Services on board singapore Airlines launches Connexion-based live tv

SINGAPORE Airlines today became the first airline in the world to introduce live TV on international flights, introducing a Connexion by Boeing-based service on the Singapore-London route.

Four international channels - BBC World, EuroNews, Eurosportnews and CNBC – are being delivered live to passenger wireless laptops in all three cabins via the Connexion satellite broadband data system.

SIA originally introduced Connexion on Singapore-London to provide email and corporate network and Internet access; and intends to make it available on other selected long-haul routes in the future. The live TV feed will be extended to the in-seat IFE system from next year.

Passengers pay no extra for the TV service beyond the standard Connexion fixed and metered tariffs.

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Onboard cellphone

PASSENGER communications provider OnAir has received letters of intent from three airlines planning to implement the Airbus/SITA joint venture's onboard cellphone service and is now finalising agreements with the carriers. Two of the three letters also cover data services.

A further announcement about the deals is expected in the next two to three months, according to Geneva-based OnAir.

"We know there's a strong market for onboard passenger communications and we have seen significant interest from airlines across the world," says OnAir CEO George Cooper. "These letters of intent show very clearly that our predictions are correct - it's great to have that validation. We’re very keen to have the full package of OnAir services flying as soon as possible, and this is a major step."

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Bad passenger behaviour

It happened on a B757 as it was taxiing out from a UK airport last year when a group of nine passengers were SUBSEQUENTLY offloaded due to disruption and abusive BEHAVIOR during taxi-out.

Incidents like this are no longer few and far between, but why? Although the CONSUMPTION of alcohol itself is not the only cause of passengers MISBEHAVIOR, it usually seems to be present as a factor in an alarming number of cases.

Common types of impropriety include: smoking in a no-smoking area (often in the lavatory); sexual molestation; indecent exposure; INAPPROPRIATE urination; pilfering alcohol from drinks trolley; fighting with other passengers and violence towards crew.

The two most common problems are the drunkenness and AGGRESSION towards cabin crew. Interestingly, over 10 per cent of disruption cases involved passengers being drunk prior to boarding the aircraft, and half of these again were noted by ground staff in the departure lounge, but in these cases no pre-emptive action was taken (such as preventing them from proceeding onto the aircraft or even informing the cabin crew of the potential nuisance).

There should be a single international reporting system to be used by all airlines. This should include a checklist for cabin staff so that all “details"(names and addresses of witnesses. geographical LOCATION etc.) are collated for a PRESENTATION in a court of law.

But more important, is the need for all airlines to unconditionally back their staff in all the decisions they take against UNRULY passengers and give them the training, defensive aids to reflect this. To this end, the US government has recently issued guidelines to US airlines and various pilot schemes are already underway.

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