Page 23 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 Online Magazine

FEATURE IFE

app, Tan Pee Teck, Senior Vice President and more important and airlines are thinking
Product and Services, Singapore Airlines, about how they can give passengers the best
said: “With the proliferation of personal experience possible so they will keep coming
mobile devices and the arrival of our new back. It’s about creating value and allegiance,”
Airbus A350 fleet, this latest innovation will Leader said.
help enhance the in-flight entertainment
experience for our customers. It offers more Innovation
information and greater control both on the Airlines have always looked at ways to keep
ground and in-flight, and we are excited to be passengers entertained and engaged during
the first airline in the world to offer such an their flights, and have been playing inflight
application to our customers.” movies for more than 90 years, with the first
inflight movie shown on Aeromarine Airways
Emerging Trends in 1921.
A trend for a second screen is also emerging, There was an explosion of interest in
with 10 percent of passengers who took part personal devices with the launch of the
in the SITA survey switching between their iPhone in 2007 - pushing airlines to move
own devices and seat-back screens during forward their inflight connectivity projects
their flights. - and in 2014 GSM, Wi-Fi and W-IFE inflight
And it’s good news for the passenger were in service on the same flight. Since
experience – with 92 percent of the total then, the popularity of BYOD and passenger
passengers polled being positive about their connectivity has been growing.
experience with content onboard. Airlines are increasingly aware of the
Looking to the future, 65 percent changing needs of the digital traveller –
of passengers would prefer to access as well as their desire to be constantly
entertainment via their own devices – connected - and are building this into future
providing a real opportunity for airlines investment programmes. About 75 percent
by legacy carriers – the likes of Norwegian to increase connectivity with passengers carriers are now planning to invest in inflight
Air Shuttle and Lufthansa, in addition to a via the medium in which they prefer to Wi-Fi services for passengers, and 70
number of North America-based carrier, now communicate, according to SITA. percent are investing in wireless services to
offer live TV to complement stored content. Joe Leader, Chief Executive Officer enable their crew.
Many others, including the likes of XL of the Airline Passenger Experience
Airways, Iberia Express, Estonian Air and Association (APEX) said, “The IFEC industry
Transavia, offer portable, scalable IFE is undergoing a transformative revolution.”
solutions, giving passengers the ability to “In-flight entertainment is no longer just Airline passengers are showing
stream content directly to their PEDs. about the screen in front of the passenger, an increasing preference towards
having access to streaming media
Singapore Airlines, which has taken but also the passenger’s personal device. on their own personal device, while
delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 in The passenger experience is becoming more in the aircraft
March, has now launched the Companion
App, which will allow passengers to use their
PED as a second screen on the aircraft.
The app is initially available on iOS
and Android tablets, with a mobile version
expected soon. The airline plans to roll out
for Boeing 777-300ER services.
As well as synchronising the saved list of
favourites with the seatback IFE system, the
app allows passengers to use their device
as a remote control, so they can pause, play
or skip through the content using their own
device. The app can also be used to peruse
content and flight progress on the tablet
without interrupting the viewing experience
on the embedded monitor.
Commenting on the introduction of the
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