Page 13 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2018 Online Magazine

AVANT’s and more into eventual oblivion.
lightweight In what is fast becoming a trend It is not just carriers that are
and low-power
infrastructure globally as well, many major U.S. rethinking IFE options. Plane
enables a carriers have moved away from makers have also taken note
diverse range of fixed IFE screens on domestic of the new trend of customers
configurations
to overhead, routes and are streaming movies demanding unique, customized
wireless, full- and TV on passengers’ devices. cabin entertainment. The Airbus
in seat or any
combination Industry watchers predict that A350XWB was the first Airbus
thereof while the switch to aircraft with- airframe to feature a fourth gen-
out seatback entertainment will eration IFE architecture; among
happen in the matter of years for its features are a fiber-optic
a large number of domestic carri- backbone, hardwired for high
ers in U.S. and Europe, it will take bandwidth and Ultra High
much longer for aircraft used on Definition (Ultra-HD) with 3-D
longer international routes to be capable screens cabin wide.
without embedded screens.
Southwest Airlines, the launch
customer for the 737 MAX in the
A 2014 survey, this one by Gogo, U.S., received its first aircraft in
revealed that 76 percent of pas- August last year and started using
sengers carried a personal device the aircraft in October. The nar-
onboard while 33percentage rowbody airplane does not have
used more than one during the an IFE screen, but the carrier,
flight. Moreover, the majority of which began offering live televi-
the passengers made it clear sion service via personal devices
that they were more interested in on its Wi-Fi-equipped Boeing 737
using their own devices to con- aircraft in 2012, offers passengers
nect to wireless internet rather who bring their own device the
than using the IFE system. The option to connect to the MAX’s
findings of a 2016 SITA Passenger Wi-Fi or stream live TV from their “niceview Mobile” can be easily integrated
IT Trends Survey of 9,000 pas- device. in standard inflight entertainment systems
sengers revealed that only 44 In September last year, American and flight guests can access it through the
percent used only the seatback Airlines took delivery of the first on-board WiFi
IFE. More significantly, 65 percent of its 100 737 Max aircraft, all of
of passengers said they would them without IFE screens on the
like to access IFE on their own back of seats. Passengers are
devices. offered free streaming entertain-
ment and ViaSat Wi-Fi. The carrier
New Possibilities will receive 20 aircraft a year until
he need for new and its order is complete. The carrier
exciting IFE options has confirmed that video screens will
grown with the increase remain on planes used for inter-
Tin the number of long haul national flights. Meanwhile, United
aircrafts, often without stop-overs. Airlines, which in 2015 started
With passengers more inclined offering in-flight entertainment
towards using their own devices for iOS and Android devices on
for inflight entertainment, more new Embraer E-175 aircraft, has
and more carriers have started also placed an order for 161 737
to extend the BYOD option, thus MAXs, and expects to get them BAE Systems IntelliCabin system
pushing fixed IFE screens more between 2019 and 2020.

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