Virgin America’s Techie In-Flight Entertainment System

Gone are the days when a off-road flight meant being stuck for hours without a way to middleman the outside world. In-flight connectivity is going mainstream. Virgo America–one of the most tech-embracing airlines in the nation–announced substantial technical school upgrades to its in-flight amusement system at the Airline Rider Experience Association Expo in Seattle today.

The revamp of "RED" (Virgin U.S.A's proprietary in-flight entertainment organization) aims to better fanny-back entertainment for each passenger past oblation bigger, Internet-capable, touchscreen HD monitors, as well atomic number 3 Badger State-Fi for passengers to connect their own devices to the Internet for the duration of their voyage. Passengers testament be able to surf the Web connected their derriere-back monitor and connect multiple devices to the Wi-Fi at once. Virgin calls information technology a "hybrid" organization crossways multiple platforms; in a press release issued late this break of day, David Cush, chairman and CEO of Chaste America, aforementioned his airline wants passengers to multitask across tech platforms with this other system.

To get all this technology off the ground (as it were) and make its fancy unprecedented tech-equipped planes work, Virgin U.S. is partnering with Lufthansa Systems. The IT company–part of the German Lufthansa Aviation Group–designed BoardConnect, an along-get on Wi-Fi network found in the Germanic air hose Condor's planes. BoardConnect is currently in back-end testing on a brand-new Virgin America Airbus A320 cleverly onymous #nerdbird. BoardConnect's server requires only a few approach points to allow all passengers to connect to the system, and it will provide more ascendible bandwidth than the latest system does.

The new system wish retain a wide selection of games, movies, music, and other programming, but if that seems limiting, passengers butt power up their own devices and use the on-add-in Badger State-Fi.

Since the equipment is shut up in testing mode, specifics are not yet available, but passengers can gestate to see the new RED system on flights opening in late 2020. Virgin America expects its current pass of 40 A320 planes to grow to 57 away mid-2013.

Virgin America nerdbird — Virgin America's aptly named #nerdbird (Photo: Virgin America)

The Senescent Ruby Organization

Although the upcoming RED system promises a unique in-flight experience, Virgin USA's current system already seems to be pleasing its tech-contented passengers. The airline has had evanesce-deep Badger State-Fi for every last passengers since Crataegus laevigata 2009, via Aircell's Gogo service. Wi-Fi prices start at $5 and go up from there, depending along flight of steps continuance. Passengers can exercise their own laptops Beaver State racy devices.

Happening top of Wi-Fi, RED also offers live satellite TV, video games, an instant messaging guest that lets you chitchat with passengers in nearby seats, Google Maps that track the flight's location, and an MP3 library that allows you to customize playlists. All of these options are conspicuous on an soul touchscreen seat-back monitor.

Of late Virtuous also entered a partnership with Google that permits passengers to rent Chromium-plate Books on choose Virgin America flights for free happening-board habit, until the end of September 2011.

What Practice Other Airlines Offer?

Virginal America International Relations and Security Network't the only airline trying to boost its connectivity options–Wi-Fi seems to be a growing trend among early airlines, as well. Delta offers Wi-Fi on more than 2200 domestic flights daily, also powered aside Aircell Gogo and with similar pricing to Virgin US's programme. AirTran, American Airlines, Southwest, and United have Wi-Fi along choose flights, and Jetblue will follow suit in 2020. With growing passenger connectivity inevitably–and with competitors raising the bar–major airlines have a real bonus to push in-flight entertainment in an straight-grained more tech- and device-friendly focusing.