Skift Take
If seats become an effective point-of-sale, will airlines give passengers more room to shop in comfort?
Aviation and aerospace technology giant, Thales, and satellite communications giant, Inmarsat, have joined forces to take advantage of airlines' connected services to introduce solutions aimed at increasing airline revenue through sales of ancillary services on in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens.
Thales' AVANT in-flight entertainment (IFE) system's smart menus, built on an Android-based platform, can sell premium entertainment content, in-flight meals, duty-free items, and travel services. Citing figures from GuestLogix, Thales argues that airlines could make millions using their seat-backs as the point of sale.
In 2013 ancillary revenue for international airlines represented $14.3 billion, GuestLogix has reported; with international carriers selling the most at 34.2% of the market, U.S. major airlines taking 33.7% of the market, and low-cost carriers 14.4%.
The remaining 17.6% (approx. $2.5bn) is divided between the top four anci
