lemon mint juice, which did not disappoint. My marinated poached prawns appetizer was delicious and had a really nice range of flavors. The sea bass entree was solid as well. While very aesthetically pleasing, the mousse desert fell a bit short taste wise. All the dishes were individually plated by the crew in the onboard galley, which went a long way in contributing to the nice presentation.

Despite the flight being less than a third full, the crew seemed to have been just going through the motions. The service was perfectly fine, but didn’t feel particularly warm or personalized.

Overall Etihad’s current Business Class is a very strong well rounded and I would highly recommend!

Recently had the chance to fly Etihad’s A380 First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to Toronto. Even at over 14 hours, the flight went by in the blink of an eye.

Found this award in First Class all the way from Nairobi to Toronto via Abu Dhabi for just 120k AAdvantage miles + ~$70 in taxes. Etihad has been releasing first class awards with decent consistency within 5-10 days of departure, provided that there are at least ~5 seats available for sale.

I first flew this product over a decade ago when it first launched, and I’m happy to report that it’s still just about as good as I it was! The single aisle layout on an A380 is iconic, with the amount of real estate only rivaled by Singapore’s new first class. The separate bed vs. lounge vs. vanity areas really made it easy to rest and stretch in any way I want. With that said, I do wish that they used thicker and more plush bedding, as the sleeping surface felt rather hard.

In terms of F&B, it’s definitely been scaled back a bit since a decade ago - gone are the inflight chefs or highly customizable dishes with a dozen different ingredients to mix and match with. However, the quality is still pretty top notch. The recent addition of caviar is a nice touch, I thoroughly enjoyed the cod as my entree so much so I decided to order it again for breakfast. The wine list was good but nothing spectacular, with the champagne being Veuve La Grande Dame.

Service was fine, but didn’t have a ton of warmth or personalization. There were several major misses: 1) the iconic inflight shower was out of service as the handle apparently fell off and prevented the door from locking (water can’t be activated without it); 2) half of my seat controllers weren’t working, which prevented the bench from reclining to convert into a bed, thankfully the flight was less than half full and the crew was able to set up my bed in the adjacent suite; 3) towards the end of the flight, the entire upper deck, including all of business class, ran out of ice…so no iced coffee, juices were served warm, no cold drinks at all. Seems like a very easily avoidable issue that should’ve never happened.

Still, very happy to have got to fly on this iconic product again. Would highly recommend it to anyone!

I recently flew the new Air France La Premiere for the first time and it was my favorite first class experience. From check in, to on board, to deplaning, La Premiere provided the most thoughtful service. Just posting a short summary now and will write a full length review later.

I booked La Premiere using a combination of points and cash. You can book Air France business class for as low as 60,000 miles and upgrade to La Premiere using cash for $1,500 to $3,500, spending on your route. To find business class availability, I set up alerts using an award flight search tool that I built called roame.travel.

I specifically chose the Paris to Los Angeles route because that route has the new La Premiere suites. Thirty hours before the flight, when check in opened, I was offered the ability upgrade to La Premiere by paying cash. I was SUPER excited that was able to upgrade to La Premiere and had a hard time sleeping from the excitement.

**Note that Air France’s official policy does not permit upgrades to La Premiere if you booked your business class using miles, but there are countless datapoints of travelers being offered the upgrade 30 hours before the flight (myself included). If you are not offered the upgrade when online check in opens, you can still try to request in person with the desk agent. If you want more guidance here, just let me know in the comments and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.

You experience the La Premiere service right from drop off at the dedicated door first class. I was greeted by multiple Air France agents welcoming to the check in lounge. I was assigned a personal agent who helped me check in and even whisk me past security to customs for tax free validation before the official opening hours for the customs office.

She then led me through private security check and drove me in a Porsche Cayenne through the tarmac to the La Premiere lounge. I thought this was an awesome experience and a nice touch.

I’ll write a separate review for the lounge later. But the design was sophisticated and chic, very much what you think when you think of French design. The lounge was partially under renovation, so I couldn’t try the Sisley spa or the new nap rooms. They’re slated to fully reopen on July 4th or 5th.

All dining is à la carte and the breakfast prepare was exceptional!

When it came time to board, an agent came to get me and drive me on another Porsche through the tarmac to the plane.

Even though there are only 4 suites in first class, Air France dedicated an entire jet bridge just for first class passengers.

The first class cabin was unlike any other airlines’ first class cabins. The cabin felt extremely airy because Air France uses floor to ceiling curtains instead of sliding walls. I used to be skeptical of the curtains, but now that I’ve experienced them, I think they’re superior to walls, especially walls that are not fully floor to ceiling.

Design of the cabin was understated sophistication with an excellent use of white and greys with accents of bright red beautifully placed. Somehow Air France was able to make the white and grey color combo feel upscale rather than feel plastic. Kudos to their design team.

Each suite was designed with a “dual-furniture” concept; rather than a single seat that converts into a bed, the suite features a plush arm chair and a separate dedicated chaise lounge that turns into a bed.

There are also two 32 inch 4K screens on each side and a master control tablet that’s detachable with a base in both sides of the suite. La premiere offers Starlink WiFi; running a speed test, the speed clocked in at 350 mbps.

They also provided an amenity kit with Sisley products, Jacquemus pajamas, slippers, and Denon headphones.

There are no overhead bins; your carry on goes into a pull out rack from the side table next to the chaise lounger.

I was in Suite 1A. To my pleasant surprise, the seat next to me was empty, so once the curtains were closed in the middle divider, it felt like I had a huge room to myself.

The meal service was spectacular starting with a glass of champagne (Laurent Perrier Cuvee Grand Siecle) along with the caviar.

They then served a tomato & melon gazpacho, trout raviole with mushroom cream, lamb shoulder confit, a create your own mixed salad, a selection of French cheese, and a hazelnut cake for dessert. They also offered me ice cream and fruit, which I turned down because I was too full.

With the lamb, I had a small glass of Grenache (Chateauneuf-du-pape 2022, prestige cardinal). Delicious pairing. The flight attendant (Valerie) was extremely observant; when I only asked for a half a glass of red wine, she was concerned that I didn’t like the red wine and offered to pour another one. In reality, I just didn’t want to drink too much, but I thought that observation showed a high level of attention to detail that’s usually only at fine dining restaurants.

Another side note, I have heard from others that the flight attendant will offer to pour you an entire flight of wine for a tasting. I did not want to drink so much, so I did not request this, but this is good to know.

After lunch, the flight attendant turned my chaise lounge chair into a bed and I swapped sides to sleep. I will note that the curtains were pretty hefty so they felt like real walls, but provided more privacy since they went up to the ceilings. They were essentially blackout curtains.

I woke up to another meal service, this time with a tomato tart and langoustine soufflé. Again, quite delicious.

As we were about to descend into Los Angeles, they offered me a bunch of snacks to take home. I ended up taking some Pierre Herme chocolates.

As I deplaned, there was an Air France agent leading me through immigration, bag collection, and onto my connecting Delta flight. He also led me to check-in at the special Delta One only check in and private security line. I didn’t even realize Delta One has their private security line at LAX.

Overall, Air France La Premiere is by far the best first class flight I have been lucky to experience. Would 100% fly it again if I can find good business class availability and upgrade.

Today marks a significant milestone with the implementation of the new U-Dream headrest system—the first of its kind globally—on Emirates’ inaugural A350 aircraft (registration A6-EXF) equipped with our SUS Z400 seats.

As the launch customer, Emirates will equip all its A350 fleet (both in-service and to be delivered, 50 in total) and six A380s with U-Dream. This smart headrest design takes passenger comfort to the next level with unique support that helps make flying more relaxing.

The installation is being carried out by the Safran Seats Dubai Field Support team, making sure everything runs smoothly and up to the highest standards.

China Airlines is introducing a premium economy-class cabin on its upcoming Boeing 787-9 deliveries, in a three-class cabin configuration of premium business, premium economy, and economy. Premium economy is a new travel class for the Taiwan-based airline.
The new B787s will have a 28-seat premium economy cabin, in a 2-3-2 configuration. China Airlines has opted for the R4 seat from Recaro Aircraft Seating, with a 6-way headrest with privacy wings, a leather footrest under the seat, and 15.6in 4K high-definition seatback IFE displays with Bluetooth connectivity.

The seat covers have a unique design named ‘Mountain City Nightscape’, with an appearance that subtly changes under ambient lighting, inspired by the nighttime atmosphere of Jiufen, a former gold-mining mountain town in New Taipei City. The designers have also added metallic chrome detailing and warm leather textures to convey a sense of Taiwan’s technological progress and cultural warmth.

A familiar finish will be the persimmon wood grain on the tray table, which is a touchpoint across China Airlines’ aircraft fleet. Persimmon is traditionally associated with prosperity and fulfilment in Taiwanese culture. The modern feel is layered on through an anti-slip surface, and the mobile phone and tablet stand. Each seat also has a reading lamp with a rose-gold finish.
Premium economy customers will also be treated to a few little luxuries such as lightweight porcelain eating utensils, two-tone blankets, slippers, noise-reducing over-ear headphones, and a complimentary wi-fi service. They will also receive an amenity kit designed by China Airlines in partnership with Marc Jacobs, the New York-based fashion house, and Frama, the Danish skincare, lifestyle and furniture brand.

Two more airlines are now flying the Astrova in-flight entertainment (IFE) system and Modular Interactive (MI) platform from Panasonic Avionics.

Panasonic Avionics has entered commercial service with Saudia and Azerbaijan Airlines, with both carriers now operating its Astrova in-flight entertainment (IFE) system and Modular Interactive platform (a set of enterprise tools for IFE branding) – including the first deployment of Astrova aboard an Airbus A321XLR.

Saudia Airlines has selected Astrova IFE, the MI platform, and Panasonic’s Arc 3D moving map for 15 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which marks the first deployment of Astrova on an A321XLR. The agreement extends Panasonic Avionics’ existing relationship with the carrier, which had previously committed to retrofit Astrova systems across 46 aircraft –15 A321s, 12 A330s, and 19 Boeing 777s.

Azerbaijan Airlines is also deploying Astrova and MI, across six A321neos and five A320neos. The systems will be rolled out through a combination of linefit and retrofit installations, as part of a broader plan to fit the systems on 22 aircraft in the carrier’s fleet
Both airlines are fitting Astrova 4K OLED HDR10+ displays with Bluetooth audio technology, along with up to 67W of USB-C power at each seat for charging electronic devices. The Saudia installation also includes programmable LED cabin lighting.

Hernan Abbes, senior vice president of global sales at Panasonic Avionics, said, “With Astrova and MI, we have delivered a solution that will evolve at pace with airlines’ needs over time. MI gives operators the flexibility for A/B testing and quick optimisation of their interactive experience, with the ability to unlock new upgrades and features to services such as USB power and Bluetooth technology as standards change.”

Airbus is focusing on ramping-up production, aiming to deliver new aircraft in less time without compromising worker safety or product quality. The airframe manufacturer has decided the solution isn’t just to hire more production staff, but instead to provide its existing staff with a smarter set of tools, including time-saving robots, so they can focus on more skilled tasks.
One task that is uncomfortable and repetitive for human operators is the fitting of seat tracks in the cabin. Workers spend hours bending, kneeling and crawling on the cabin floor to mark and position seat tracks. It is a slow, repetitive and physically demanding process, and one that Airbus identified as a task that should be automated so shop floor operators can focus on more complex, high-value tasks.

The latest production asset at Airbus is CabinMarker, a compact robot that weighs just four kilograms but could have a big impact in Airbus facilities. CabinMarker’s primary mission is to automate the positioning of aircraft seats. The robot can glide through the cabin with pinpoint accuracy, marking and positioning seat tracks. This task takes an operator 150 minutes on average, while CabinMarker can complete the task in just 30 minutes.
Airbus says the robot creates a triple win: increased quality and precision (tests of CabinMarker show it reduces rework), improved ergonomics (it helps preserve the health, backs and knees of workers), and a big time saving in production. And since only a handful of operators are needed to drive the robot, this frees-up staff resources to concentrate on higher-value tasks that contribute directly to the production ramp-up.

You can see CabinMarker in action HERE.

Global roll-out and future applications
CabinMarker is about to prove its operational worth. In late 2026, the first two robots will be delivered to Airbus’s Jean-Luc Lagardère A321 final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. They will be used to fit seats on board the A321XLR.

Airbus also plans to roll out CabinMarker across other aircraft assembly facilities (at an average of two machines per line, as seat fitting is not a constant activity), including the A330 FAL in Toulouse, where testing of the robot has already taken place.

This twin-aisle application could require a slight modification to CabinMarker’s design as the robot is sized for Airbus single-aisle aircraft, which are assembled in France, Germany, China, Canada and the USA.

Where did CabinMarker come from?

Airbus formed a new division in 2023, named Airbus Robotics. This division brings robotic expertise in-house at Airbus, with the goal of creating technology rather than buying it, and developing industrial technologies engineered by people who truly understand the needs of aircraft production.

The robot was originally developed as a prototype by Airbus’s ProtoSpace division in 2018. The technology has been further refined and industrialised since a pause during the pandemic, and now forms part of the portfolio of Airbus Robotics. Following a rigorous development phase, CabinMarker received official industrial certification in December 2025, and is now the first robot to be fully industrialised in-house by Airbus Robotics.
Further tasks have been identified for CabinMarker. The robot is mobile and lightweight, which makes it versatile. Airbus engineers are already looking at ‘V2’ applications. For example, by swapping its marking pen for a camera, CabinMarker could become an automated corrosion detection scout. Add a vacuum and tape mechanism, and it could automate the tedious process of cleaning and taping aircraft floor rails.

If you would like to see CabinMarker in action, it will make its public debut during demonstrations at the ILA Air Show in Berlin later this month.

ir Canada today announced what it is hailing as its “most significant cabin investment”, with enhancements in every travel class as a signal of the airline’s growth ambitions. The airline revealed its new long-haul cabin designs at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg together with Collins Aerospace, the seating supplier for the new cabins.

The cabin interiors are the first major expression of Air Canada’s new ‘Glowing Hearted’ design scheme, created to deliver a distinctly Canadian feel in the inflight experience. The all-new cabins will debut this summer as the airline’s fleet of 30 A321XLRs come online, with fully lie-flat Signature Class seating for the first time on an Air Canada single-aisle aircraft.

The introduction of the A321XLR is a key strategy for the airline, opening up new trans-Atlantic routes with premium seating options across more of its transcontinental network.

The A321XLR will feature 14 business-class suites, based on the Aurora platform from Collins Aerospace, all with 19-inch 4K OLED IFE screens and Bluetooth audio.
The shape and installation angle of the Aurora suite is designed to conform to the exact dimensions of the XLR cabin, maximising passenger living space, providing an extra row of premium seating, and expanding galley capacity to accommodate the catering volume necessary for long-haul services.

Air Canada has customised the Aurora seats to suit its requirements and branding, with input on industrial design, trim, and finish from Collins and Air Canada’s design partner, Acumen.

“By integrating the suites, monuments and galley space into a unified architecture, we’re able to make better use of the cabin footprint while maintaining passenger comfort and the service capabilities airlines need to deliver a true premium experience,” said Cynthia Muklevicz, vice president of global airlines and lessors at Collins Aerospace.

Economy class enhancements

There are also comfort enhancements in the 168-seat economy cabin of the A321XLRs, for which the airline has selected the Meridian+ model from Collins Aerospace.
Meridian+ incorporates design principles from widebody models, with a contoured architecture to reclaim additional area for passengers’ hips, knees and elbows, while the articulating seat diaphragm subtly flexes and adapts to augment comfort.

Air Canada has selected seatback options to optimise stowage, as well as 13-inch 4K OLED IFE screens with Bluetooth audio, and access to USB-C and AC power outlets.

“Details matter: we listened closely to feedback and challenged ourselves to create an experience defined by a strong Canadian sense of place, alongside a commitment to craftsmanship, functionality, and long-term durability,” said Mark Nasr, executive vice president & chief operations officer at Air Canada.

“This investment in the care and comfort of our customers is a key element of our New Frontiers growth strategy to become one of the world’s leading airlines.”