It’s Air Time! EasyJet and Immfly Deliver on IFE Promise
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APEX Insight: Passengers aboard the first five easyJet aircraft to be equipped with Air Time can now view a wide range of content offerings. The move marks the first time the low-cost carrier offers in-flight entertainment to its passengers.
EasyJet has officially launched Air Time on five aircraft, bringing streaming entertainment and digital services to passengers. The activation delivers on a promise made just three months ago to have the system live in 2017.
Air Time provides a range of content including audiobooks, e-books and TV shows from Fox Non-Theatrical, Euronews and other media brands. Top press publications, including the Financial Times, Bloomberg and Le Figaro, are also available for passengers, as are 3-D moving maps and destination-specific weather details.
Air Time also delivers an updated onboard shopping experience for passengers. The Bistro & Boutique portal features refreshments plus a selection of shopping products available on board, from fragrances and cosmetics to gadgets and toys.
“Air Time will allow us for the first time to offer customers in-flight entertainment in a way that replicates how they consume their media at home,” Andrew Middleton, easyJet’s ancillary revenue director, commented. “We are delighted to be collaborating with other innovative partners, such as Rakuten who will help us curate engaging content, and Immfly who are providing the unique easyJet portal.”
“Air Time will allow us for the first time to offer customers in-flight entertainment in a way that replicates how they consume their media at home.” €” Andrew Middleton, easyJet
“We specialize in maximizing revenue and engagement opportunities through wireless onboard connectivity, increasingly supported by success stories that are relevant to the airlines we collaborate with,” Immfly co-founder Jimmy MartÃnez von Korff explained. “Today, we allow easyJet to provide a complete onboard digital services platform based on exciting content and online shopping possibilities, offering a fully integrated platform with leading brands and their services.”
The growing trend of third party-paid access to premium content is part of the Air Time proposition as well. EasyJet and Immfly partnered with Global Internet services giant Rakuten to deliver the content through a sponsored model.
The installation of Wi-Fi access points on the aircraft help to position easyJet for future growth in in-flight connectivity. While the initial Air Time platform does not include a connection off the aircraft, Immfly markets its product as “connectivity-ready.” Airlines tend to adopt fully connected platforms over time, while delivering benefits to passengers in the short term. For easyJet, that expansion potential is massive, as the airline’s fleet nears 300 single-aisle aircraft operating across Europe today.