SONG IFE
Delta is outfitting a fleet of 36 199-seat Boeing 757s that will fly initially on Northeast-to-Florida routes with fares starting at $79 each way.
While service begins April 15, the 24 channels of satellite TV won't begin until installations are complete in October under the deal with Matsushita Avionics Systems and EchoStar Communications.
The TV will be free, but premium services such as movies will cost extra. When the system is fully operational by next year, features will include:
Digital MP3 audio. Some foreign carriers already have it. On Singapore Airlines, passengers can create their own play lists from cuts on 50 albums.
Pay-per-view movies. The seat-back installation includes the ability to swipe a credit card to pay for movies or special programming.
Interactive games. Passengers will be able to compete with each other on trivia questions using the system's touch-screen technology.
Interactive map. Fliers will be able to follow the progress of their flight on a map display. The view screen will zoom in or out and include information on destination cities or those along the way.
On-board shopping. In the next phase, fliers will be able to buy products that they view on the screen. The system might be like the one offered by London-based FlightStore, which has been on European carriers Swiss and Lauda Air.
On-board Internet is under consideration on Song, as well.
"This is an aggressive position that Song is taking," says Steve Quimby, sales director for Matsushita Avionics. "This is bringing a wide-body experience to a narrow-body plane."
In developing its entertainment, Song hopes to trump JetBlue, which has seen so much success with its seat-back satellite television system that it bought the provider, LiveTV, in part to keep the system away from rivals.
JetBlue is considering whether to expand its 24 channels to 36, offer video-on-demand, Internet connections or shopping services. "We're monitoring our options," spokesman Gareth Edmondson-Jones says.
The only other airline with LiveTV is Frontier, which has outfitted 11 of 37 planes so far and charges $5. "Customers love it," spokeswoman Tracey Kelly says.
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