In Flight Entertainment
ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT
Account manager Alex Rogers reports on the latest news from leading IFE suppliers
Welcome to this issue’s OnBoard Entertainment section! We look
forward to seeing you at APEX in Long Beach in September and outline
the programme for this important event on Page 65. We also wish Aircraft Interiors Americas in Seattle every success and will be reviewing the show in a future issue. We welcome Adam Williams as a new contributor in this section; many of you will remember Adam as the marketing director at digEcor before he left to pursue a master’s degree. Adam will be writing a regular Smart Talk feature starting in this issue with a discussion on the success that seat centric IFE architecture has had in recent years and the threats it faces from new technologies. Inflight entertainment is a key part of the passenger experience but it is vital that an airline offering is consistent. This was highlighted recently on Virgin Atlantic out of Gatwick. The outbound flight was on an old aircraft with an IFE system that operated on a loop with nine channels, which worked well but did not deliver the content or capabilities we have come to expect. The return was on a newly refitted aircraft with a touch screen IFE delivered by the Panasonic eX2 architecture. The delivery came very close to that of my own iPad. This brings to the fore a key question: As technology development gather pace will airlines and IFE manufacturers ever be able to keep pace with their passengers requirements and demands?
Alex Rogers, Account Manger OnBoard Entertainment
Alex.Rogers@
onboardhospitality.com Air France A380 60
www.onboardhospitality.com Hi-speed WiFi to be offered by Icelandair Live TV trials
Browsing the web or watching a live broadcast during a flight will soon become a reality on board Air France and KLM flights. In partnership with Panasonic Avionics, the two airlines are launching a joint in-flight connectivity programme on board their long- haul flights, with trials early 2013. The programme will enable customers to stay connected with the world through text messages or emails as well as internet connection and ultimately through live broadcasts of TV programmes. The new technology will allow Air France and KLM to offer passengers access to a broad scope of data communications during the flight. On the specially designed inflight website, a broad range of services will be offered for free, including news, TV channels relevant airline and destination information and a unique offer of online magazines. The trial phase will be conducted over the year on two Boeing 777-300s, operated by each airline. During this time travellers will be able to hook up to the internet via their Wi-Fi enabled smartphone, laptop or tablet PC at a fixed rate, as well as use their mobile phone for sms or e-mail, whatever their travel class. “Being permanently connected is now part of our customers’ daily lifestyles. This trial is the first step of Air France’s and KLM’s long-term strategy to offer in-flight connectivity solutions across our long-haul fleet”, stated Christian Herzog, svp marketing Air France KLM.
www.panasonic.com
Row 44 for Icelandair
Row 44, provider of inflight WiFi and device- based entertainment content for airlines has partnered with Icelandair to enhance their passengers’ travel experience.
Row 44 will equip Icelandair’s fleet with high- speed WiFi, starting this year making Icelandair the first North Atlantic airline to operate WiFi fleet wide
Icelandair’s aim is to provide its passengers with a travel experience as inspiring as the destination.
“Working with Row 44 allows us to continue to build on our outstanding flight services, and develop our present inflight entertainment system, by equipping our flights with an outstanding passenger experience inside the cabin,” said Birkir Hólm Guðnason, Icelandair CEO. “
With Row 44’s inflight WiFi, passengers get connected quickly and reliably. An additional benefit is that it is the only device-based service that operates over land and water, making it a particularly desirable provider for airlines like Icelandair with numerous Transatlantic routes. Among the services Icelandair customers will now enjoy on their own WiFi-enabled devices is high-speed Internet connectivity, shop in-flight specials and the abilitiy to research and book local services at their destination.
Icelandair and Row 44 expect to begin fleet installation in the fourth quarter of 2012.
www.icelandair.com www.row44.com
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 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92