- September 2009
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Technology
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Airlines offer in-flight TV programs
Continental Airlines recently joined the ranks of JetBlue Airways, Virgin America, Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines in offering passengers in-flight satellite television broadcasts. Since April, Continental has installed DIRECTV® on 18 planes, and by early 2011 the airline plans to expand this service to offer 77 channels of live TV to passengers flying domestically on roughly 220 of its jetliners.
With the live TV offering being popular aboard low-cost carriers, Delta first offered live TV on its low-fare airline, Song, which was discontinued in 2006. The Song planes became a part of Delta's mainline fleet, and Delta now offers satellite TV on 98 planes flying domestic routes.
Continental is charging USD $6 per flight for DIRECTV® programming in economy class, while the service is complimentary in first class. The fee is payable via credit or debit card. Travelers can check the Continental website to find out how much of the fleet has been updated with the service.
In these difficult economic times, airlines are looking for ways to lure passengers onto their planes, and several carriers have turned to technological enhancements such as adding Wi-Fi Internet service or live television in flight with the hopes that these services will appeal to customers.
Sources: USA Today, UPI, continental.com
Air Canada launches iPhone application
Effective August 20, Air Canada has launched an Apple® iPhone™/iPod touch® application for travelers. The “app” allows travelers with Apple devices to track flight information in real-time, receive notification of itinerary changes, retrieve electronic boarding passes, and receive other details about Air Canada flights.
According to Air Canada, it is the first North American airline to offer such an application. The airline plans to evaluate the addition of new features to future versions of the app, based on customer demand.
Sources: aircanada.com, cbc.ca
