Wi-Fi, Entertainment And Power
Last week American Airlines announced plans to enhance and modernize its fleet with 200 new narrowbody aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. The airline intends to replace its fleet of domestic Boeing 757-200s (flown to Hawaii) and MD-80s with A321s, A319s and Boeing 737-800s. This is great news for me, since I accumulate all my miles on American!
The upgrades will include all-leather seats, Wi-Fi, in-seat/inflight entertainment, and 110-volt universal AC power outlets throughout the aircraft. Every seatback in the main cabin will have an 8.9-inch HD touchscreen monitor with an assortment of movies, TV programs, games and audio selections. You’ll also be able to do seat-to-seat chat, see live text news, weather updates, 3-D moving maps, airport maps, connecting gate information and more.
Travelers in the premium cabins will have access to a 15.4-inch HD touch-screen that features a selection of up to 75 movies, 150-plus TV programs, 350-plus audio selections, up to 15 games and access to a Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Cancelling headset.
In addition to all the tech upgrades, more legroom will be offered in the main cabin, and lie-flat seats will be available in Business Class (2-2 configuration) and First Class (1-1 configuration/direct aisle access).
American Airlines would not give me specifics on where the aircraft would fly, but since the current 757-200 is used in Hawaii, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to see the upgrade too. American will begin receiving the A319s in July 2013, followed by the 737-800s in October 2013 and the A321s in the second quarter of 2014.
Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Bloom
Bloom is a free productivity app that helps you prioritize your life with inspirational prompts called Blooms. You create these Blooms to inspire yourself to make healthy choices, manage stress, save money, stay connected with others, advance your career and enhance your creativity.
The app basically allows you to turn an ordinary task into extraordinary digital experience. You combine your favorite photos and music into inspirational Blooms. The Blooms can do anything from making it your wakeup call to reminding yourself to pack a lunch in the morning to picking up some flowers on the way home.
Start Blooming today on your iPhone/iPad.
Just a Gee Whiz: It only costs $1.36 per year to charge your iPad, according to the Electric Power Research Institute (a nonprofit research and development group funded by electric utilities). By comparison, a 60-watt fluorescent bulb costs $1.61, a desktop PC costs $28.21 and a refrigerator costs $65.72 per year to charge. So, it’s not as bad as you might have thought!
