Passengers flying on one of Asia’s biggest low-cost carriers will soon be able to enjoy in-flight entertainment (IFE).
AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of Malaysian-based AirAsia, has signed a memorandum of undertaking (MOU) with Tune Box for the development of an IFE solution for the airline. Tune Box is the new digital media arm of Tune Group, which is co-owned by AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes.
Sami El Hadery, co-founder and chief technology officer of Tune Box, says that the system will be on trial in December or early next year on the Kuala Lumpur-London route. It will then be rolled out in stages on the airline’s fleet. It will distribute content to passengers’ mobile devices through wifi and there is also the option of booking a tablet from the airline to access the service. It will come with a battery life of 11 hours.
Some of the content is free, such as Travel 360, AirAsia’s in-flight magazine; and updates on Team Lotus, a Formula One team owned by Fernandes, and Asean Basketball League. Passengers need to pay for music, e-magazines, as well as movies.
Android device users can download the app needed to access the system when they are onboard while Apple product users need to do so before boarding. Passengers can also view the IFE content with a laptop by opening a browser, although El Hadery says the experience is much better with the mobile app.
El Hadery also reveals that the airline is looking at providing e-mail, BlackBerry Messenger and social media access through the system, although it will not be reality for at least another two or three years.
AirAsia X’s in-flight entertainment is expected to create addition ancillary revenues for the carrier through sales of content.
For more information, visit www.airasia.com
Rachael Ho
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