Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary says he is "amazingly excited" about the introduction of in-flight entertainment: "We think this is the next revolution in the low-fare airline industry." He adds that the carrier's income estimate from the system is based on a 3% market penetration. But he believes the actual take-up will be much higher.
The consoles will be handed out at the beginning of the flight for a flat fee "on a first-come, first-served basis". O'Leary says the charge will be about £5 ($9) but adds: "We don't know where the pricing will end up - it will probably be a dynamic scale depending on the flight."
O'Leary says that, given the high cost of the units, the primary concern is theft. The carrier plans to ask passengers who want to use a console to hand over their passport or other means of identification as security.
Ryanair will update the content every two months, although O'Leary says this could be reduced to a month. The carrier will also review demand for the system on its services and adjust the number of consoles available accordingly.
Source: Flight International
