Thales Partners With Airfree for Airport-Style Duty-Free Platform
Share
Looking to further its mission to bridge the passenger experience between the home and the air during what has been a year of digital transformation for Thales, the IFE maker shared a series of news at a media luncheon during APEX EXPO 2019.
Not only is Thales hoping to reinvent the IFE experience with the debut of a full-cabin 4K viewing experience with previously-announced launch customer Emirates, but it is also strengthening its long-running partnership with JetBlue by supplying the carrier’s first fleet of A220-300 aircraft with Thales AVANT IFE.
“Currently, in-flight duty-free shopping for airlines has an average revenue of $2 per passenger, compared to $30 per passenger in the airport” – Etienne de Verdelhan, Airfree.
Elsewhere, Thales is teaming up with Airfree to give carriers worldwide a host of new ancillary revenue opportunities by bringing the airport duty-free shopping experience into the cabin via its e-commerce platform. Allowing passengers to browse and shop for duty-free items via the seatback IFE system or PED of choice, the Airfree marketplace will also offer ground fulfillment at more than 350 airports worldwide.
“Currently, in-flight duty-free shopping for airlines has an average revenue of $2 per passenger, compared to $30 per passenger in the airport,” said Airfree CEO, Etienne de Verdelhan. “So what we are trying to do is give the opportunity to the airline to close a bit of this gap.”
Manuel Chacón, Product Line Manager, Thales InFlyt Experience, added: “Bringing services like these into the cabin is part of what we’ve been working toward at Thales. Airfree is a clear example of success, where passengers will truly achieve an experience that is so seamless that they will forget that they are traveling on an aircraft.”