US Airways and Lumexis Corporation, a manufacturer of in-flight entertainment and communication systems, have partnered to test next-generation in-flight entertainment system.
According to US Airways, the customers will have access to hundreds of on-demand in-flight entertainment (IFE) options on certain flights. Lumexis Fiber-To-The-Screen (FTTS) next-generation system has advanced fiber optic technology, which requires less hardware and reduces the system’s weight by as much 50%, when compared to current IFE solutions.
US Airways has said that the Lumexis technology replaces traditional copper wire-based systems that were heavy, offered limited bandwidth and required under-seat boxes that reduced passenger leg room. The FTTS system substantially reduces the overall cost of ownership by lowering acquisition cost, minimizing spares provisioning, reducing fuel burn and decreasing repair costs.
Recently installed on a US Airways’s Airbus A320 and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operation during regular revenue flights, the system will be available for passenger use on a flight trial that the airline has already started. The installation was designed and overseen by Inflight Canada, and FAA certification was accomplished through Aero Certification & Engineering.
Andrew Nocella, senior vice president of marketing and planning at US Airways, said: US Airways is proud to have contributed to the development of the Lumexis system. During the flight trial we plan to learn more about the types of programming our customers want and how they want to pay for them.
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