Singapore Airlines has claimed a
world first this week – the ability to plug your iPod into the in-flight
entertainment system and listen to your music or watch your videos through
it. The airline has introduced the new feature on its new all-business class
services between Singapore and New York.
I don’t really get this. The airline ahs obviously spent good money on
developing this feature but I wonder how many people will actually use it,
given that you can already listen and watch on your device as it is.
Watching a film that’s been designed for the iPod’s small screen on
Singapore’s admittedly luscious 15.4 inch touchscreen is likely to be as
satisfying as watching a YouTube clip on a 48-inch plasma.
I do wonder where airlines get their ideas sometimes so if any of the bods on
airline product design teams are reading this, perhaps they would like to
take into account this list of things I would like to see on planes:
- Nice coffee. I know there’s probably some reason to do with
taste buds, altitude and cabin pressure that means this is an impossibility
but I’d really like to be able to drink a freshly made cappuccino with
my breakfast. And no, those expensive Saile and Sagba coffees on Ryanair do
not count (£2.10…on Ryanair for goodness sake). The first airline
that starts employing baristas will have my business like a shot (of
espresso)
- Cockpit and galley webcams. Find out what the captain, first officer
and cabin crew are up to throughout the flight and watch it from the comfort
of your seat. It would be far more entertaining than the map channel.
- Quiet aisles. I have a personal preference for the aisle seat but at
the same time, I hate when I’m woken up mid-flight by a trolley or a
fellow passenger banging into my elbow. How about designating one of the
aisles as a quiet aisle? Before, you say anything about single aisle planes,
why don’t they make the aisle wider?
- My own choice of TV programmes and films on demand. I’d like to
fill in an online form before travelling telling the airline what I want to
see on my in-flight entertainment system. Mr Bean is unlikely to feature.
- At-seat drink dispensers. Water to avoid dehydration. Beer on tap to
bring it right back on.
There you go. I have thrown down the gauntlet. Oh, and I’m not expecting to
have to pay too much to fly on this airline either – if I wanted a private
jet I would have chartered one. Is that too much to ask?
I would be completely loyal to the first airline that banned children
Paul, Pittsburgh, USA
'why don’t they make the aisle wider?' Uh -- because the diameter of the fuselage is fixed? To widen the aisles, you would have to make the seats narrower. Duh!
RNB, Atlanta, USA
Oh Bravo!
Your first point is my MAJOR gripe with hotels and airlines alike. 5-star, business class - they are incapable of producing a decent cup of coffee.
The only place I have found so far that gives good coffee is Spain - even in the airport cafes; but not, alas on its airline!
rodriguez, Cadiz,
Thanks Mr Sattin for your excellent recommendations for restaurants in Bruges. We dined at In den Wittenkop and enjoyed a superb set Menu dinner for €35. The prices had increased since your article! We also visited The Chocolate Line and were not disappointed. Martins Brugge hotel was brilliant
Mrs Paddy McNeish, Southport, Merseyside, UK
How about we install a webcam in your office, so you can be observed at our leisure?
Chris, Fredericksburg, USA
More musings from people who don't have a clue about airline management and the costs involved. Amusing, but pointless given the realities of jet travel.
Mike, London, UK
Nice suggestions, but then the customer would actually have to pay more money, maybe even what it really costs! The airlines are the only business that cannot seem to charge what it takes to cover their expenses.
Chris, Princeton, US
How about internet? Id' love to have that.
Bill, London, England