August 14, 2006 – AMERICAN Airlines is reported to be talking to potential suppliers of broadband connectivity services for passengers.

The US major was one of the original sponsors of the Connexion by Boeing satellite service but withdrew its support as a result of the post-9/11 traffic and revenue collapse. With the long-term future of Connexion now in doubt, the carrier’s choices comprise the AirCell terrestrially based service due to be launched in North America next year and Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband capability, also set for launch in mid-2007.

The news of American’s interest in broadband came from inflight products managing director Mary McKee, who said the carrier was “actively engaged with suppliers” of real-time broadband connectivity in the future while continuing to offer Inmarsat-based satellite phone service on international flights.

She was speaking on the occasion of the introduction of AA’s new business class for its Boeing 767-300s. Due to be implemented also on the 777 fleet from next year, the new product features a handheld IFE device specifically developed for American by Californian-based IMS Inflight. One of a series of IMS products that includes the original PEA and the P-series, the new device features a 10.6in screen, the largest to be offered to date in handheld IFE, and an exceptionally large 80Gb hard drive.

The handheld is part of a package of improvements in American’s 58-aircraft fleet of 767-300s that also includes a lie-flat seat, advanced lighting and roomier overhead bins. The first refurbished aircraft has just been introduced, with the rest to be completed between next month and early next year. It is understood that each aircraft will carry a stock of 48 devices and that the order from IMS totals around 2,800 units.

Business passengers on the 767s – they operate on American’s transatlantic routes, and within the USA and Latin America – will have access to a selection of four early-window films, four late-window, two classics and two shorts, and nearly ten hours of television content, including popular sitcoms, dramas and content from Discovery Networks. The portable will also carry a selection of interactive games, music videos and 100 audio CDs, and will give access to daily Reuters news in video and text formats.

IMS will provide both hardware and all related content services, including content acquisition, licensing, encoding, integration, security and delivery.

“American has successfully trialled PEA,” IMS chairman Joe Renton said earlier this year. “Since then we have been working with the airline on the best way to use our technology to meet their needs. The result is a new portable with a 10.6in, 16x9-aspect-ratio touchscreen that fits into the 767 seatback.”

The device draws power from a docking station in the seatback and will normally be viewed there. But it can also be removed and placed where the passenger chooses. Passengers will also have the use of a Bose QuietComfort 2 noise-cancelling headset to exclude cabin noise and enhance audio quality.