iPad a great future in-flight entertainment device

Flying by Martinair in the Comfort Class from Amsterdam to Cancun I received a heavy in-flight entertainment device. After watching one movie I switched over to my iPad. I had it fully loaded with my books, Financial Times and Sudoku.The iPad battery; good for a 10 hour flight and the superb screen makes the iPad an excellent in-flight entertainment device.

My recent flight to San Francisco again proved that even the KLM business class entertainment system - with a very large built-in screen in front of you- cannot compete with my iPad. The system was so over-engineered that we were even warned by stewardesses about the difficulty of finding the right spot where we could plug-in our headphones. It took me and my neighbour quite a while to find it out.

I think that there is an opportunity to change the way of designing in-flight entertainment systems. Instead of investing in costly hardware as part of the passenger seat equipment, it is better to rely on their tablets and make sure that the passenger devices can get connected to the entertainment system.

iPad applications should allow to select movies, (digital) newspapers/magazines,  food menu and pass any other flight preferences at home - long before the flight. Passengers would be offered an option of Internet connection and receive skype calls, which would mean getting rid of the unhandy phone/remote control devices.

In my view this solution offers a superb customer experience, which would allow airlines in reducing in-flight entertainment and logistics costs, and could be introduced as an option next to the already existing in-flight entertainment systems. More and more passengers will have their own iPad. According to iSuppli market research media tablet shipments will grow to more than 202 million units in 2015, up from 17.4 million in 2010.  I expect that the sales of iPads and other tablet devices will far exceed these aggressive predictions as the iPads are becoming a part of the family live style. Here I can’t resist quoting my wife "I love my iPad!".

I see no point any more in manufacturing specialized in-flight entertainment devices.  It is better to focus on iPad or Android tablets applications giving access to the  in-flight entertainment content. Manufactures of specialized in-flight entertainment equipment will never be able to keep the innovation pace with Apple and Android tablet manufactures.In-flight entertainment devices are getting expensive which is clearly illustrated by the recent Alasca Airlines announcement about the price increase of the in-flight entertainment rentals.

It is time to switch over to the tablets and start developing passengers iPad and Android tablets applications. The apps, NOT the airline websites will make a difference in the passengers flying experience in the future.