At the encouragement of one of our listeners we decided to take on the world of IFE. With all the options out there available to us for travel with our hoards of points being able to pick which option is best can be hard. And IFE certainly plays in to the passenger experience.
But just how much?
Length: 36 minutes
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Show Notes
- Southwest Airlines admits inflight Internet problems left customers, employees “frustrated” (APEX Editor’s Blog)
- VIDEO: Inside Panasonic Avionics’ new aircraft antenna manufacturing and testing facility (APEX Editor’s Blog)
- Gogo to acquire additional wireless spectrum (Wandering Aramean)
- Cathay Pacific considers removing IFE units to save fuel (Ghetto IFE)
- Is IFE really all that important to passengers? (Wandering Aramean)
- Seat space versus in-flight entertainment (Sydney Morning Herald)
- JetBlue, now with Even More Power!?! (Wandering Aramean)
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Also, a couple minor updates/corrections from the podcast that I’ve since been able to verify:
- Ka is the faster of the K satellite bands.
- Panasonic expects to ramp up to 50 units/month, not 40 as mentioned, by early 2013. Still going to be 2 years before they can clear the backlog.
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Lufthansa WILL not remove In seat IFE from 747-8…..please do your fact checks
I’m pretty sure Seth said they were considering it, not that it was definitely going to happen.
Care to name your source and provide us with better info? We’d be happy to update and clarify.
IMS Rave system on Brussels does NOT automatically load content via WiFi at the gate…..where do you guys get your info or facts from? Lot of conjecture….leading to misinformation
I didn’t say that Lufthansa was removing the in-seat IFE; I said they were switching systems and that the IMS Rave system was going in, replacing the current system. This is supported by a press release that Lufthansa issued on the eve of the 748i inaugural flight.
As for the WiFi updates of the Rave system, I got that from Brussels Airlines executives, but it was prior to the actual deployment. If that’s not how they actually implemented it then my bad, but that was definitely how it was explained at the time.
The LH press release says they are planning to replace their existing IFE on the current fleet (not the 747-8 which they just spent several m $$ to purchase). The old IFE system of the current fleet
It seems I may have misread the quote, “We hope that we get a chance to compete for linefit solutions as well for the A380 and 747-8 aircraft,” as suggesting it was a done deal. 😮
http://blog.apex.aero/ife/exclusive-lufthansa-signs-contract-ims-retrofit-rave-80-aircraft-widebody-fleet/
Hi everyone, I enjoyed the podcast. Would you happen to know what airlines have internet access on international routes? Is there a resource to find such info? Thanks!
I remember 7 yrs ago on an LH flight where I bought access for $30, but it was great…played online poker the whole way back FRA-SFO.
Hey there, David…glad you enjoyed the episode.
As noted in the podcast access on long-haul flights is somewhat limited but it is growing pretty quickly. Currently Emirates offers connectivity via OnAir on their A380 fleet and Qantas also offers service on their A380s flying between Australia and the USA. Lufthnasa has perhaps the broadest deployment these days, with the service on a number of types flying TATL. With Lufty it is basically the same on-board gear as what you used a while back, just hooked up to a different satellite network now.
Many other airlines also have it on the horizon, including United, Delta, American, Thai, JAL and ANA. There are probably more but those are the ones I know of off the top of my head. The deployment timeline varies by carrier.