Silk Air, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has introduced a new wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) system to its fleet of Boeing 737s.
The system, branded SilkAir Studios, will offer customers a more diverse range of entertainment options than the old system.
“It is a service that will give passengers an innovative new way to enjoy entertainment content in the air, using personal devices of their choice to enjoy the latest and greatest programming from our Silk Air library,” said SilkAir CEO, Leslie Thng.
Despite being a full-service regional carrier that offers service mainstays such as inflight meals, 30kg baggage allowance, and mileage accrual and redemption through the Kris Flyer frequent flyer programme, Silk Air was still using the overhead IFE system, which meant that there was usually only one choice of entertainment content for each flight.
Other regional carriers such as Dragonair and Qantas Link offer seatback monitors to deliver entertainment content.
Using wireless technology, passengers can stream the latest movies, television shows and audio content directly onto their personal laptops and handheld devices.
The carrier plans to offer 20 Hollywood and international movies, along with 26 short features and up to 100 music albums. Content will be refreshed regularly, with the current offering including The Wolverine, Blue Jasmine, Percy Jackson, Ilo Ilo, and Glee.
A unique feature of this new offering is that it does not require the user to download a separate mobile app prior to boarding the plane, as is seen on Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, Scoot.
For iOS and Window users, the technology is designed to work immediately upon activation. However, Android smartphones and tablet users will need to download a specific mobile app from the file server onboard the aircraft.
Business class passengers travelling on flights longer than two hours need not use their own devices to stream the entertainment content, as a tablet will be provided.
The service will be available across all of Silk Air’s new Boeing 737s. The carrier also intends to roll this out to most A319 and A320 aircraft by the end of the year.
For more information, visit www.silkair.com
Clement Huang
