Alaska Airlines is working towards the release of a new, customisable IFE option, bringing movies, TV and other content directly to passengers’ personal electronic devices.
The new system, called Gogo Vision, will allow customers to use their own laptop, tablet or smart phone to access more than 100 movies, 50 television shows and unique content, personalising their onboard entertainment experience. Prices for Gogo Vision will range from under US$6 for movies and under US$3 for television content. Since the movies are installed on stand-alone servers on each aircraft, broadband access to Gogo’s inflight wi-fi will not be compromised.
“Offering Gogo Vision across our fleet, along with upgrading most of our Next Generation 737 aircraft with Recaro seats and seat power, will complement our award-winning personal service and make flying even more enjoyable for our customers,” said Joe Sprague, Alaska’s vice president of marketing.
The enhancement is part of a US$100m investment that Alaska Airlines is making to upgrade the cabins of its B737-800, -900 and -900ERs with seats that feature both a personal space-enhancing design and 110-volt and USB power outlets. By summer 2014, about half of Alaska’s fleet will have the new seats and 36 aircraft will be equipped with power outlets. The carrier expects to finish upgrades to its fleet and offer the new IFE system on flights starting in Q3 2014.
