The Press Box

Writing for the Aircraft Interiors Expo, John Walton examines the IFE sector’s response during the COVID pandemic

Aviation and transportation journalist John Walton spoke to several IFE industry players, including Bluebox’s CEO, Kevin Clark, for a post on the Aircraft Interiors Expo blog that looked at IFE vendors’ responses to the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Walton writes: “It’s a complicated web that includes managing ageing content, replacing the functionality of printed material like magazines and menus, extending lifespans of systems onboard, adding retrofit programmes, and accelerating the arrival of wireless ordering and payment.”

With airlines still in ’emergency mode’, Bluebox’s Kevin Clark highlighted that at a basic level, to help them ensure onboard safety and build passenger confidence in travel, “[airlines] have a desire or even requirements to include COVID-related messaging in their systems, an explanation of hygiene procedures on board for example. This needs to be injected into the active content set at the appropriate points.”

More broadly, Clark also said that while trying to occupy an ‘appropriate place’ in airlines’ attention, “it’s about ensuring that Bluebox is working with the right staff in the context of furloughs, playing a supporting [role], and working through integration challenges quickly to get offerings in place on board the aircraft.”

Click here or on the image below to read the full article on the Aircraft Interiors Expo blog.