Overstepping to Germany: JetBlue CEO No-Show at Aer Lingus Event

Don’t get me wrong. I like the public relations staff at JetBlue. They usually respond fairly quickly to press requests and are all generally very pleasant. Those niceties out of the way, I have to report that confusion reigned at the carrier this morning.

None of JetBlue’s spokespeople, it seems, knew anything about a planned press briefing this morning in Dublin, where CEO Dave Barger had been scheduled to join Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion to discuss details of the two carriers’ tie-up, according to the Irish operator. (Check out the press invite below).

The briefing was cancelled after Lufthansa’s planned 19% investment was revealed. Barger was later spotted in Frankfurt at a press conference with Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber.

JetBlue says the media event with Aer Lingus was never set in stone. The invite “should never have gone out to the media”, says JetBlue. “They [Aer Lingus] overstepped their bounds.”

“We still fully intend to go forward with our codeshare partnership with Aer Lingus. The event will be scheduled when we can confirm our executive's presence”

Needless to say, JetBlue's statement left more questions than answers. Will the partnership really take the form of a codeshare? And why does JetBlue's PR staff not know the location of key executives?

JetBlue later corrected its comment about the codeshare. In an emailed message, JetBlue says: “When we spoke earlier about the Aer Lingus event/no-event, I used the word 'codeshare' to describe our partnership. That’s incorrect. We will not be doing a traditional codeshare – EI will sell B6 flights on their website, and our flights will remain branded B6 only.”

Aer Lingus today seemed less certain of the partnership’s status. “Following the announcement by JetBlue that Lufthansa is to make a minority equity investment in JetBlue, we continue to monitor the situation and await further developments and clarification,” says Aer Lingus. “We remain optimistic that the partnership remains on track, and that we will be able to update you on progress soon.”

I can understand why the Irish operator might be a little befuddled. Join the club.


MEDIA INVITATION (PR numbers removed to protect the, um, innocent)

jetBlue CEO to visit Dublin for launch of Aer Lingus partnership

Aer Lingus is delighted to invite you to a media event to confirm details of its industryfirst
partnership with jetBlue, the leading US low fares, high frills airline.

Aer Lingus CEO Dermot Mannion and jetBlue CEO Dave Barger will host a media
event at Dublin Airport on the morning of Friday, December 14th as follows:


Part A tour of a jetBlue A320 aircraft, photos with crew and senior management

Part B media conference

Media wishing to attend either element of the event should note the following:

Part A - The jetBlue experience Arrival Time: 9.00am

Media will be invited onboard a jetBlue A320 aircraft to enjoy the jetBlue experience
first hand. Crew and senior management from both airlines will be available for photos.

Those wishing to participate in the onboard element of the day must:
- For security reasons confirm their attendance no later than 24 hours before the event

- Arrive at the DAA Customer Service Desk on the Arrivals Level with photo id (either driving licence or passport) at 9am on the day to be issued with an airside pass at the Airport Security Office and travel by bus to the aircraft on the tarmac

Part B - Media Conference Arrival Time: 10.30am

The media conference will take place at 11.30am in the Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge in Pier B. Media wishing to attend the media conference only must:

- For security reasons confirm their attendance no later than 24 hours before the event

- Arrive at the DAA Customer Service Desk on the Arrivals Level with photo id (either driving licence or passport) at 10.30am on the day to be issued with an airside pass at the Airport Security Office and escorted airside to the Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge.

JetBlue and Lufthansa - Nice to See Ya Together

Star member Lufthansa is taking a 19% stake in JetBlue. Initial blast here...conference call later.

Japan Airlines to Remove Connexion Antenna from Boeing Widebodies; Seeks New In-flight Connectivity Solution

Well, it has finally happened. A former Connexion by Boeing (CBB) customer, Japan Airlines (JAL), has confirmed plans for removing from its Boeing widebodies the Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) antenna that supported the now defunct airborne connectivity service.

Over the last year, the in-flight entertainment/communications industry has speculated about whether the likes of JAL - and CBB launch customer Lufthansa - might seek out a provider willing to assume the service requirements of CBB (and let that big ole MELCO antenna stay put).

Panasonic, for one, proposed a solution that would support that very scenario, as part of a wider commitment to its own Ku band-based connectivity system.

But it wasn't meant to be for JAL, which says the MELCO antennas will come off in 2008. “At the moment we are focusing on broadband connectivity options similar to CBB rather than using an on-board mobile phone station called a ‘picocell’," says a JAL spokesman.

As previously reported here, Lufthansa is strongly believed to have selected a team that includes T-Mobile for its connectivity needs.

Has Lufthansa Wrapped Up Deal for Connexion Replacement?

While Lufthansa has yet to officially confirm how it will replace the in-flight connectivity service previously provided by now defunct Connexion by Boeing (CBB), industry insiders believe a deal is all but wrapped up.

One executive with deep knowledge of the industry says Lufthansa has apparently made a decision on its replacement for CBB and that it involves a partnership with T-Mobile.

The two firms are already well-acquainted. HotSpot by T-Mobile is available in nearly all Lufthansa lounges around the globe.

The launch customer for Connexion, Lufthansa issued a request for proposals for a Connexion replacement in February of this year, following Boeing’s decision last year to drop the system.

This summer the Wall Street Journal reported that T-Mobile, satellite operator SES Global and ViaSat, maker of wireless communication products, were in talks to provide an airborne broadband service to Lufthansa.

The airline has not yet announced its selection. But in-flight broadband providers are anxiously awaiting an official announcement from the German carrier, as its decision could have a significant impact on the broadband selection of other former Connexion operators.

Given that Lufthansa was Connexion's largest customer, the T-Mobile team "can very much get a head start" in offering a Ku band-based broadband solution to airlines, notes the executive.

(Photo from Lufthansa.com)