FOCUS ON AIRLINE TRENDS
Founder of market research agency
www.airlinetrends.com, Raymond Kollau, reveals the latest trends in the air in his regular feature
Coming to an airline near you...
In this issue Raymond looks at how airlines are adopting wireless technology, coming up with innovative ancillary products and turning to advertisers to sponsor their in-flight catering.
Wireless charging in the air As most passengers today carry at least one mobile electronic device with them while on the road, a ‘recharging infrastructure’ has emerged at airports in recent years. Often provided as a sponsored, free service, companies such as Samsung, oneworld, Southwest and Delta have installed branded recharging stations at airports around the world. Next is wireless charging, as several airlines
and airports have jumped on this novel technology to let passengers power their devices without the use of wires. Delta Air Lines has recently placed ‘wireless powerpads’ in 19 of its Delta SkyClub lounges. Up to eight devices can be charged simultaneously and the wireless power transfer works through a metal on metal contact between the pad’s surface and an adapter connected to the personal device. In the Finnair lounge at Helsinki Airport, passengers can recharge their devices wirelessly by just putting them on a table. Finnair has teamed up with a company called Powerkiss, whose charging technology is integrated into furnitures’ surface. To use the service, travellers plug a receiver ‘ring’ into their mobile device and lay it onto a PowerKiss-enabled surface. Powerkiss has also partnered with airport food specialist SSP to make wireless charging available at restaurants and is also working with airport seating supplier Zoeftig.
Inflight entertainment goes wireless Airlines around the world are testing a new wireless IFE concept that allows passengers to connect to an onboard server with their own wireless devices. Replacing the need for in-seat screens and several kilometres of cables, the systems are a lightweight and relatively cheap IFE solution for airlines.
34
www.onboardhospitality.com
Powerkiss wireless charging at Helsinki Airport
Delta, American Airlines Inflight broadband provider Gogo is currently working with Delta Air Lines to test a wireless inflight portal which will offer streaming video, TV, gaming, e-commerce, flight information and social networking. Passengers will be able to access the portal with their own laptops, smart phones and tablet PCs to learn the flight’s arrival gate number, access weather information, get help with missing baggage, order some food, book a restaurant, and rent a car. The system is expected to be launched on Delta flights later this year. Gogo is also testing a scaled down version
of the portal with American Airlines to let passengers on trans-continental flights wirelessly stream video content from an inflight library of movies and TV shows to their personal devices.
“Airlines around the world are testing a wireless IFE concept that connects passengers to the onboard server using their own wireless devices”
Passengers will be charged $3 to $5 for a movie and $1 to $3 for a TV episode.
Condor, AirAsiaX German leisure carrier Condor has recently installed Lufthansa Systems’ BoardConnect wireless IFE system on several of its Boeing 767 aircraft. The airline gives Business passengers a complimentary ‘tablet-type’ device, while passengers in Economy can access content stored on an onboard server via their own personal devices.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88