SkyLights Launches Virtual Reality IFE Service for Kids on Long-Haul Flights
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APEX Insight: After a successful trial period that began in July, SkyLights has launched an immersive virtual reality in-flight entertainment service for kids on XL Airways’ long-haul flights.
SkyLights has launched an immersive virtual reality entertainment service designed for children aged six to 12 on long-haul flights. Called Skykids, the service offers a selection of 2-D, 3-D and forward-facing 360-degree films on VR headsets. Ferdinand (3-D), Ice Age: Collision Course (3-D) and Dream Collector (360-degrees), are among the titles being offered.
The Skykids service launched at the beginning of July as part of a trial with XL Airways, an existing Skylights customer. The American-French technology company said a study by Emirates in 2017, which found that children get bored 50 minutes into a long-haul flight, and Expedia’s 2017 Annual Airplane Etiquette Study, which voted unruly kids voted the second most annoying type of passenger, helped inspire the new product.
“Demand has outstripped our predictions, with the service oversubscribed on just about every flight.” – Laurence Fornari, SkyLights
“Skykids has got off to a fantastic start,” said Laurence Fornari, SkyLights’ head of Sales and Marketing. “Demand has outstripped our predictions, with the service oversubscribed on just about every flight. We owe this initial success to the very constructive relationships we have with XL Airways, Dutyfly Solutions and 20th Century Fox.”
Responding to APEX Media, SkyLights said that, because the decision to continue the Skykids service is recent, it is still in the early stages of launching the product on other airlines.
“As a leisure airline, families are our priority. Being able to provide them with a memorable experience is extremely beneficial.” – Laurent Magnin, XL Airways
“As a leisure airline, families are our priority,” said Laurent Magnin, XL Airways’ CEO. “Being able to provide them with a memorable experience is extremely beneficial. It creates an emotional link to the brand and makes getting there an actual part of the perfect vacation our passengers have been waiting for.
Lucie Deynoux, XL Airways’ manager of Product Marketing, said the feedback from passengers has “been nothing but positive” since it introduced Skykids. “As the device is the same as regular Skylights headsets, there was no need to retrain our cabin crew, which made for a smooth test which we look forward to expanding,” she said, adding that “I am convinced that the design is an important part of the success of the service. It makes passengers curious and drives sales … Skykids has every reason to succeed. The device is right, the design is on point and the content is relevant to the audience”.