Virgin Australia’s innovative in-flight application
Virgin Australia has been working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to allow its customer’s gate to gate access of their personal electronic devices.
The exemption to existing rules which prohibit the use of personal electronic devices other than at cruising altitude means customers will no longer need to miss the end of an in-flight movie, or put away their e-reader just as a book reaches a key plot twist.
Virgin Australia stated the electronic device rules have been a key area of customer feedback, with guests unable to watch a full movie between Sydney and Melbourne, and those whose services were delayed in flight due to weather or turbulence required to turn off their devices prematurely.
If successful, the application would allow guests to use electronic devices to access content through Virgin Australia’s Wireless In-flight Entertainment system or stored content on their own device, from departure gate to arrival gate.
This is an initiative that Virgin Australia chief customer officer Mark Hassell said the company looked forward to delivering for guests as the past four years have seen the airline committed to delivering a seamless flying experience to guests; driving innovation on the ground and in the air.
“We continually innovate through technology; we were the first to introduce Wireless In-flight Entertainment through your own device and offer hundreds of hours of movies, TV shows, music and more.
“In-flight entertainment is a key driver of customer satisfaction and this application marks the next phase of that product evolution,” Hassell added.
Virgin Australia will work to immediately implement the use of hand-held personal electronic devices from gate to gate, pending CASA approval.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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