Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
Viasat has placed its third ViaSat-3 satellite into commercial service across Asia-Pacific, adding more than one terabit per second of high-throughput Ka-band capacity. The satellite, launched in April 2026, will support connectivity services including those used by Delta Air Lines and Qantas.
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Viasat has placed its third ViaSat-3 satellite into commercial service across Asia-Pacific, adding more than one terabit per second of high-throughput Ka-band capacity. The satellite, launched in April 2026, will support connectivity services including those used by Delta Air Lines and Qantas.
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A go-slow strike by aviation workers, including airport staff and air traffic controllers, entered a second day at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The industrial action delayed and canceled flights, disrupted operations at major Kenyan airports and left hundreds of passengers stranded overnight.
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American Airlines is adding more than 60 technicians and dedicated repair teams at six hubs to address broken seats, failed entertainment systems, cleanliness and other cabin defects. The airline is also restoring seatback screens, correcting an upgrade-system glitch and emphasizing flight-attendant de-escalation and resilience as it works to improve service.
American Airlines is refreshing its economy-class onboard experience with a broader selection of complimentary snacks, adding more sweet and savory choices for Main Cabin passengers. The update is positioned as an enhancement to the carrier’s inflight offering, though the announcements provide no further details on specific products or rollout timing.
More than eight in 10 American Airlines flight attendants surveyed said fear of criticism and disciplinary reprisals prevents them from going above and beyond for passengers. Their union says management micromanagement blocked 4,076 roster days in June; American has agreed to shift suitable cases back to phone and email.
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American Airlines will add seven transatlantic routes for summer 2027, including new service from Philadelphia to Vienna and flights to Amsterdam, Nice and Porto. The expansion will put more of the carrier’s A321XLR narrowbodies to work while making American the only U.S. airline serving Vienna.
United Airlines outlined the next phase of its international network expansion at Newark Liberty International Airport, with CEO Scott Kirby, chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella and network-planning chief Patrick Quayle presenting the strategy. The carrier also highlighted plans to offer its Polaris experience on select flights.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson is calling for chronic air traffic controller shortages at Sydney Airport to be addressed, saying flight delays affected around 60,000 passengers in July alone. The disruption highlights the operational and customer impact of persistent capacity constraints in Australia’s busiest aviation market.
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