Finnair – Windows 8 tablets for in-flight entertainment

Finnair’s Business Class customers will be the first airline passengers in the world to have the opportunity to try tablets as in-flight entertainment.

Finnair has started a two-month trial of HP ElitePad Windows 8 tablets and wireless internet service on board one of its Airbus A330 aircraft. The plane, with the registration OH-LTT, will be used on both scheduled and charter flights. The test will take place in Business Class on scheduled flights and in Comfort Class on charter flights. Passengers willing to participate in the test are offered a tablet, which includes movies, TV shows, music and games. Additionally, the tablet includes wellness-related programs, such as a relaxation app to cope with time difference. Passengers will be asked to participate in a survey, and the information obtained will be used to develop Finnair’s in-flight entertainment service concept.

Finnair’s partners in this test also include Nordkapp, which is responsible for the visual design of the tablet’s user interface. OnAir provides satellite communications and the onboard Wi-Fi service (Internet OnAir) and Spafax the audio and video content.

“We want to enhance our customers’ in-flight comfort,” says Peter Gabrielsson, Vice President Customer Experience. “We want to test the functionality of the wireless network on intercontinental flights and how the passengers use the equipment during the flight. We are interested in learning how the use is divided between the fixed in-flight entertainment system and the tablet.”

“Microsoft and Finnair had a unique opportunity to re-imagine what in-flight entertainment means to our customers. Windows 8, with its revolutionary touch-optimized user interface and rapid application development, allowed Microsoft to quickly develop a visually stunning entertainment system and deliver a first-class experience to thousands of Finnair passengers”, says Riitta Eiskonen, Services Lead, Microsoft Finland.

Image: Finnair
Source: Microsoft