Software vendor Microsoft and Lufthansa Systems are showcasing the new BoardConnect app for Windows 8 to better in-flight passenger entertainment.
The app allows airlines to create better experience for their in-flight passenger entertainment systems.
Microsoft said the interactive solution will allow users to watch the latest movies, order food, shop, find information about their destinations and much more. The entertainment platform, which can be customized for new airline customers, allows them to configure devices to offer a uniquely branded product to their passengers.
“We are making BoardConnect available on Windows 8 to give passengers even more choices to use the platform,” said Norbert Müller, senior vice president of BoardConnect at Lufthansa Systems.
The app allows flight passengers to watch a wide range of movies, look at flight information and shop, all from their seat.
Lufthansa Systems joins other companies building aviation-focused solutions for Windows. Microsoft and Lufthansa Systems are working to give airlines a mobile advantage by creating an in-flight entertainment experience that delights passengers, moving pilots to electronic flight bags in the cockpit, and providing flight attendants with devices and apps that provide powerful point-of-sale and customer service capabilities.
“Airlines recognize that technological advances are a way to rise above the competition and be seen as innovators in the industry,” said Susan Hauser, corporate vice president, Enterprise & Partner Group at Microsoft.
In addition to the new BoardConnect app, Lufthansa Systems’ Purser Mobile Device application, mCabin, will also be available on Windows 8 devices in the near future.
The mCabin solution provides airline crews with all relevant flight details at a glance. An interactive duty calendar, briefings, crew positioning, and passenger information and reporting help airlines improve their onboard services and, subsequently, customer satisfaction.
Meanwhile, iPass, Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa announced that iPass Open Mobile subscribers will be able to access broadband in-flight Wi-Fi services aboard Lufthansa aircrafts. This agreement sees the footprint of the iPass Open Mobile Network extended to include hotspots in over 100 planes in Lufthansa’s fleet.
iPass users can access the service on nearly every Lufthansa long-haul flight. The service is easy to use: iPass customers can connect via their iPass Open Mobile client, needing only to enter their usual log-in details. Business users are able to comply with VPN and endpoint security policies while in the air, while enterprises benefit from simplified billing by avoiding a separate in-flight Wi-Fi access charge.
“Deutsche Telekom is strengthening its position as a leading HotSpot provider offering innovative Wi-Fi access in more than 55.000 places such as cafés, hotels, restaurants but also including cars, trains, airports and aircraft,” said Antje Williams, head of In-Flight at Deutsche Telekom.
