Here’s how it works:

• Request your desired seat in the mobile app if your preferred seat type isn’t available at the time of booking your flight.
• Select where you’d like to sit, including preferences for window or aisle seats, exit rows or bulkhead seats.
• Get automatically assigned and notified about your new seat assignment if your preferred choice becomes available.

With up to 3 million users interacting with the United mobile app daily, United is continuing to bring useful features to its app, and this is just the latest new app feature that gives customers more options and makes travel a breeze. United is the first and only U.S. airline to offer the seat preference app feature.

The post Discover Your Perfect Seat: How United Airlines is Revolutionizing Travel with Flexible Seating Options appeared first on NRI News.

PUNE: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics), a world-leading provider of in-flight engagement and connectivity (IFEC) solutions, has today opened a new software design and development facility in Pune, India. Founded in 1979, Panasonic Avionics delivers engaging experiences that connect airlines with their passengers, revolutionizing the in-flight experience and redefining the value of in-flight engagement and communication (IFEC) systems for a new era of air travel.  Over 200 leading airlines across the world have chosen to install Panasonic Avionics’ in-flight engagement, satellite Wi-Fi connectivity, and digital services on their aircraft.

Panasonic Avionics’ new facility in Pune was opened in the presence of Chief Guest, the Honorable Minister of State for Civil Aviation & Cooperation, Shri. Murlidhar Mohol. He was welcomed to the opening ceremony by Mr Ken Sain, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, and Mr Manish Sharma, Chairman of Panasonic Life Solutions India and South Asia, and Director of Panasonic Avionics India.

Ken Sain, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: “Innovative, future-focused, and proven software is at the heart of every IFEC solution that Panasonic Avionics develops, creating a digital channel that enables our airline customers to engage with their passengers more effectively than ever before. With its huge number of skilled engineers, and fast-growing aviation sector, India is a natural location for us to invest in for the future of our business, and we look forward to accelerating our software innovation and design capabilities from our new Pune facility.”

Satyen Yadav, Chief Technology Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: “Today marks a significant milestone as we embark on a journey to accelerate the delivery of personalized digital experiences for airline passengers. We look forward to delivering cutting-edge software solutions that delight customers both in the region and globally, and to growing our software talent in Pune.”

Manish Sharma, Chairman of Panasonic Life Solutions India and South Asia, and Director, of Panasonic Avionics India, said: “India has become synonymous with ‘Capability, when it comes to software talent’. Today, India is providing IT support and IT services to the world and Panasonic has invested in setting up innovation centers and global capability centers to provide high-quality services to our other subsidiaries across the world. Panasonic Avionics’ facility in Pune is the latest in our series of investments in India and we are looking to cater to multiple markets and airlines with innovative solutions for in-flight engagement and communication (IFEC).”

The new facility is the first in India dedicated to supporting the development and delivery of IFEC solutions. It is employing over 200 skilled engineers at the point of launch, with growth plans in place to scale the software engineering talent at the facility to support the increasing demand from airlines for IFEC solutions that will deliver personalized experiences for their passengers.

Panasonic Avionics’ new software design and development facility is integral to the company’s strategy of enabling airlines to realize their passenger digital engagement visions by using the most innovative IFEC solutions, supported by best-in-class enterprise software tools that are self-service and designed to lower IFEC solution lifecycle costs.

A range of software will be developed, tested, and sustained in state-of-the-art laboratories throughout the facility to deliver passenger experiences for narrowbody and widebody aircraft that meet airlines’ needs. These include the X Series in-flight entertainment system and digital solutions including airline interactives that enable airlines to create unique seatback passenger experiences, IFEC development support via SDKs (software development kits), and mobile companion apps to name a few.

The new facility in Pune will accelerate Panasonic Avionics’ software development capabilities, and help improve the time to market of robust, next-generation IFEC and digital solutions.

To accelerate the growth of the new facility, Panasonic Avionics is developing partnerships with universities in the state of Maharashtra, and right across India, to nurture and develop skilled engineering graduates.

Panasonic Avionics’ new facility in Pune is the latest Panasonic investment in India. Panasonic entered the Indian market in 1972 and since then the company has grown from strength to strength now Panasonic Avionics joins Panasonic Life Solutions India, which currently has 11,000 employees over multiple locations across India.

The new facility has been developed through a ‘build-operate-transfer’ (BOT) operation. It was initiated in 2021 with investment from Panasonic Avionics and has resulted in the creation of a team of skilled engineers who will drive the company’s software design and development from Pune going forward.

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The new uniforms are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2023. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson expressed his excitement about the collaboration, saying, “Air India is delighted to be collaborating with Manish Malhotra to represent the very best of a vibrant, bold, and progressive India on the world stage. We are working closely with Manish and his team to create a fresh and exciting new look that supports and represents the new Air India.“

Manish Malhotra, a renowned fashion designer, expressed his honor to collaborate with Air India, saying, “Reimagining their uniforms is the onset of a journey of joy and collaboration, and I am excited to embark on it. Our shared ideology is simple yet profound: to evolve without erasing, to modernize without forgetting. Together, we aim to intertwine tradition with the future, crafting uniforms where comfort meets authenticity, wrapped in timeless elegance.“

Malhotra and his team have already begun meeting with Air India’s frontline staff to better understand their specialized needs. Malhotra’s prolific career spanning over 30 years as a couturier, costume stylist, and entrepreneur has seen him revolutionize the fashion landscape in India. His designs are characterized by their use of rich fabrics and bold colors, and his clothes are known for their perfect fit. He has styled and designed costumes for over a thousand films, including some of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema, besides dressing A-list celebrities from around the world.

Air India, founded by the legendary JRD Tata, pioneered India’s aviation sector. Since its first flight on October 15, 1932, Air India has built an extensive domestic network with non-stop flights to cities around the world, across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Far East, South-East Asia, Australia, and the Gulf. After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022.

Air India is navigating through a major five-year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI, with an ambition to become a world-class airline with an Indian heart. The first phase of this transformation, the taxi phase, was recently concluded and focused on fixing the basics. These included bringing back to service many long-grounded aircraft, the addition of talent across flying and ground functions, rapid upgradation of technology, and strengthening of customer care initiatives amongst others. A member of Star Alliance, the largest global airline consortium of leading international airlines, Air India offers seamless connectivity and facilities to passengers all over the world.

Air India’s collaboration with Manish Malhotra to design new uniforms for its frontline employees is a significant step in the airline’s ongoing modernization program. The new uniforms are expected to reflect the airline’s brand, heritage, and culture while meeting the unique requirements of the airline environment. The rollout of the new uniforms is expected to begin by the end of 2023.

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Vistara and Lufthansa had entered into a unilateral codeshare agreement, back in 2019, enabling Lufthansa to add its designator code (LH) to Vistara flights to 18 destinations in India.

Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Lufthansa, one of the world’s leading airlines. This is a testament to our continued commitment to offering enhanced connectivity, world-class service, and a wide range of options to our customers. This enables our customers to conveniently book their itineraries and seamlessly travel across various parts of Europe on the joint network of Vistara and Lufthansa.”

Jeffrey James, Head of Communications APAC & Chief Spokesperson, Lufthansa Group, said, “We take pride in our relationships, and in India, our partnership with Vistara embodies our strong commitment to the country. As the third largest aviation market globally, India remains a key focus for our Group and we are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with Vistara, offering Indian travelers more choices, more options, and more connectivity between Europe and the subcontinent.”

Vistara has consistently focused on expanding its international reach and delivering exceptional service to its customers. The expansion of the codeshare partnership with Lufthansa is a strategic move that aligns with Vistara’s growth strategy and its goal of connecting India to key global destinations. With this bilateral codeshare agreement, Vistara continues to establish itself as a leading player, in the Indian aviation industry, known for its commitment to service excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

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