Delta Is Betting on Tablet Technology to Solve In-Flight Entertainment Conundrum
Photo Credit: Delta Air Lines will debut a new entertainment system on its Airbus A220s, slated to start flying this winter. Delta Air Lines
Skift Take
Maybe Delta's new in-flight screens on its Airbus A220s will be better than previous generations. Or maybe they won't be. Either way, Delta deserves credit. Few of its competitors put screens on domestic airplanes anymore. Delta could have easily gone without them.
Even in an age of mobile phones and tablets, travelers — particularly infrequent flyers — often say they still like seat-back screens on airplanes.
Many airlines take a different view. The screens are expensive to operate and maintain, and they're often technologically obsolete within a few years. But since airlines hate to mess with what's already on board, the screens fly well past their prime. It's why many airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, no longer install embedded systems in short-haul aircraft. American is even removing them from most planes.
Last week, in a discussion on stage at Skift Global Forum, Delta CEO Ed Bastian told me his team believes it has solved this problem by investing in a new wireless embedded system for next-generation, short-haul aircraft. The system, which relies on tablets mounted in seats, will be called "Delta Wireless IFE," though Gogo will provide some of the back-end technology through what it calls Gogo Vision T
