The in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry is experiencing a mini order bonanza this month if the deals by Virgin, United Airlines and an unnamed carrier are anything to go by.
But a closer look at the deals and the airlines' reason for them say more about the recent troubled history of the interactive IFE industry and perhaps even a slight glimmer of the industry delivering what it promises, than any orderbooks can.
Take United, for example. The US carrier is only ordering Sextant In-Flight Systems' equipment for its early Boeing 777s because the GEC Marconi InFlight Systems (GMIS) hardware failed to perform as advertised. The system performed abysmally, resulting in United taking legal action and GMIS pulling out of the market.
If the GMIS system worked as it was supposed to, United would not have to invest in an expensive new IFE system just four years after the aircraft were delivered.
Virgin's position is different ,as it had to select an IFE system for its new Airbus A340-600s. At the same time though, the airline is retrofitting its entire fleet - some of which were equipped with the latest IFE system just two years ago.
Is this a sign that Virgin, which has always been an IFE pioneer, is confident that its supplier will deliver the goods or just a hope that the industry has escaped from its reputation for promising more than it can deliver?
Passengers are clamouring for IFE and in response airline spending has gone through the roof. It hit the $1.74 billion mark last year. But some airlines have still to recover from the interactive IFE failures of the not-too-distant past, while others continue to struggle to get their systems to required reliability levels.
Time will tell whether Virgin will be hailed as an innovator or a fool.
Source: Flight International
