Multitasking (and then some) at 30,000 Feet
One of the key themes at the recent APEX conference (airline passenger experience) was how airline passengers are following the same trajectory as their terrestrial counterparts in expecting interactive television and connectivity anytime, anywhere.
That means that planes too will face inexorably rising demand for bandwidth. This video from Boeing -- in which they load a plane with employees and ask them to juggle multiple devices to test the in-flight system -- may be closer to reality than we might initially think. That's said a little tongue-in-cheek, but only just.
Our on-the-ground work with interactive television marketing strategies takes multi-screen interactivity for granted. Airlines and IFE and connectivity providers will be wise to do so in the air.
We saw companies like Panasonic Avionics and Thales increasingly focused on the strategic intersection of in-flight entertainment and in-flight connectivity. Lufthansa Technik most clearly connected the two by introducing an IFE system that delivers content wirelessly to either seatback screens or individual passenger devices (though the latter face studio content restrictions on the most recent releases).
What's your experience with in-flight entertainment and connectivity -- or lack thereof? Do you zone out or plug in?
Speaking of plugging in, keep on top of interactive television marketing strategies by subsribing to our blog, Inside the Screen.
Will Keller, President, Interactive TV Commerce, is the go-to expert for t-commerce sales strategy and execution. For more iTV insights, subscribe to Inside the Screen or follow him @iTVcommerce.
