By Hugo Martin
Los Angeles Times
In their ongoing quest to squeeze more revenue out of passengers, airlines are split on a big potential moneymaker: in-flight entertainment.
Large carriers such as Delta Air Lines have invested heavily in touch-screen entertainment systems that are built into seat backs. Southwest Airlines and others offer only onboard wireless Internet so passengers can watch movies and television shows using their own tablet computer or smartphone.
A few airlines have installed both systems.
“Airlines are taking very different approaches because each airline has a different perspective on how they run their business,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Atmosphere Research Group.
What kind of in-flight entertainment an airline offers reflects the type of passenger carriers are targeting. Airlines with seat-back systems are going after well-heeled fliers with money to spend on onboard food and entertainment. Carriers with only Wi-Fi hope to attract thrifty travelers looking for the cheapest airfare.
There are drawbacks and benefits for each entertainment system.
Seat-back systems can cost as much as $6 million and weigh as much as 600 pounds per plane, depending on the size of the aircraft. But the systems can generate hefty revenues by letting passengers buy food, drinks and entertainment with a touch of the screen.
Airlines that offer only onboard Internet call their entertainment strategy BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. Onboard Wi-Fi systems weigh only 70 or 80 pounds.
By eliminating the weight of the much heavier seat-back system, BYOD carriers save as much as $50,000 a plane a year on fuel costs — which they say helps to keep their fares low.
Industry experts predict that more airlines will remove the heavy and expensive seat-back entertainment systems and rely only on onboard Wi-Fi and streaming systems as the technology for wireless streaming improves to eliminate Internet slowdown.
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