The Future Of Airline Wireless Entertainment

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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Travelers these days are looking for more than just cheap travel options, be they cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, or cheap vacation packages. In response to customer demand airlines are increasingly installing equipment that will provide passengers Internet connectivity while in the air.

Currently, hundreds of U.S. planes offer in flight WiFi connectivity whereby each plane acts as a hotspot. While U.S. airlines are racing to roll out WiFi service on their fleets, the next generation of wireless in flight entertainment (IFE) is already being introduced.

IFE requires a server being installed on a plane that provides a wide range of content including video, games, audio and connectivity from providers such as Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora and Spotify.

Wireless in flight entertainment systems empower passengers to use their own devices to access the Internet as well as to stream a wider selection of content than can be stored on their devices. American, Delta, Air China, and Qantas are undergoing trials using this technology.

Currently traditional in flight entertainment for such things ...
... as movies is usually only available on planes that have screens embedded in a seat back or hanging from cabin ceilings. The new emerging wireless technology is removing the need for cabling and screens. Wireless IFE system can send video, TV, games, and audio to passengers’ tablets, smartphones, and airlines’ own handheld devices.

Passengers of low cost airlines or who are flying on older planes are most likely to benefit. Since such planes do not tend to have a seat back or overhead IFE system, the addition of an IFE system can markedly enhance their travel experience. As this technology evolves, it is expected to become a cheap, low cost addition for the airlines.

It is not clear at this time what the cost ultimately will be for passengers to use such systems. The cost is expected to vary by airline, route, passenger class, and flight duration. Presently Gogo is the largest supplier of in-air WiFi service and charges $12.95 for a 24 hour pass or $39.95 for a month of in flight Internet access.

A recent survey of American fliers found that 83 percent have a lap top, 27 percent have a tablet device and 59 percent have a smartphone.

Airlines have tested renting or loaning out tablets to passengers who don’t have their own and want to take advantage of in flight entertainment. Passengers who do not have WiFi capable devices are showing strong intentions to buy one.

Ultimately passengers may be allowed to connect to the Internet for free while in flight and be able to do such tasks as access email, but streaming video and taking advantage of other in flight entertainment offers are expected to warrant payment.
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