Philippe Carette, CEO, Thales InFlyt Experience.
American Airlines has chosen Thales AVANT IFE for its future fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The first of these next 22 Dreamliners will enter service in early 2020.
Philippe Carette, CEO, Thales InFlyt Experience, said: “American Airlines has partnered with Thales since 2011. Over the years, our exceptional collaboration and innovations have resulted in the highly-successful deliveries of 213 B737 and A320 family of aircraft with Thales IFE solutions.
“American Airlines has trusted Thales as the inflight entertainment partner for these new 787-8 aircraft. This award further demonstrates Thales’s commitment in supporting the airline’s ambitions to provide their guests the best onboard experience.”
Thales’ AVANT IFE system features a customisable passenger experience with a selection of features and applications including a wide choice of entertainment during their flight.
It said the new high-capacity server for the AVANT IFE solution has evolved to store a large catalog of HD movies, TV show episodes and music albums. Main cabin seats will be equipped with 10” screens and premium economy seats will have 12” fit high definition (HD) screens.
American’s business passengers will enjoy full HD 17” Flex screens, integrating the Avii touch passenger media unit, a handheld device offering an intuitive navigation and second-screen experience.
Thales says its partnership with American Airlines began in 2011 when Thales was first selected to equip their future B737 and A320 family deliveries. This long-standing relationship with the airline has supported the delivery of 213 single aisle aircraft with Thales’s inflight entertainment solutions.
Speaking at the APEX Expo, new CEO Carette said Thales focuses on “excellence in execution”. Carette replaced Dominique Giannoni who had led the business unit for the past five years.
“We are considered as the industry reference by our customers,” said Carette. He said Thales had on-time delivery times in excess of 99% and airlines pay attention to that.
“What our customers expect from us is innovation and connectivity, but delivered with excellence,” he said.
Thales also confirmed that the first Spirit Airlines aircraft fitted with Thales FlytLIVE equipment should take flight over the next few weeks.
Thales also outlined its inflight entertainment portfolios, including its newer Core and Prestige brands first outlined at AIX Hamburg.
It says Core is designed to achieve the best value and competitive cost of ownership.
Meanwhile, Prestige is at the top end of the spectrum offering leading airlines an exclusive solution unique to their brand. It is designed to enable passengers to connect, engage and enjoy their flight with the latest consumer electronic devices.
The system will feature ultra HD (4K) displays, while still being lightweight, low power and reliable.
Like this story? Subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter and get lots more.
The post APEX: American Airlines selects Thales for AVANT IFE appeared first on Get Connected.