AeroMod International and SITAONAIR have jointly announced a partnership to install SITAONAIR wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) services on Philippine Airlines. The rapid installation programme will see AeroMod International deploy a consistent cabin experience across Philippine Airlines fleet and implement the systems in record time.
Installation of the SITAONAIR wireless IFE system commenced on Philippine Airlines’ Airbus A321 fleet in July. Under the program, Philippine Airlines will have one wireless IFE-installed aircraft returned to service every day.
“This agreement with a worldwide aircraft connectivity leader such as SITAONAIR capitalises on our growth to provide operational support to customers around the world,” said AeroMod president Gary Girard.
Market analysis by AeroMod reveals that only 13% of non-U.S. airlines have wireless IFE fully deployed. Despite this, a recent SITA survey of passengers worldwide showed IFE is now more commonly consumed via Wi-Fi on a personal device, rather than on the aircraft’s seat-back screen (46% vs 44%, with 10% using both). Additionally, two thirds (65%) of passengers would choose to access it via their own devices if wireless IFE was available.
“86% of passengers take a smartphone onto a plane and they would prefer to also use them to access IFE,” said David Lavorel, CEO of SITAONAIR. “These networks therefore need to be highly robust in order to deliver HD quality video to all passengers.”