US Appears to be finally starting the new IFE test

[LGA777]

We all know the new IFE test that was supposed to be done on a single A-320 was delayed several times and some wondered if was it was even going to happen.

Well today a major milestone appears to have occured. A-320 A/C 680 (the original planned test aircraft) ferried to RME (Rome, NY) for drumroll please, new IFE instalation. It appears the Lumexis IFE product is the one that will be installed.

While there is no gurantee US aircraft will all have seatback IFE at this time next year to me it sounds like a "very positive" development on the long road of having seatback IFE at US.

Hopefully the instalation and test phase will be successful and this might become a reality. US seems to have little to offer compared to many competitors in a lot of markets, this could change that for many fliers.

Regards

LGA777

 

[YVINTERN]

Does anyone know the trip pairing for this a/c #? If not I could try to look it up in DECS later.
I ask because I'd like to actually see/test the IFE out 😉

 

[LGA777]

Does anyone know the trip pairing for this a/c #? If not I could try to look it up in DECS later.
I ask because I'd like to actually see/test the IFE out 😉

No offense ment but your putting the cart before the horse. 680 got to RME today, it will be there for a couple weeks.

When it does re-enter service not sure if they are going to try and use in certain markets or just route it as just another A-320.

LGA777

 

[YVINTERN]

No offense ment but your putting the cart before the horse. 680 got to RME today, it will be there for a couple weeks.

When it does re-enter service not sure if they are going to try and use in certain markets or just route it as just another A-320.

LGA777

Thanks...I jumped the Gun here...but I'm sure they will be using it in certain markets unless they're idiots...

To quote "Under the Tuscan Sun"

"Signora, between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come. "

 

[nycbusdriver]

While there is no gurantee US aircraft will all have seatback IFE at this time next year to me it sounds like a "very positive" development on the long road of having seatback IFE at US.

I agree that having IFE is a major plus. If this system works well and is a profit center for USAirways, they will be installed as absolutely quickly as possible. Gotta get those credit card swipes racked up ASAP!

 

[iheartairbus]

Does anyone know the trip pairing for this a/c #? If not I could try to look it up in DECS later.
I ask because I'd like to actually see/test the IFE out 😉

One of the people showing this system off in the PHX crew room a couple weeks ago said that it would be in a locked routing for the 1st month... PHX-SNA-PHX-ATL-PHX.

 

[UPNAWAY]

I had heard the companies Engineers are in SNA so they wanted it in and out of SNA all day.

Another system is also being tested, I am not sure when, but think it will be right after this one comes out.
Takes about 30 days to install.
This one is the Fiber optic one which no other airlines use at this time.

The other is the Jet Blues system I think. Also the IFE deal will be something like the catering with the winning company assuming the install cost and risk .

 

[PHL Approach]

Sweetness, I was just thinking about this a few days ago when I saw 680 in PHX. Can't wait to see what the product can do.

 

[Diamondbacks2004]

PHOTOS: The Lumexis IFE system that could find itself on a US Airways A320.

Which colors are they going to put seat-back Lumexis IFE system on new blue leather seats? gray, blue, black, red or white???

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/runway-g...ife-system.html

 

[US AIRWAYS FAN]

I have a question. Now I was told (I can't remember who said this). Is it true that the powerports were turned off because the IFE on the airbuses was turned off? Are they on the same circuit? If that is true does that mean they powerports will be turned back on if IFE is installed?

I hope someone can set the record straight.

T

 

[N965VJ]

I took a look at the sparse Lumexis website (Copyright 2007 at the bottom of every page).

On the Products Page, the first benefit is lightest weight. The second selling point is lowest cost (see a trend?). Next is Future Proofed and no black boxes under the seats. Now, I’m a big dumb guy, so not having a black box under the seat sounds great, but I don’t see where Lumexis is touting what a great customer experience this will be.

It’s nice that IFE *might* coming back, I’m just suspicious of this vendor choice.

 

[SS255]

I took a look at the sparse Lumexis website (Copyright 2007 at the bottom of every page).

On the Products Page, the first benefit is lightest weight. The second selling point is lowest cost (see a trend?). Next is Future Proofed and no black boxes under the seats. Now, I’m a big dumb guy, so not having a black box under the seat sounds great, but I don’t see where Lumexis is touting what a great customer experience this will be.

It’s nice that IFE *might* coming back, I’m just suspicious of this vendor choice.

I believe that US will be the launch customer for the Lumexis system, if they go with it. My suspicion (and I could be wrong about this) is that US was able to negotiate a sweet deal to be the guinea pigs. The toughest part about launching an IFE system is getting that first airline to sign on. It's win-win for both companies if Lumexis makes it worth US's while.

The light weight is also a plus, as long as the system is reliable. Granted, there are other IFE systems out there which have been proven, but they are probably far more expensive than what Lumexis offers.

Don't be so quick to bash this company. Lumexis was started by people with many years of experience at various IFE hardware companies. I would not underestimate these guys. They are extremely knowledgeable in the technical aspects of IFE, and I think they know what they're doing.

 

[SS255]

PHOTOS: The Lumexis IFE system that could find itself on a US Airways A320.

Which colors are they going to put seat-back Lumexis IFE system on new blue leather seats? gray, blue, black, red or white???

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/runway-g...ife-system.html

Did anybody else notice the credit card readers in the close-up??

 

[nycbusdriver]

The light weight is also a plus, as long as the system is reliable. Granted, there are other IFE systems out there which have been proven, but they are probably far more expensive than what Lumexis offers.

It could be a Mercedes vs. Honda thing.

Or a Mercedes vs. Yugo!

 

[1Conehead]

Another system is also being tested, I am not sure when, but think it will be right after this one comes out.
Takes about 30 days to install.
This one is the Fiber optic one which no other airlines use at this time.

If the fiber optic cable was going to the seats I don't see that system working longer then a week.
If you saw the smashed and abused wiring of the current IFE systems you would wonder why it still works (most of the time).
Fiber optic cant take that kind of abuse (a sharp bend can render it almost useless).