There’s a new kid on the block in the world of in-flight entertainment and connectivity this morning, although it’s a company that already has plenty of experience in the segment.
Officially unveiled at Aircraft Interiors on 14 April, Thales Inflyt Experience sees the technology firm complete a rebranding and repositioning process kicked off by its 2014 acquisition of Live TV.
Dominique Giannoni, CEO of Inflyt Experience, says the Live TV deal helped cement the company’s position as a player in the connectivity segment.
“It is no longer IFE with a small c on the end – we have a more balanced portfolio. We decided with the team that we needed to go further than increasing the size of the c,” he says.
“We are respositioning ourselves into Inflyt Experience to send a message to the market that this is more than just about IFE. We are a complete and comprehensive player – a leading player - in the in-flight experience world.”
“We felt we had to change. We could have stayed as two unique entities, but to deliver value to the airlines we had to go a step further.”
However, Giannoni stresses that the revamped company is not just focussed on passengers but on the airlines as well.
The portfolio includes three key pillars: the Avant touchscreen IFE system, FlytLive’s broadband and connectivity services and maintenance and repair organisation FlytCare.
Avant’s fourth-generation touchscreen units have so far been installed on aircraft from 15 carriers, with the system making its A350 debut on Qatar Airways’ fleet of the new Airbus twinjet.
On the connectivity side, Thales is working with a number of providers to supply bandwidth, but also delivering other related services such as links with airline customer relationship management systems or payment solutions.
FlytCare, meanwhile, will initially support the installed IFEC equipment on board aircraft, but, says Giannoni, it is working with avionics experts elsewhere in Thales to leverage the opportunities provided by better connectivity to expand that offering to other aircraft systems.
“We are engaged with some airlines to develop some solutions for this to happen,” he says.
In fact, says Giannoni, Inflyt Experience’s position within the larger Thales business enables it to leverage other areas of specialism such as cyber security, to ensure that passenger or airline data remains safe. Thales, he notes, secures around 80% of the world’s financial transactions.
Source: Flight Daily News
