British Airways has announced it will refresh 18 of its Boeing 747 aircraft in the next year.
As part of the upgrade, BA will install a Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system that will provide passengers with more than 130 films and 400 television shows.
The new IFE system will feature larger, high-resolution screens that are "capable of touch and swipe gestures, giving the system the familiar feel of using a tablet".
Elsewhere, every World Traveller Plus (premium economy) seat will have access to a universal power socket — capable of accepting plugs from the UK, US and Europe —and a personal USB socket.
New seat foams will be installed in World Traveller (economy) and World Traveller Plus, while new seat covers will also be fitted to match those on BA's A380 and B787 aircraft.
The refit will also include a general cabin refresh, including replacing carpets and curtains throughout the plane, to bring the older B747s up-to-date with BA's most recent aircraft.
Richard D'Cruze, British Airways’ in-flight entertainment and technology manager, said: “We know that in-flight entertainment is really important to our customers — being able to relax and watch a film or listen to music helps customers to pass the time enjoyably — so by installing this state-of-the-art equipment we will be able to deliver even more programming on board."
All 18 B747s will be refitted by August 2016; work starts next August.
Last month, BA launched a new service allowing customers to hold flight reservations for up to three days before paying (see news, August 21).
Graham Smith