Test on American Airlines 2004?
posted on
Mar 03, 2007 09:28AM
Was this our player in 2004? What might becoming of the test now? I think it sounds very much like the digEplayer. Do we still have our foot in the door for the eVU?
|
|
|
|
| |
S a general rule, I do not watch the movies they project on those cheap little overhead screens that drop down from the ceiling like broken shingles on domestic long-haul flights.
But I'd forgotten my reading glasses one day last week on a flight from Los Angeles to Newark. So there I sat, gaping like an idiot at a postage-stamp-size overhead screen that performed visual violence upon "The Terminal," a Tom Hanks movie that, it seemed to me, had already been slapped around quite a bit by its screenwriters.
Meanwhile, my toylike headset, plugged into a malfunctioning outlet, performed audio violence on the movie by broadcasting the soundtrack in one ear only.
Surely, I thought - given the fact that international airlines are spanning the seas offering passengers sumptuous menus of first-run, unedited movies on personal digital video monitors - this nickelodeon nonsense on domestic flights must one day end. But when, given the fact that United States airlines are about to report combined losses of about $8 billion this year?
A quick answer: yesterday, starting on American Airlines. A somewhat longer answer follows.
In market tests conducted on the route between O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and Los Angeles International Airport, American began renting to passengers (for a $10 fee in coach, free in first class), a notebook-size gizmo, as yet unnamed, that offers up a dozen on-demand movies, as well as on-demand audio channels, video games, audio and visual books, and even a selection of same-day newspapers in their online digital editions.
Yes, I know, JetBlue has always offered in-seat monitors that play canned television programs (with advertising). Also, Alaska Airlines rents passengers movie-and-audio devices called digEplayers, with content that is updated periodically. But American's innovation is somewhat different. For one thing, the news and other timely contents are downloaded fresh every day onto the devices, which are stored (and recharged) on carts that look like those used for in-flight food and beverage service.
I had a look at this product not long ago. It certainly is not as grand as one of those armrest-mounted digital screens and audio setups you'll find in premium cabins, and increasingly in coach seats on international carriers. For one thing, the American device has to sit on your tray table, which can be a bit of a challenge when the passenger in front of you reclines the seat all the way back.
But in my opinion, the gizmo, which American now refers to merely as a personal entertainment device, gets the job done. I give American some credit for at least giving serious consideration to an effort to improve in-flight service, while looking for more market share, and maybe even a few bucks of extra revenue, on long-haul flights. The test that started yesterday is part of a very limited three-month evaluation in four markets. After Chicago to Los Angeles, the service will be tested on routes between Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle; Kennedy International Airport and San Diego; and La Guardia Airport and Fort Lauderdale, said Ned Raynolds, an American spokesman.
Mary McKee, the director of in-flight product marketing for American, said, "We think we've come up with an innovative solution that provides a lot of options for our customers."
Cost and the ability to be "quick to market" were major factors, she said. Assuming the tests are favorable, the plan is to install the devices quickly on American's MD80 aircraft flying longer-haul domestic routes. The devices, which have screens about nine inches wide, weigh less than three pounds. American said it is not sure yet what the final rental price will be, but $10 to $12 is considered the ballpark figure.
As a frequent traveler and a movie hound who's a crank about movies that have been tampered with, I had a couple of questions. First, given the fact that they're charging a price higher than you'd pay for a ticket in the local movie theater, are they going to ruin the movies with clumsy airline edits that take out words and scenes that the preacher's mother in the next seat might find objectionable? (Most in-flight movies on in-seat screens on international carriers are shown in their unedited theatrical versions.)
Currently, Ms. McKee said, "the only R-rated movie we're offering that will need to be edited is 'The Manchurian Candidate.' " Editing movies, she added, "is one of the things we're actually going to ask our customers about in the tests. We expect a wide range of opinions on this. Some people will say, 'Well, it's my personal choice; I can pick my own movie and I want it to be unedited.' At the same time, we need to be careful that there might be a concern such as a child in a seat who sees something that is not family oriented. We will err on the conservative side."
Next question: Is this just one more brick on the load for the poor, overworked flight attendant?
"We are working with our flight attendants' union to ensure that this provides a workable solution for everyone because, obviously, our flight attendants are key to the success of this particular product," Ms. McKee said.
Flight attendants loathe collecting money for things like drinks and headsets. These devices, however, will require a customer to swipe through a credit card, eliminating that problem. But does the new product mean the flight attendant now becomes the in-flight go-to gal or guy for those with technology issues?
"We'll have some spare units, so if somebody's player isn't working they get another one," said Ms. McKee. "We don't want our flight attendants to have to become troubleshooters."
On the Road appears each Tuesday. E-mail: jsharkey@nytimes.com.
RELATED ARTICLES | |
Do-It-Yourselfers Buy Into This Virtual World (November 11, 2004) | |
Find more results for Airlines and Airplanes and Virtual Reality (Computers) |
|
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top |