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A case of cabin fever

With Emirates, Qatar Airways and Airbus making the headlines at the Dubai Airshow, 7DAYS looks at the future of inflight entertainment
With Emirates Airline opening its cheque book to the tune of $18 billion for new additions to its already enviable fleet, and a high-profile spat between Qatar Airways and France's Airbus, there were plenty of attention-grabbing headlines at last week's Dubai Airshow. But, on the exhibition floor, away from the jet fighters doing barrel rolls overhead, visitors could get a more low-key glimpse into the future of inflight entertainment.

The growing importance of such systems was underlined towards the end of the show when Etihad Airways announced a $1 billion deal that pointed to how we will soon spend our time in the air. The UAE carrier inked an agreement with Panasonic which will see passengers enjoy highspeed internet, mobile phone services and live TV in mid-air. It comes after Gulf Air said last month it had received its first aircraft with satellite services - laying claim to the bragging rights of, it said, being the first airline in the world to offer live TV. So 7DAYS was happy to keep its feet on the ground at the airshow and seek out the best consumer technology coming to a cabin near you soon.

Vision System's VisiVIP
Belongs to the AVOD family - that's Audio Video on Demand to you. The VisiVIP may look and feel similar to the screen that you are currently presented with when you fold yourself into your airline seat. But it really is a whole lot more. Not only can you watch movies or live TV, play Xbox or PlayStation games, or plug in your own iPod, iPad or smartphone, you can even video call. With USB and wireless connectivity and even cabin light and air flow control, this really is a fully flexible inflight system. Vision System's chief executive Carl Putman, says its 3.5kg system is well ahead of the competition:

"Our unique selling point is that with our one VisiBox we replace what our competitors have been doing with six different boxes at 50kg. That's because it is based on a special chip we have developed called the DaVinci microprocessor, which is the same as a smartphone." Six of the microprocessors are in each box - and its 126 GB memory and can store 100 films.

Lufthansa Technik's NiceView
In the information age, real time flight information or "infotainment" has proved a hit. Pushing the new medium's boundaries is German firm Lufthansa. The carrier has created a 3D infotainment system that it says will give all passengers a window seat. While this might be a bit far-fetched, it does offer eye catching high-resolution 3D maps that show what you are flying over, and a host of other information. Just as you would on Google Maps, you can zoom in to the scenery and have a closer look. And, if in another life you dreamt of being a pilot, the cockpit views are for you.

AIM Aviation raise the bar
When it comes to in-flight entertainment - it's not all about gadgets and gizmos. Sometimes a simple service is enough - just look at Emirates' head-turning onboard bar on its A380 aircraft. Mark Edwards is boss of AIM Aviation, the company that helped design the sky-high bar. His firm also designed Korean Air's recently revealed on-board duty free store. "Korean Air has the highest duty free in-flight revenue in the world. They receive $200 million a year in in-flight revenue, which is phenomenal," he said. "They decided they wanted an in-flight store."

Working in the tiny confines of an aircraft, just presenting items such as whisky or perfume bottles needed a technical fix. How do you get a full glass bottle to stand tall amidst turbulence and bumpy landings? "Each of the products is held down by a magnet," says Edwards. "The bottles can weigh up to 3kg so we had to get some very powerful magnets. We had to test all magnets to make sure pacemakers were not affected, as well as mobile phones and credit cards," says Edwards.

© 7Days 2011