Air travel photos from the 1960s show smartly
dressed, champagne-sipping passengers in spacious airliner cabins. Compare that
with the current cramped seats and overcrowded flights and now our flying
experiences are getting steadily worse.
But is this the reality? The aviation industry has
been massively investing to prove nostalgic travelers wrong. Yes, aircraft may
still look similar to those of the so-called golden years. But every single
aspect of the air travel experience is currently being overhauled -- all driven
by technology. Right at the forefront are airplane cabins.
And key to their transformation is wireless
connectivity. With virtually every passenger toting a smartphone, tablet or
laptop, inflight Wi-Fi is opening up new ways to engage with air travelers and
redefine the flying experience.
On a recent Delta flight the choices on their
airborne.gogoinflight.com system there almost too many choices. from TV to
major motion pictures. Star Wars was a great choice except for the fact it was
a 2 hour movie and the flight was just over an hour in duration.
The Waterfront system, by Panasonic, allows
passengers to use their mobile devices to control an aircraft's built-in
entertainment. Mobile tech already plays an important role in enhancing travel,
from electronic boarding passes to last-minute bids on biz class upgrades.
Some airlines, such as KLM, have even started
sending boarding passes and flight alerts through a dedicated airline Facebook
Messenger chat bot. But the one area where mobile can become truly
transformative is inflight entertainment, with personal devices becoming
gateways to a whole range of up-in-the-air services. While built-in in-flight
entertainment systems are unlikely to vanish, particularly on long-haul
flights, they can work in tandem with the passenger's own devices.
Some airlines are doing away with embedded
entertainment systems altogether. They're opting for passenger's handsets to
deliver inflight entertainment -- a move that crucially reduces aircraft weight
and frees up cabin space. No Internet connection is required, passengers just
connect their devices to an in-plane network.
Aeromexico recently announced it would use Gogo's
2Ku satellite-based Internet connection to offer Netflix-enabled flights.
"More than 80% of passengers are walking on the plane with their own
device," Gogo exec Ash ElDifrawi points out. "Airlines can save the
weight and maintenance costs of legacy seat-back entertainment systems and
still provide differentiated experiences.
Call Rawhide Travel and Tours and start
planning that special vacation or event today. 602-843-5100 or visit our
website rawhidetravel.com
Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
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