Latest news with #AirTransportWorld
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BA is scrapping seat-back screens. They might be onto something
Kicking back, guilt-free, in front of a silly film or television programme is one of the last remaining joys of long-haul flights – eclipsed only, perhaps, by the free bar. But the days of seat-back screens and all-you-can-binge films could be numbered, as airlines tighten their purse strings and pursue other options to keep their passengers entertained. This month, British Airways is trialling a new system on selected long-haul aircraft that allows travellers to stream the airline's entertainment selection to their own devices. Dubbed a 'BYOD' – or 'bring your own device' – model, it is being offered in addition to the airline's existing seat-back screens, but other airlines are already taking a harder line. In June, Qantas revealed new screenless seats on its short-range routes, joining the likes of American Airlines, BA Euroflyer and selected Etihad services. Travellers' tastes are changing, too. More than 80 per cent of us consider inflight entertainment (IFE) important or very important when choosing long-haul flights, according to research by management consultancy Kearney. And yet, the same study showed that most 18- to 35-year-old long-haulers prefer to watch their own content and devices than the airline's. According to a report by Sita and Air Transport World, 97 per cent of us were flying with a smartphone, tablet or laptop as far back as 2014, so it's hardly a behaviour change to use them. Are you team IFE, or prefer to BYOD? Here, we examine the perks and pitfalls of each approach, and quiz industry experts and frequent fliers: should seat-back screens stay or go? Why the screen should go By the time you plonk yourself down in front of the seat-back screen, your patience is probably already wearing thin. Frazzled from the airport, all you want to do is be lulled by a nice Jane Austen adaptation, a Jennifer Lopez romcom or a gently violent Mission: Impossible film – but no, the bloody screen isn't working. You have to beg one of the cabin crew to reset it, at which point it blinks reluctantly to life, greeting you either in Spanish or Mandarin. Cue the litany of annoyances that a clunky, outdated IFE system inevitably entails: the labyrinth of menus, the dodgy headphone jacks, the 'touch-sensitive' screen that's anything but. Before you know it, you're prodding impotently at the non-responsive panel, twizzling your headphone cable in the socket (why no Bluetooth connection?!) and raising the hackles of your fellow passengers – especially the bloke in front whose headrest you're now punching. It would be simpler, would it not, just to whip out your iPad and watch that instead.
CNA
11-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Jetstar Asia ceasing operations: More than 500 employees to be retrenched
Singapore-based budget airline Jetstar Asia will cease operations from Jul 31. Its parent company Qantas cites increasing costs and competition among the reasons for the exit. More than 500 employees, from corporate staff to cabin crew, will be let go. Most are Singaporeans or Permanent Residents. Analysts also expect air ticket prices to go up in the next few weeks, as affected passengers search for other options. Chen Chuanren, Regional Editor of Air Transport World at Aviation Week Network, discusses the announcement. He talks about factors that led to Jetstar Asia's closure and how other budget airlines can capitalise on the routes they will leave behind.
