IFE & Connectivity
How new technologies are improving the onboard passenger experience
Airlinetrends.com is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Future Travel Experience at their upcoming FTE 2013 global event to be held in Las Vegas, 4-6 September 2013. Besides the ‘On The Ground’ conference and workshop stream, this year’s event will see the first edition of the ‘Up In The Air’ conference, meaning FTE Global 2013 will now cover the whole passenger journey. Airlinetrends.com’s Raymond Kollau will be leading a pre-event workshop on how airlines are differentiating the passenger experience, as well as co-chair the 2-day ‘Up In The Air’ conference. The central theme of FTE 2013 is “Reinventing the passenger experience through innovation, personalization and connectivity” and delegates will be free to move between streams throughout the event. More on FTE Global 2013 here.
17 June 2013 | The acceleration of wifi installations onboard aircraft around the world, combined with the large number of passengers carrying one or more digital devices, is creating a momentum that sees many of today’s inflight innovations focusing on digital developments.
In this three-part series on how new technologies are improving the onboard passenger experience, we will take a look at some of the major initiaves and innovations that are the result of this convergence. This first article will focus on the implications for seat design, the provision of real-time information to passengers, and opportunities to improve onboard customer service. The second article will highlight the latest in inflight entertainment (both fixed and wireless), followed by onboard ancillary revenue generation and personalization in the last part.
Power ports and storage
The first impact of today’s tech-toting passengers is on cabin ‘hardware’. Airlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power and USB ports. A number of airlines and interior suppliers are also looking how to integrate passengers’ own devices with the design of the seat.
Besides creating storage space for personal electronic devices for the more spacious seating arrangements in Business Class, several seat manufacturers are also beginning to incorporate smartly designed spaces in Economy seats where passengers can store their mobile device.
For example, passengers travelling in Economy on Air France’s A380 and select B777-300s can store their cell phone into a small belonging stowage, which is located just below the in-seat USB port to allow for easy recharging of the device. Japan Airlines’ new Economy seats (manufactured by ZIM Flugsitz), which made their debut on the airline’s B777-300s in January 2013, have been designed with a a conveniently placed smartphone holder which is also located near the USB port.
Meanwhile, startup companies such as SmartTray and SkyCast have come up with simple yet smart tray table designs that feature a built-in groove, or two clips, for holding tablets, e-readers and other portable electronic devices upright. For example, Canadian budget airline WestJet rents out Android tablets that clip onto the back of the seat tray in a design called TrayVu.
Passengers on Delta’s ‘Beta Plane’ can submit their ideas via Wi-Fi
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
8 June 2013 | We have reported several times before how airlines and airports are teaming up with the general public in order to generate ideas for new products and services.
As this trend matures, airlines such as KLM, SAS and Finnair have gone beyong incidental crowdsourcing campaigns by launching broad co-creation programs to improve the passenger experience.
KLM ‘Bright Ideas’, for example, asks Facebook fans to share and discuss their ideas to improve KLM’s products and services. Scandinavian Airlines’ ‘My SAS Idea’ is an online community where anyone can share their ideas and others can join in to further improve on each idea. Finnair’s Quality Hunters – now in its third year – invites a select group of enthusiasts to come up with ideas which are then shared online with the larger community.
Delta ‘Ideas In Flight’
In 2011, Delta teamed with “scientists and thinkers” conference TED – whose slogan is “ideas worth spreading” – to generate innovative crowd-sourced ideas to improve the travel experience. Called ‘Ideas in Flight’, the program uses curated TEDTalks as thought-starters to inspire participants across technology, entertainment, design, etcetera. Ideas could be submitted through a dedicated tab on the Delta Facebook page.
In February of this year, Delta launched the second edition of Ideas In Flight. Similar to the 2011 edition, any Delta Facebook fan could contribute via Delta’s Facebook page and a voting system allows Delta and users to see what ideas are popular, and which ones will be considered to be implemented on the flight.
Qantas commissions books that can be completed in flight time
By Springwise
23 May 2013 | In today’s world of non-stop information and endless social network notifications, it’s hard to find the time to concentrate on just one story, never mind finishing a full-length novel.
The Netherlands’ VertragingsApp has already encouraged train passengers to discover short story authors based on their delay time, and now a new project has created a range of fiction titles for customers of Australia’s Qantas airline, selected to correspond with flight times.
Titled ‘A Story For Every Journey’, the project is a collaboration with Sydney-based ad agency Droga5. The campaign used statistics from publishing house Hachette to discern that the average reader can finish around 200 to 300 words – or one page – each minute. Taking into account time set aside for meals and naps, customers should be able to read the books in exactly the time it takes to set off and land.
The range was selected while keeping in mind the airline’s Platinum Flyers demographic – mostly male customers – meaning they suitably span the thriller, crime and nonfiction genres. Penned by notable Australian authors and stylishly designed by UK-based agency Paul Belford, the airline is hoping to attract an upmarket audience by offering the novels on its extended flights. Video of the campaign here.
Given that airplanes are one of the few places where use of electronic devices is actually discouraged, the books could take off with those who fly regularly. Are there other ways to tailor literature to different reading environments to help consumers rediscover the novel?
Airlines let flyers download IFE content to their personal device before the flight
13 May 2013 | Airlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power ports and introducing onboard Wi-Fi and/or wireless inflight entertainment portals. Meanwhile, most airlines also still offer passengers paper newspapers and magazines in their lounges, boarding areas and on board, which is relatively costly and not too eco-friendly service.
In an effort to offer passengers a much wider variety of news, instead of the rather obligatory bunch of newspapers and magazines currently available, as well as to save on distribution costs, airlines such as Air France, airberlin, Virgin Australia and ANA have started to provide passengers with access to digital newspapers and magazines before their flight leaves. This allows airlines to save costs and offer passengers. Comments David Flynn, editor of Australian Business Traveller, “Being able to grab a digital copy of your favourite newspaper, especially ones from overseas, is a great pre-flight and even post-flight perk.”
An overview of the latest initiatives.
Air France ‘Press’
For some time, Air France has been offering a digital press service on iPads available for passengers to use in its lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. The airline has now expanded this service and has launched a new ‘AF Press’ app that lets passengers download their preferred publications up to 24 hours before their flight until the time of departure to read them before, during and after their trip.
At the moment, there are 13 newspapers and 12 magazines available via the app and the offer will be gradually supplemented with French and international publications. Air France inflight magazines are available for download free of charge, with or without a flight reservation, by all ‘AF Press’ users.
As for now, all Air France ‘Travel Saver’ cardholders carrying an iPad or Android device are able to download a selection of magazines and newspapers onto their tablet free of charge. Later during 2013 the ‘AF Press’ service will become available to all passengers.
Air France Hop!
On a similar note, passengers on Air France’s new regional carrier, HOP! (which launched on March 31, 2013), have been able to download – on the day of their trip – the digital version of their local daily newspaper, as well as the local newspaper of another city of their choice. Sixty regional daily newspapers – with a total of 420 different editions – are available. Passengers who are travelling on more expensive ‘Maxi Flex’ tickets can use the service free of charge, while those with cheaper tickets have to pay a fee. At boarding, a selection of local newspapers is still be available in print for all passengers.
Virgin America lets passengers buy fellow flyers a cocktail via the IFE system
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
23 April 2013 | Virgin America’s in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) platform, known as Red, may very well be the world’s most feature-rich IFEC system. For example, the high-definition touch screens on each seatback feature live satellite television, the first ever seatback digital shopping platform, an open tab service, and interactive Google Maps with terrain view that tracks the flight’s location. Passengers can also use the system to chat with other passengers, play 3D games such as Doom, offset carbon emissions for their flight, or purchase snacks, meals, and beverages from their seats via Red. Flight attendants receive the orders via a tablet device and bring the ordered items to the seat.
Seat-to-seat delivery
The latest innovative feature Virgin America has added to the Red platform is a ‘seat-to-seat’ delivery service (images here and here), which lets passengers use their seatback touch-screen to send a cocktail, snack or meal to a fellow traveler onboard their flight using a digital seat map. Similar to the ‘open tab’ function on Red (passengers only have to swipe their credit card once per flight to make purchases), this is a smart way to increase the onboard sales by adding an element of fun to the experience.
“Get Lucky”
In true Virgin style, the airline is playing the flirting card to promote its new seat-to-seat delivery service, encouraging passengers to “send an in-flight cocktail to that friendly stranger in seat 4A – and then follow up with a text message using the seat-to-seat chat function also on Red.”
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson also helped introduce the new seat-to-seat feature with a tongue in cheek video called “Sir Richard Branson’s Guide to Getting Lucky at 35,000 Feet.” Read full article »
Japanese LCC Peach lets passengers download free IFE content at the airport
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
22 March 2013 | Airlines around the world are responding to the explosion in passenger use of smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by introducing onboard Wi-Fi and/or wireless inflight entertainment systems. The result is the emergence of an alternative eco-system to today’s traditional seatback-based IFE systems, which sees tech-savvy passengers bring their own digital devices – or airlines providing them with tablets.
However, the idea behind new IFE offerings such as wireless IFE remains the same. That is passengers are able to access entertainment content only when up in the air (although passengers who purchased movies and TV shows through wireless IFE providers such as Gogo Connect and Lufthansa’s BoardConnect can continue to view the content when they have landed – for 24 (movies) and 72 hours (TV shows) respectively.
Airport downloads
Airport News Japan now reports that Japanese low-cost carrier Peach, a joint venture between All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group, has come up with another innovative twist on in-flight entertainment.
With support from Osaka’s Kansai International Airport, Peach passengers will soon be able to download movies, TV shows, music, magazines, games or other content to their personal devices through the airport terminal’s Wi-Fi network, which they can enjoy without limitation while in the airport or on their flight.
The service is called ‘high!’ entertainment and is available on domestic flights departing from Kansai Airport’s Terminal 2, which has been specially build to accommodate low-cost carriers.
There will be around 30 titles available during the initial trial period and the new service will be fully up and running in June, when it will offer over 1,000 titles comprising free and pay-to-download content. To access the ‘high!” inflight entertainment content, passengers have to download an Apple iOS or Google Android app (pending for approval at the moment). Compatibility with Windows 8 is planned for a later date.
Read full article »
Qantas turns catering trolleys into onboard iPad ‘sync & charge’ carts
12 November 2012 | Hot on the heels of the announcement that Qantas has started the rollout of its new Q-Streaming wireless inflight entertainment service comes an interesting look behind the scenes. Qantas’ Q-Streaming service will see every seat on Qantas’ B767 aircrafts get an iPad that provides passengers with access to more than 200 hours of content, streamed from an onboard server. Passengers who own an iPad, laptop or smartphone will also be able to view the same content through a separate application, but it is unclear when this feature will be introduced.
Qantas has also indicated that it is looking at ways to evolve the Panasonic-based technology platform further. According to the airline’s Domestic CEO Lyell Strambi, “This could include the addition of internet access, live television and the ability to order food, drinks and duty- free goods via the iPad.” More on the Qantas’ Q-Stream system in this report by Australian Business Traveller.
iPad galley carts
In order to keep all 256 iPads onboard the B767 fully charged for return flights, multiple flights during the day, as well as to simplifly logistics, Qantas has partnered with Australian IT equipment designer and manufacturer PC Locs that will see the company deliver a fleet of customised galley carts to support the airline’s new IFE service.
PC Locs will supply Qantas with iPad charging carts, which essentially are normal galley trolleys that have been re-kitted to store, transport, sync and charge up the devices onboard. The iPad carts will be deployed on the airline’s Boeing 767 fleet, which operates on routes across Australia and between Australia and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Read full article »
Qantas updates Boeing 767 fleet with iPad-friendly seats
images: Australian Business Traveller
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
7 November 2012 | Airlines around the world are responding to the explosion in passenger use of smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers – plus the increasing expectation that these devices can be connected inflight – by incorporating power sockets and USB ports in aircraft seats (including Economy) and introducing onboard Wi-Fi. Furthermore, several carriers have also introduced wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) systems.
These new developments result in the emergence of an alternative eco-system to today’s traditional seatback-based IFE systems, which sees tech-savvy passengers bring their own digital devices (or airlines providing tablets), and connect them to an onboard server to stream content from it.
Qantas ‘Q Streaming’
The lastest initiative in this field comes from Australian airline Qantas, which is the first airline in the world provide all passengers on its refurbished fleet of 16 Boeing 767s with free use of an iPad during the flight, which can be connected to a wireless IFE system. Following a trial earlier this year, Qantas’ so-called ‘Qstreaming’ service, which is based on Panasonic’s eXW system, gives passengers access to more than 200 hours of on-demand content. More on Qantas’ Q Stream system in this report from Australian Business Traveller.
iPad holder
Australian Business Traveller also reports that the new seats on Qantas’ refurbished 767s have been fitted with a special iPad holder built into the upholstery. Each of the Qantas-issued iPads, which all 254 passengers can find in the backseat pocket, comes with a flipcase which folds back and slides into a slot on the headrest, so passengers can continue to watch their movie or TV show ‘hands-free’ during meals. Passengers who carry their own tablet should also be able to slot in their own devices.
Read full article »
Virgin America goes social and personal with new IFE system
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
17 October 2012 | Virgin America, probably the most tech-savvy airline in the industry, plans to revolutionise its approach to customer service. Next year the airline will further upgrade its already advanced RED IFE system with a service built on Salesforce.com’s Chatter social messaging tool. This will allow passengers to interact with the carrier via the entertainment screens on the back of seats during the flight to deal with “real-time problems that need real-time answers”, according to the airline’s CEO David Cush. Virgin America already allows passengers to message each other during a flight, but with Chatter they will also be able to interact with Virgin America support staff on the ground.
How it works
A Salesforce.com-based CRM dashboard provides Virgin America customer service agents with information about each customer’s last three interactions on social media and their flight history, which allows them to send a targeted message.
For example, a customer tweeting about being worried about missing a flight will be served up a response via Chatter on the screen in front of their seat with information on how they can make their next connection. Customer service personnel on the ground could also take pro-active action to alert a passenger to a potential problem, such as a bag not having made it on the flight, through a pop-up alert on the screen.
Passengers, meanwhile, will find a personalized environment on their IFE system. For example, Virgin America is looking to not just give passengers details about their frequent flyer points, but also suggest entertainment and food & beverage choices on what they have watched before or eaten on previous trips, as well as airport maps of where they go to make connecting flights. The system also gives all passengers brief profiles on other passengers as a conversation starter for the seat-to-seat chat function.
Furthermore, passengers can contact Virgin America’s customer service staff via the IFE system to ask if they have been upgraded on the next leg of their travel and get quick feedback. When watching a movie, the IFE screen will signal passengers that they have received a notification from the airline.
Read full article »
How iPads are changing the way plane tray tables are designed
By Louise Driscoll, Terminal U
7 October 2012 | Let’s face it, economy class was never built for comfort. But the experience can often fall short of what we expect at the most basic level.
Take the flimsy tray table, for example, which is more ‘tray’ than table. It’s capable of holding your meal steady, until the plane hits turbulence and your drink starts sloshing all over the place, or lands in your lap when the seat in front catapults in your face.
Some major airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific have introduced sturdy cup holders in economy on long-haul flights, but not all carriers have thought them through, as this video shows.
Economy tray tables also haven’t been engineered for the growing numbers of passengers using their own iPads, laptops and other personal electronic devices in their seats.
A few aircraft manufacturers have been working to make tray tables a bit more user friendly for the tablet user, but the incentive is largely to help airlines make money.
The ‘iHolder’?
US firm Smart Tray International recently unveiled, a new economy class tray table with a built-in groove for docking personal electronic devices.
If the new version catches on with airlines, passengers will be able to watch content on their iPad or iphone screens hands-free with the tray table up or down, and charge their devices at the same time.
With this set up, airlines could also install their own tray-table based inflight entertainment systems and bring in advertising revenue with targeted ads on-screen.
Read full article »
Virgin America passengers can register for the US elections at 35,000ft
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
27 August 2012 | Virgin America on 14 August celebrated its new service between San Francisco and Reagan National Airport in suburban Washington, D.C., with an election-themed inaugural flight. Along for the ride were presidential impersonators Jim Gossett as “Mitt” and Reggie Brown as “Barack,” who spent the flight chatting with travellers en route to the capital of the USA as they handed out American flags.
Another reason why “Barack” and “Mitt” joined passengers onboard the first flight was to help “get out the vote” at 35,000 feet, as part of a partnership between Virgin America and Rock The Vote, the largest non-partisan voter registration organization in the USA.
QR codes
In an effort to sign up 1.5 million new voters, Rock the Vote has been using non-traditional ways to engage the public, for example by placing QR codes on T-shirts, and as part of the registration drive with Virgin America, fliers on all Virgin America flights now can scan a QR code on the airline’s in-flight entertainment system in order to register to vote.
How it works: Passengers tap on the screen of Virgin America’s ‘RED’ seatback entertainment platform to select the voter registration page in the ‘Make a Difference’ section on the system. They then connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi system with their mobile phone and scan the QR code on the IFE page in order to receive an election registration app on their mobile device. Passengers can then choose either to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi and sign up immediately, or wait until they land to access the app and sign up to vote. Passengers can also make a donation to Rock the Vote by swiping their credit card, while on the inaugural flight each passenger received a Rock the Vote t-shirt.
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Asiana’s new First Class Suite features largest personal IFE screen in the sky
By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com
2 August 2012 | While Korean Air recently was named 2012′s most innovative airline by airlinetrends.com (full ranking here), South Korea’s other premium full-service carrier – Asiana Airlines – has raised the bar with the launch of its new First Class Suite. Asiana, which was recently named Best Airline in Asia in the 2012 Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ ranking, says its ‘OZ First Suite’ (named after the airline’s IATA code) is based on the concept of “hotel suites transplanted in an air carrier.”
Largest IFE screen in the sky
The most eye-catching feature of the new enclosed suites are 32-inch Panasonic high-definition screens – the world’s largest in-flight entertainment screens – which allow passengers to watch movies with a clear view even from a 2-meter distance as their seats are fully reclined. The suites also have touch-sensitive ‘seat function control units’ set up in the armrests for easy control of the seat and adjustment of the mood lighting at different points during the flight (including a ‘star light’ option). A ‘do not disturb’ sign is included in the control unit for more privacy.
Asiana’s new OZ First Suite is also equipped with an individual air ventilation system, a mini-bar and a cabinet for papers and laptops. The two seats located at the center of the cabin feature a seperator which can be lowered, while an ottoman across from the seat allows for a face-to-face meal for the convenience of passengers travelling together.
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Canada’s WestJet first airline to launch tray table-based inflight entertainment system
22 April 2012 | Last year we covered a new in-flight entertainment concept called TrayVu, developed by Seattle-based Skycast Solutions. The initial design of the TrayVu, launched in October 2011, combined the meal tray and the IFE system into one, while a hole cut in the tray allowed the display to still be viewed when the tray table is put in an upright position.
TrayVu Slim
Canadian low-cost airline WestJet has now become the first carrier to install the TrayVu IFE system on its new B737-800, albeit in a somewhat modified design. Instead of being fully integrated into the tray table, the so-called TrayVu ‘Slim’ system can be clipped onto the back edge of the seat back tray so that the tray surface remains free for food and beverages.
For the WestJet programme, SkyCast has customized Samsung 8.9-inch Galaxy Tabs, combining the Android operating system with Skycast’s content-management software (which offers full DRM-protection) and a WestJet-branded interface. The TrayVu shell also has a safety seal over the USB connection point. APEX reports that SkyCast emphasized that it is not wedded to the Samsung Galaxy tablet for future TrayVu programmes, as it is “device agnostic.”
Starting in June the TrayVu Slim IFE tablets will be deployed on WestJet’s two new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the tablets coming to another two WestJet 737s by the end of 2012. WestJet currently offers live TV on its fleet of 737 jets, but Greg Latimer, Skycast’s chief marketing officer, said the airline has taken its latest 737-800 direct from Boeing without any IFE system and intends to offer the TrayVu tablets, 68 of which will be available on each aircraft.
Skycast has not yet settled on a rental fee for the tablet, but says that it will be in the region of CAD10 to 15. SkyCast’s Latimer reckons that although as many as 85 to 90 percent of passengers could bring their own iPad, Kindle or some other portable electronic device aboard longer flights in the future, Skycast hopes that the so-called early window content – latest release movies and TV shows — available on the TrayVu will persuade many of those passengers to rent a portable device. WestJet says it will evaluate the success of the TrayVu Slim portable IFE programme, and based on the results, will decide on possible expansion.
Read full article »
TrayVu – airplane seat tray doubles as IFE system
1 November 2011 | Tablet pc’s, such as the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, continue to make inroads into the aircraft cabin, as airlines are increasingly looking to replace hard-wired seatback in-flight entertainment (IFE) units with lighter wi-fi-based models. For examples, airlines such as American Airlines, Gol, Delta, Condor, Qantas (trial) and Virgin America (2012), are installing wireless IFE systems that allow passengers to wirelessly access content stored on an onboard server with their own electronic devices.
American Airlines will also provide Samsung Galaxy Tabs to its Business and First passengers on domestic and international routes that are served by B757 and B767 aircraft. The carrier will roll out a total of 6,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets in the next months to replace the current personal entertainment devices. And Qantas low-cost subsidiary Jetstar will rent out iPads onboard, which passengers can hang at eye level on the back of the seat in front of them.
TrayVu
The Samsung Galaxy tablet is also the centerpiece of a novel IFE solution called TrayVu. Unveiled last month at the Airline Passenger Experience Expo in Seattle, the TrayVu combines the meal tray and the IFE system into one, integrating the Samsung Galaxy Tab into the seat-back tray. De system has a 8.9-inch high-definition touch screen for control, that can be flipped out and up when the table is lowered. Thanks to a clever design, which basically amounts to a hole cut in the tray, the display is still viewable when the tray table is put in an upright position.
The concept seems to have been inspired by how passengers are using their laptop in Economy, and has been designed by Bill Boyer, who earlier introduced the well-known digEplayer portable IFE handheld.
Order from seat
Content available on the wi-fi enabled device includes movies, TV shows (both paid and free) and music. Passengers can also play games with others in the cabin (and see them on the built-in camera on the Samsung device). Each tray also has its own credit card reader, allowing passengers to purchase food and drink from their tray table. They can even run up a tab for items purchased for other passengers, such as their children.
Read full article »
Virgin America goes ‘hybrid’, adds wireless IFE into its RED entertainment system
25 September 2011 | Besides the growing number of airlines that are rolling out (or about to roll out) broadband Internet on their aircraft (e.g, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, SAS, Norwegian, Virgin Atlantic), these days the buzz in in-flight entertainment is all about bringing media tablets such as the iPad into the cabin (e.g, Jetstar) and/or installing wireless IFE systems (e.g, American Airlines and Gol).
Further upping the ante, Virgin America – probably the most tech-embracing airline in the world – has announced it will roll out what it calls a “hybrid IFE&C platform.” Besides offering entertainment via embedded, seat-centric screens, the airline will also offer passengers wi-fi connectivity through their seatback system and their own personal devices, as well as offer wireless access to content stored on an onboard server.
Multitasking
Virgin America has selected Lufthansa Systems’ new BoardConnect platform for the next iteration of its Red in-flight entertainment and communications (IFE&C) platform. The new Red system, slated for a late 2012 release, includes larger, high-definition touchscreen seatback monitors, full wi-fi connectivity and four times more entertainment content. It will also allow passengers to connect their own electronic devices to the system pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight. “For example, if a passenger did not finish watching a film or TV show in-flight, they could save and download to their iPod and finish at their hotel,” said Abby Lunardini, VP of corporate communications for Virgin America.
Virgin America’s CEO David Cush said the system will allow the airline to offer passengers “the best of both worlds.” “Just offering a larger wi-fi pipe with no seatback entertainment as some of our competitors are doing is limiting given wi-fi bandwidth,” Cush said. “We want to give our travelers more options instead of fewer, including the ability to multitask across platforms – just as they do in their lives on the ground.” […] “Our focus on innovation is a core part of our business model and guest offering, and BoardConnect will allow us to […] pace the larger consumer trends in mobile technology.” Adds Virgin America’s Lunardini “This is a significant investment for us. “We want to stay ahead of the path … a lot of people fly with us because it. We’re an entertainment-driven brand.”
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