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The In-flight entertainment (IFE) began in 1921 with the first movie called “Howdy Chicago”, shown on Aeromarine Airways to its passengers as the airplane flew around Chicago. Since then, the advancement in technology has created more advanced IFE systems, using touch screen technology, personal touch screens and in-flight connectivity. That including such services as Internet browsing, text messaging, cell phone usage (where permitted) and emailing. I chose to focus on Air Canada’s IFE system since I encounter it often and recently engaged with it during a 12-hour flight to Israel.
The touch screen system is installed on every seat in the aircraft, enabling users to make their own choice on how to entertain themsleves during the flight. The system includes hundreds of hours of audio and video on-demand programming, among them recent and classic movies. The system also offers television channels selection, television shows on demand, satellite radio stations, a vast music library, games, and an activity section dedicated for kids
More features:
- Each movie contains a short synopsis and a quick 2-3 minute preview.
- There is a button for volume, and brightness on the screen.
- Movies can be seen in ‘full-screen’ mode or fit to the screen.
- Playback buttons that allow three speeds for fast forward and rewind.
- Language support- all movies can be viewed in English or French and some have Spanish as an option.
The system also offers a map feature that shows the flight journey in real-time. The journey is presented on a world map and shows the remaining time and distance to destination, as well as local time and temperature throughout the flight. There is an automatic button that allows rotating between these features. The information is updated every 2-3 minutes.
For a video demonstration of the IFE system in action please click here
Environment
The airplane environment usually includes a first class section, a business section and an economy section. They all receive different services; first class is considered the most prestige and economy class is basic. The type of food, drink, space and service depends on the type of seat chosen. There are also a few bathrooms on the plane, depending on its size, space for luggage, emergency exists, rows of chairs, and luminescent strips along the floor that light up in case of emergency. There are thin corridors between the rows where flight attendance’s pass through with food, drink and optional duty-free items for purchase.
Air Canada’s IFE is installed in all of Air Canada’s planes, besides three Boing 767 planes that don’t have it. The only way to access these screens is to take an Air Canada flight. Both domestic and international flights will have the IFE system installed, unless the flight is operated by Air Canada Jazz, in which case the planes are not equipped with the system. However, the content can be viewed or listened to through many other interfaces such as – computers, satellite radio, television and more.
It’s also worth mentioning that other airlines may also have IFE systems of their own on their aircraft. Although each one has different features, they are similar in their general functionality, aesthetic, shape and form.
Users
Since the screens are only accessible on Air Canada aircrafts, the primary users are Air Canada’s passengers. The users vary in age, from very young children (about 2 years old) to elders (99+). The IFE system is designed to entertain a wide variety of passengers. However, since the content is offered in only three languages, the IFE system doesn’t answer the need of all potential users.
Synthesis
The improvement of IFE systems has completely changed the flying experience. Squeezing hundreds of people together in a contained space for a long period of time can be challenging and cause stress for passengers, particularly young children, who need to be able to play, move and entertain themselves. They often find it difficult to sit still for a long time. The IFE system in Air Canada provides a solution for these needs by creating a personal entertaining experience for it’s the passengers.
Each user can choose if and when they would like to watch a film, their favorite television show, listen to music, or even play a game. The system also has a USB connector and electricity socket (1 per row) where passengers can recharge the computers or mobile phones. Other then very young children (less then 2 years old) and those who chose to sleep or read, the majority of passengers on the plane were interacting with the IFE system. On my recent flight, where most passengers were English speakers, I noticed that the majority chose to watch movies. In fact, most of passengers viewed more then 1 film during the flight. As this was a night flight, the environment on the plane was very calm and cozy. Standing at the back of the plane made one feel as if they were entering someone’s private leaving room. The experience might have been a bit different during the day, when passengers may choose to read or work using their personal computers.
The interface of the IFE system is user friendly; it is easy to navigate through the menu and to access the wide selection of content available. One of the great features is the opportunity to watch a preview before choosing to watch the film. This function is very similar to VOD systems where users have the options to browse films before committing to one in particular.
Similar to other free programs, before watching a movie on the IFE system, there are 10-15 minutes of advertisements. During that time, the passenger can’t interact with the screen, change the volume or abort the system. This is an unfortunate part of the interaction, and it is confusing and frustrating. Especially when considering that it’s the only part of the interface when touching the screen doesn’t register any response from the system.
The unique environment on an aircraft creates many disturbances: when there is a passenger announcement from the aircraft crew, the IFE system stops, the screen becomes black and the announcement is broadcasted through the speakers and headphones in a high volume. Since each announcement is repeated in two languages, it can take a few minutes until all of them are read and the IFE system is back in action.
Air turbulence can also cause disturbances, dizziness and fear among users. Usually the IFE system will stay on during turbulence, unless there is a passenger announcement. It’s a great calming mechanism to preoccupy users who suffer from flying phobia’s.
Although the content on the IFE system is provided in English, French and sometimes in Spanish, the interface is designed in English, so passengers need to know how to read in English in order to navigate the system. A way to resolve this could be the use of international icons to assist in navigation as well as adding more language options to the interface.
It’s interesting to see that the functionality of the personal screens isn’t only to entertain but also to inform. The security demonstration, once performed by the flight attendants before each and every takeoff, is now shown in the form of a compelling video instead. On my flight, the passengers mostly ignored this demonstration, and depending on seat location, it was often hard to see the flight attendants perform the security demonstration.
One more interesting thing I noticed is how the IFE system has changed passenger’s habits. Before installing personalized IFE systems there was one movie shown through the plane and passengers could watch it if their seat was close enough to the television screens on the plane. As a result many other passengers had to find other ways to entertain themselves, so reading, socializing and playing games were more common activities. Have IFE systems reduced our need to socialize in these situations? Is it changing our reading habits?
On my latest flight the passenger who sat next to me couldn’t operate his personal IFE system because it had a malfunction. He started reading a book, and after a few minutes opened his laptop and began watching movies on it. Other then the passengers who slept, there were no passengers who didn’t have their personal computers or watched something on the IFE system. It might be interesting to think about a way of interacting between the screens, such as with a multiple player game while flying.
