On the Fringe: Fresh Twists on Traditional In-Flight Entertainment
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Airlines are delving beyond blockbusters to offer passengers unique entertainment options on board. Here are the in-flight entertainment trends from APEX MultiMedia Market that you may see on board your next flight.
Does the Content Match the Destination?
Destination-Specific Videos
In-flight magazines may be colorful in their depictions of far-off destinations but for some passengers who are traveling elsewhere, it can be downright frustrating. Fred Mullins knows. “You’ll see things about ‘Waka Waka Waka,’ which I’d never go to,” he says. “I need to see something about where I’m going.” Enter A Look At Media, the company Mullins founded to fill the gap between airlines’ destinations and their mismatched in-flight content. “People don’t want to know about the big chains that are everywhere in the world,” Mullins says. “They try to seek something unique and special like a restaurant in Little Italy that’s not a national brand.”
Flying to the Tune of… [Enter Destination] Destination-Specific Playlists
Airlines are pushing play on destination-specific songs to get passengers pumped for wherever they may be going to the effect of popping in a world music album called African Blues or Latin Lounge before a vacation to Mali or Mexico. Virgin America calls them Mood Lists while Qantas has tuned into C-pop, J-Pop and K-pop for playlists that would resonate with passengers flying to and from China, Japan and Korea. Read more on playlists.
Reaching Zen at 35,000 Feet
In-Flight Meditation
Mindful in-flight entertainment options are reaching passengers in their seats to help quell flying anxieties. Delta Air Lines claims their meditation programs, “Blanket of Love,” “Dealing With Anxiety” and “Relaxing in the Clouds,” have the power to help users achieve practical happiness, calm and clarity in relationships, work and life.
And now on long-haul flights, British Airways passengers can try to kick a bad habit like smoking or drinking alcohol; or gain a good one like losing weight, eating more fruits and vegetables, or staying positive. “The well-being of our customers is very important and we’re thrilled to be able to offer the UK’s first hypnotherapy sessions in the air,” said Troy Warfield, the airline’s director of customer experience. Om to that.
Mid-Flight Fitness Break
In-Flight Exercises
Recognizing the discomfort of sitting for prolonged periods, airlines are offering tips on how to stretch out while staying seated. Rotating ankles, flexing feet, tucking in the knees, bending the upper body forward and lifting legs are all part of the routine. In their in-flight magazine, Cathay Pacific recommends passengers do the stretches every couple of hours. And with the help of a workout-styled video, Qantas shows passengers how they can increase blood circulation to combat the ailments that can surface from long periods of immobility.
But, don’t forget your face. Avianca advises that passengers flex their facial muscles by raising and tensing their eyebrows and “frown[ing] as hard as possible with [their] eyes closed tight.”
Riding the YouTube Up High
YouTube In-Flight Entertainment
Cute Girls Hairstyles, a YouTube channel that shows a mother taming her twin daughters’ long, straight hair into acrobatic feats is far from traditional in-flight entertainment. But to Emirates, who brought the hairstyle tutorials and other YouTube channels on board, they offer lighter entertainment fare.
“YouTube videos are quite popular – probably in the top 20 categories, but we have about 100! These videos are a good escape from binge-viewing (TV box sets and movies) and we get occasional comments from people who say the videos are amazing,” says Patrick Brannelly, divisional vice-president, Customer Experience, In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity at Emirates.
Travel Advice at Your Seatback
TripAdvisor in In-Flight Entertainment
In partnership with Global Eagle Entertainment, TripAdvisor’s five-million-plus business reviews and booking platform is available for passengers to peruse through Air New Zealand’s in-flight entertainment. “This enables passengers traveling on Air New Zealand to find the best hotels, restaurants or activities even while they are up in the air…” says TripAdvisor’s Aaron Hung, director of Partnerships, APAC. Passengers can begin to discover what awaits their arrival before landing, all the while remaining engaged with both the airline and TripAdvisor’s brand.
Oooh Bop! Fashioning Co-Branded Content
Co-Branded In-Flight Entertainment
“We are excited to partner with Holt Renfrew and bring their creative and stylish products into the air,” Éric Lauzon, manager, Multimedia Entertainment, Air Canada said last year when a bespoke channel with the luxury goods retailer launched in September. “These original videos will allow Air Canada to continue to delight our style-minded passengers.”
Collaboration between the two brands was a natural fit. “Both brands share the same clientele of premium, highly-educated, trendy and hip passengers that like to travel in style…” Lauzon said. And considering the airline’s Canadian hubs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are also the home of the retailer’s flagship locations, Holt’s TV is essentially a trailer that entices the Holt Renfrew clientele to make a stop at the store.