Emma Kelly/ANAHEIM
Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems needs a further 30-60 days to decide the future of its widebody interactive in-flight entertainment product line following the recent acquisition of the former Sony Trans Com (Flight International, 8-14 August).
Rockwell will, meanwhile, launch the long-awaited audio- and video-on-demand (A/VOD) capability of its Total Entertainment System (TES) with LanChile next month.
Since early August, Rockwell has had nine teams comprising Rockwell and Sony Trans Com personnel working on integration issues. Two other teams are focused on combining the Rockwell and Sony IFE hardware product lines, including the competing widebody systems - Rockwell's TES and Sony's P@ssport.
Speaking at the World Airline Entertainment Association show in Anaheim, California, held from 19-22 September, vice president marketing and strategic management at Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems, Graham MacDonald, said the company had hoped to come up with solutions to the product line integration sooner.
MacDonald told the audience that it would be "another 30 to 60 days before they make their initial recommendations".
The single- and twin-aisle IFE product teams are determining which product line-up to go ahead with and are investigating areas including technology, marketing and "where we need to be two to five years from now" says MacDonald. "We haven't made any decisions yet on the future of TES and P@ssport," says the Rockwell Collins vice president.
P@ssport is flying with three airlines - US Airways, Air Canada and South African Airways.
TES has a much larger installed base, with customers including British Airways, American Airlines, Air France and Delta Air Lines. TES and P@ssport have on-going installation programmes. "No matter what the decision is on the future of TES and P@ssport, we have to meet the contractual commitments we have today," says MacDonald.
Product development of TES continues with LanChile set to become the first carrier to offer A/VOD capability on TES with the delivery of its latest Boeing 767 next month. Rockwell is the last of the major interactive IFE system suppliers to add A/VOD functionality.
British Airways is back up to full speed with its TES installation programme following earlier disappointing system reliability.
Source: Flight International
