ViaSat: Virgin America/Netflix deal is further proof of an IFEC revolution
In-flight entertainment is changing rapidly. No longer is the only entertainment from a screen above the passengers or played through an airplane video system that shows programs on seatbacks. Today, full length movies are being streamed via Amazon and Netflix. The world has changed dramatically.
Virgin America has now gotten in on the act with the announcement of a deal with Netflix which allows passengers to stream content from their Netflix account while flying, just as they would at home. The deal has been enabled by Virgin America’s partnership with ViaSat, which is supplying its Ka-band Exede in the Air connectivity service to 10 of the carrier’s new A320s. This is the same connectivity service that has enabled JetBlue’s partnership with Amazon Prime.
“We’ve really changed the scene of IFEC,” Don Buchman, ViaSat’s Vice President Commercial Mobility, told FTE at APEX Expo. Buchman said the aircraft is no longer seen as a “special place,” in the sense that people no longer think that once they are onboard an aircraft, they will be disconnected from their everyday lives. “If people can use the internet in-flight, they will use it just as they use it at home.” This includes using it to stream movies and television programs through the likes of Netflix, he said.
Have you dealt with the most annoying hotel guests?
Expedia just released its “most annoying hotel guest” list. And, parents are getting the evil eye from other guests, especially when they allow their kids to roam wild, making noise and playing in the halls.
Inattentive parents topped the list, aggravating 67 percent of respondents. Hallway hellraisers annoyed 64 percent of respondents, followed by complainers (54 percent).
Here’s the full list of irritating guests, from most to least annoying:
Inattentive parents: 67%
Hallway hellraisers: 64%
Complainers: 54%
In-room revelers: 52%
Bickerers: 26%
Poolside partiers: 22%
Loudly amorous (indiscreet lovemakers): 21%
Hot tub canoodlers: 20%
Business bar boozers: 12%
Elevator chatterbox: 6%
10 dirty secrets of car rental companies
Car rental companies are not all warm and cuddly. They are always trying to squeeze a bit more money out of us. Sometimes, when I don’t want to purchase their collision damage waiver or their full tank of gas, I get the third degree. I just say, “No, no, no.” However, I have seen plenty of customers succumb to the pitch of the rental car agents. Here is a collection of other hard sells one can expect from rental car companies.
The biggest point of contention, almost everywhere, is the collision or loss damage waiver (CDW/LDW). Legally it really isn’t insurance, but most consumers and many rental car agents call it “insurance” anyhow. And at somewhere around $30 a day, it can as much as double the cost of a rental.
Just how much is that cost inflated over the company’s actual financial risk? A few years back, one company told travel agents they could offer customers the unbeatable rate of $0 a day, provided the customer bought the insurance. Rental car companies repeatedly deny instructing agents to use hard-sell techniques to sell insurance; “deep throat” former agents report that compensation and advancement are often tied directly to insurance sales.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.