Air travel has long since proved itself very popular for tourists, business travel, and visiting family across the United States and to international locales, and passengers will sometimes prepare themselves for a very long session of sitting down in the passenger cabin. This means bringing along in flight entertainment providers, anything from books to handheld devices to making use of inflight entertainment systems that the airplane itself provides. An in flight video screen is one popular way airlines work to entertain and occupy their passengers, and in flight video services can actually be a significant factor in a passenger’s choice of airline to fly with. What are the advantages of in flight video services for airplanes? What alternatives to passengers come up with? What other features might airplanes come with?
Passengers and Entertainment
Air travel has reached an all time high. Over 8 million people are flying in planes every single day, and the total passengers in 2013 reached 3.1 billion, which was the first time the 3 billion mark was passed. All these passengers have many options of airlines to choose from, and they have factors to weigh in, ranging from price and layovers to customer reviews, inflight entertainment systems, and carrying capacity. Some passengers make their own fun; some 41% of them watch movies (such as on in flight video screens), 21% of them read books and magazines, and 17% will simply use a plane flight as an opportunity to nap. TripAdvisor’s recent data also shows that passengers care more and more about computer use on flights; a 2013 survey showed that around 25% of respondents will choose one airline over another if it provides WiFi, and the same survey showed that 37% of passengers consider it essential to bring an iPad or a tablet an essential item to bring along, which is a 5% increase from 2012 data. How can airlines keep up with this demand?
Inflight Entertainment Technology
One easy way for airlines to provide entertainment for their passengers is to install in flight video screens on the back of each seat, so the passengers sitting behind them can use them to watch movies that are available in the system. Often, these movies require a payment first, such as credit or debit card, and the price may vary from one airline to another. Installing all these screens and their software can be costly for an airline, but if it makes their planes more attractive for passengers, this is an investment that can quickly pay for itself and then some. The particular movies available in a flight may vary from one airline to another, and viewing may be restricted based on the age of the passengers present. Movies with extreme content or those depicting airplane disasters may be absent from the movie system, so as not to distress passengers.
For passengers who bring their own electronics aboard, such iPads or laptops, inseat power and inseat USB systems may be available to accommodate such devices, and this can be a feature listed on the airplane’s website to make it more attractive to passengers. Traveling business professionals may also find this very appealing, since they are less likely to watch movies on board and are more likely to get business work done instead. In fact, some statistics show that business professionals are often more productive on board airplanes than when working in an office building, so having inseat accommodations for laptops and iPads can be significant.
Whether traveling for business or leisure, passengers on board a plane for a faraway destination such as Tokyo or London may want as many accommodations and amenities as possible for such long flights, and airlines that often undertake such long flights, as opposed to domestic ones, may definitely find it worth their while to install these features, while airlines with smaller planes that only make domestic American flights may not need them as much, although it is still a possibility to consider, especially in today’s wired world where people take computers and video screens for granted.
