UPGRADE
Thai Airways
Plugs in
LIVE TV
Clockwise, from top:
Thai Airways now
offers LIVE TV across
all seating sections in
some of its flights;
the airline plans to
introduce the service
across its entire fleet;
passengers can now
track live news even
while in flight mode.The way you while away the hours on a long-haul
flight has just taken a big step in the right direction.
Simon Clays reaches for the remote and tunes in to
Thai Airways LIVE TV.THE WORLD OF CUSTOMER CONNECTIVITY
in the clouds took a significant stride
forward in the last month, with Thai
Airways’ launch of its live in-flight television
broadcasting technology, LIVE TV.
Built into an updated version
of the national carrier’s head-rest
entertainment system, the service is
already proving a boon to sports freaks
and news junkies. In fact, the system was
soft-launched during the recent FIFA
World Cup in Russia to a tremendously
enthusiastic payload. Imagine, no more
scrambled WhatsApp messages on
taxiing to get a last gasp update of the
scoreline. No more dead time pondering
the may and may-nots or the bubble of
rumour sweeping through the jet.
Just sit back, soak up the atmosphere,
and drink in the drama of whatever
sporting spectacle is playing itself out,
or track that breaking news as it happens.
All from the comfort of whatever seat
you happen to be travelling in across the
aircraft’s entire inventory. The service
kicked off broadcasting CNN, BBC, NHK,
and Sport 24, and having tried the service
out first-hand, we can tell you that
LI VE T V is smooth, intuitive, and feels
just like watching T V at home.
The in-flight magic comes courtesy
of Japanese technology giant, Panasonic,
which has somehow managed to forge a
seamless connectivity system that allows
wi-fi and a satellite signal to work with
each other without the usual glitches and
loss of network.
The service is yet to be rolled out
across the carrier’s entire fleet, but if
you’re on board any one of its A350-900s
or its Dreamliner 8 or 9s, then there’s an
excellent chance you’ll be able to enjoy
the service with your favourite tipple and
in-flight meal.
This is still the dawn for the biggest
innovation in in-flight entertainment
systems for many a moon, but we think
it won’t be too long before you’re scrolling
through Netflix or pondering your Series
options on Amazon Prime. CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SIMON CLAYS (2); SHUTTERSTOCK; NURPHOTO/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTYIMAGESThe service saw a sot
launch during the FIFA
World Cup in Russia.
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