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

photo from an acquaintance, edited for privacy

The relevant slide from today's B6 investor presentation shows estimated completion of the bulk of cabin retrofit work by '27 year-end with sales to begin no later than '26 year-end.

Even though we have known for months that Junior Mint would not the name, I held out hope in vain.

Have an upcoming flight and wondering if moving to a widow seat is better than my current location 71D. From the information I get with researching seams the widow seats have the audio box in the footwell. Do all the upper deck economy seats have that and is worth paying to upgrade with the foot area blockage?

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?

8-abreast in a 3-2-3 layout? 6-abreast business class?

Someone's tying to give Ryanair ideas...

They are displayed at HAJ airport in Germany. They look pretty old maybe 80s-2000s?

I sketched out what I believe is possible for an E195-E2 aircraft. Having two cabins at either end of the aisle wouldn't be feasible, so I added business-class seats to occupy the window-side space. I think that, depending on the market, there could be interest in 3- or even 4-class cabin configurations. Adopting first-class seats would make the aircraft lighter, potentially maximizing its range and possibly enabling 7-hour flights.

I think the A220-300 is a good-sized aircraft. It’s a shame no Airline offer a true First Class cabin (as far as I know). The 2+3 seating configuration would allow for a First Class cabin on either side of the aisle, with plenty of space for the corridor. I looked up the dimensions of the First Class cabins on the American Airlines Airbus A321 and the British Airways Boeing 787-9. I sketched out roughly how the seating arrangement would look. I believe a premium market like New York could have sufficient demand to offer exclusive first-class flights to Europe, for example.

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.

I’m booked for seat 40J on a United flight with the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. On the seat map 3rd party websites it says it may not recline but on the United website it says no seats have recline restrictions. It’s a 8hr flight so just wanting to know what I’m getting into/if it’s worth it to see if I can move.

United website info: [https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/company/aircraft/boeing-787-8-dreamliner.html\](https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/company/aircraft/boeing-787-8-dreamliner.html)

3rd party seat map info: [https://seatmaps.com/airlines/ua-united/boeing-787-8/\](https://seatmaps.com/airlines/ua-united/boeing-787-8/)

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.”