Smoking Popcorn Burns Airlines

Seattle, Washington, September 18, 1996 -- It was a grim prediction from a futurist that left the airline world in an uneasy stir Tuesday.

Speaking to a group of more than 1,000 executives at the 17th annual World Airline Entertainment Association meeting in Seattle, Wash., pop futurist Faith Popcorn predicted the demise of airline travel as video conferencing and virtual reality become business standards.

In her hour-long presentation, Popcorn, author of several books including "The Popcorn Report" and her new book, "Clicking," whirled the audience through current marketing trends while forecasting the future. Some trends seemed as curious as her name - DNA pen pals and Biblical cuisine restaurants. Not in my neighborhood.

And then the ax. In her closing question and answer session, Popcorn told representatives of over 40 airlines, "Watch out for Kinko's." Kinko's? It was a tough take for airlines to think a 24-hour business center could topple their business travel market. But with world-wide video conferencing capabilities, why travel? Her advice: invest heavily in the competition. Perhaps your next family vacation flight will reveal the franchise's familiar sign over a section of Business Class.

To the dismay of WAEA members, Popcorn made it quite clear that for her, the best part of flying is "being at home." She stressed that future trends will demand more personalized airline service which will mean name recognition, and creating a feeling that an airline really cares about each passenger. Oh, and a better effort of "cleaning all those dirty places inside the plane."

Well, maybe the airlines weren't overjoyed by the less-than-favorable forecast--I suspect the taste of burning Popcorn may linger for awhile.

United Airlines Inflight Entertainment Enhanced

Seattle, Washington, September 18 -- United Airlines announced two improvements to its inflight programming at the 17th annual World Airline Association Conference and Exhibition on Tuesday.

The airline will rotate movie titles every two weeks, instead of the industry practice of one month rotation. Starting in October, United will also add new video programs, including popular US. sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends.

"With the addition of these sitcoms and our movie rotation, United is setting a new standard of excellence in inflight programming," said Bob Williams, United Airlines manager of onboard entertainment. "We're giving our passengers the quality and variety they want."

United's announced improvements add to the airline's existing programming including NBC News' Magazine in the Air, NBC Sports Skybox, Discovery's Invention and Bunting's Window to the World of Computers. The United Entertainment Network also includes selected programs from The Gold Channel, HBO, BET, CNBC and VH1.

United offers over 2,200 flights each day to 137 destinations in 30 countries and two US. territories.

In-Flight Phone Team Readies LiveTV

Seattle, Washington, September 18, 1996 -- The team of In-Flight Phone Corporation, DIRECTV and Harris Corporation demonstrated LiveTV at the annual World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) exhibition, as they prepare to deliver the new inflight entertainment (IFE) concept to the airline industry in 1997.

Starting next summer, some of the most popular TV programming "on the air" will also be "in the air," with more than 20 channels of satellite-delivered programming from DIRECTV available at each individual passenger seat. DIRECTV is a leader in direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services.

"Live TV at 35,000 feet will be the most innovative product in on-board services in 50 years," says Phil Bakes, Chairman and CEO of In-Flight Phone Corporation. "Our LiveTV system will integrate with our current FlightLink system with a color video screen and telephone at every seat, allowing each passenger to channel surf at their seat and watch whatever they want."

The technology employs the expertise of Harris Corporation, designers of the cabin distribution system and dual-polarization antenna. This antenna maintains contact with three DIRECTV satellites.

Programming will be delivered by DIRECTV, which currently delivers entertainment programming to more than 1.7 million consumers nationwide. This will enable passengers to choose from the best variety of TV programming from movies to news and sports.

Continental Airlines will be the launch airline for LiveTV on FlightLink, setting a new standard for passenger satisfaction. Continental has contracted 300 planes for LiveTV with installation scheduled to begin next summer.

"Our customers have told us that they would like to have live TV entertainment on board. Continental is committed to providing quality services and state-of-the-art technologies that add value and contribute to the overall enjoyment of the customers' inflight experience," says Bonnie Reitz, vice president of Marketing and Sales for Continental Airlines.

FlightLink combines digital voice and data service with an interactive screen-based information and entertainment system. FlightLink comes with a video display monitor, individual controls and a telephone at every seat, in both coach and first class. With FlightLink passengers can check their e-mail or play a SkyGolf video game. The system also allows passengers to check stock quotes, access AccuWeather; play video games; make plane and limo reservations; or even send flowers.

DIRECTV delivers more than 175 channels of entertainment and informational programming, including CNN, ESPN and The Disney channel, and a host of pay per view movies, professional and collegiate sports packages and a la carte selections. More than 1.7 million consumers receive DIRECTV with the DSS(R) system, via an 18-inch satellite dish.

Six year old In-Flight Phone Corporation is headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. The company has long-term FlightLink contracts with Continental Airlines, America West Airlines, and Carnival Airlines.

Fujitsu Plasma Display Blazes

Seattle, Washington, September 19, 1996 -- With its sleek, super thin profile and brilliant color resolution, Fujitsu's new 42-inch plasma display gained a lot of attention from airlines at WAEA this week. The screen, when attached to a laser disc player, is expected to replace existing movie screens on passenger jets offering simple installation and superior image resolution.

The screen is based on a flat plasma panel, which offers even viewing from all angles and 16.7 million colors. It is HDTV compatible and unaffected by magnetic fields. The structure weighs only 18 kg. and has an aspect ratio of 16:9 which resembles a theater screen.

Most impressive, the display has a depth of only 700 mm, one-tenth the depth of a cathode ray tube on a comparable sized screen. The unit can be simply mounted to any wall and plugged into a standard outlet.

But the screen comes with a hefty price tag of about $30,000. Models for home and business use will be available soon.

Fujitsu representatives say the display, which took several years to develop, has not received any airline orders, but that the response at WAEA was "overwhelming." The display awaits FAA approval and should be serving airlines within a year.

New Power Supply Boosts Laptop Life

Seattle, Washington, September 19, 1996 -- Airline passengers who rely on laptop computers may not have to worry about batteries and power shortages any longer. Olin Aero has introduced the EmPower ^TM in-seat power supply which provides uninterrupted DC power for laptop use and battery charging.

The 1.5 lb. power supply is mounted in the seat with two power outlets. A universal adapter or cigarette lighter adapter fits into the socket. The system was designed as a collaborative effort with major manufacturers of laptops to establish a common power supply.

The system gained FAA approval in July, being the first system certified for laptops. EmPower has been used on one Delta aircraft for two months on a trial basis. Four other airlines have signed on with a fifth one expected next month.

Olin Representatives said that in just one day at WAEA they did 17 bids for various airlines. "Really, this is a no-brainer," commented one representative. "The airlines don't have to think too much about it."

Olin representatives would not disclose the price of the unit but said it would be available in 5,000 retail outlets soon.

InterGame Takes Gambling Airborne

Seattle, Washington, September 19, 1996 -- This year's WAEA was a playground of the latest and upcoming gaming technology available. Hot concepts like video-on-demand and in-flight gambling appeared to be the focus of many of the technology companies attending.

InterGame, an Irvine, Calif. company founded in 1991, said their company's gambling software is ahead of their competitors. "We've probably got the best chance of any of them in bringing our software to airlines first," said InterGame Founder Russ Wurden.

Wurden said his company's success comes from combining gaming experts with technology wizards to produce a range of entertainment software for all ages.

InterGame's technology works by the airline passenger swiping a credit card into the system. The information is transferred via satellite to InterGame's California office where the account and funds are verified. Any winnings from games like poker and blackjack are instantly credited to the cardholder's account.

Although InterGame says a large market for its gambling software exists, the company has also developed trivia and strategy style games which offer a mental challenge to the player.

The most interesting feature of the system is its capability for the game to go with you from the airplane to the hotel where the player can continue a saved game through a link with television software.

The software system offers 32-bit games in 3-D, with full animation and sound effects.

British Airways has already purchased InterGame's system for international flights. Japan Airlines is reviewing the system. InterGames expects their system to be in many airlines within a year.

TNCI Announces RAVEN

The Network Connection, Inc., an Atlantis based manufacturer of the fully digital AirView® system for airline entertainment on-demand, featured its new Video Control Unit (VCU) at WAEA last week. Called RAVEN, the new system is a Windows® based, Pentium® powered network video appliance with internet access.

RAVEN can be an in-seat or laptop component with full Windows capabilities, networking, and unlimited applications from spreadsheets, through intranet and games to telephony. The touch responsive unit is small, measuring 10" x 13" x 1.6".

In addition to airline applications, RAVEN will also be used in trains, hotels, and educational institutions.

In-Flight Financial Transaction Centers

Swiss Air will be the first international airline to install onboard automated teller machines designed by Aero-Design Technology of Valencia, Calif. Cathay Pacific will follow quickly in their wake. Known as ATM+, each sidewall mounted machine will convert several international currencies into the currency of the destination country.

The 70 kilo ATM+ identifies, validates and accepts different currencies. It then calculates the foreign currency using current, competitive exchange rates and dispenses paper currency and coins of the destination airport's country. It also accepts credit cards, debit cards and bank ATM cards.

Passengers can either receive the converted currency or have the value encoded on a proprietary magnetic stripe "Stored Value Card" that will let the passenger purchase catalog items, access phone/fax services, video-on-demand and gamble (where gaming is allowed by international guidelines) from in-seat monitors. Before landing, the mag-stripe card can be reinserted in the ATM+ so passengers can withdraw remaining funds as well as winnings.

Software that operates the ATM is linked to the aircraft's flight management system, allowing the terminal to automatically determine the destination and control which currencies are dispensed without any involvement from the crew.