Inflight editor Alexander Preston summarises the latest happenings across IFEC and cabin technology.
While media attention is currently focused on the plight of more than 150,000 passengers affected by the collapse of Thomas Cook, and rightly so, the impact is much more far reaching – from crew to the supply chain.
There are around 21,000 Thomas Cook personnel worldwide set to lose their jobs.
Suppliers are also anxiously waiting. For example, in April, Alpha LSG celebrated the 10th anniversary of becoming the airline’s Inflight Retail partner. The Inflight Retail teams of Alpha LSG and Thomas Cook Airlines collaborated on all aspects of the service including marketing, social media, crew communications and onboard merchandising.
Since taking over the airline’s retail programme in 2009 onboard sales nearly doubled.
In March, the airline revealed plans to introduce a ‘Sleeper Seat’ based on the Acro Series 3 Ultra model. The Sleeper Seat is a comfy mattress, with a fitted sheet, headrest, pillow, blanket and amenity kit, that sits across a row of three seats tucked away at the back of the aircraft.
A year earlier, the airline expanded its deployment of the AirFi Wireless IFE platform. An app gave complimentary access to Thomas Cook’s own content, while other content – including movies, TV shows, viral videos, magazines and games – was available for a fee.
While the UK government and the Civil Aviation Authority are working together to do everything to support passengers due to fly back to the UK with Thomas Cook between 23 September 2019 and 6 October 2019, the wider effects of its collapse, whether direct or non-direct, are still to be understood and felt.
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