How In-Flight Entertainment Saved JetBlue
Photo Credit: In its early years, JetBlue was defined by its in-flight entertainment system. JetBlue
Skift Take
JetBlue's in-flight entertainment wasn't just great for its consumers, it was great for its business.
What many don’t know about the big JetBlue sale of its LiveTV to Thales in March of this year, which earned the airline $400M, is that it’s actually been a complex IFE (in-flight entertainment) hot potato tossing contest from the beginning, aimed at ensuring that the technology would not fail before it had a chance to take off.
This is an excerpt from our latest Global Trends Report "The Rapid Ascent of In-Flight Entertainment," which examines what’s coming next for onboard movies, television, games, and connectivity.
LiveTV came about as part of a series of acquisitions and sales of AirVision technology, which debuted in the 1980s.
BE Aerospace, the leading aircraft seating manufacturer, first acquired the technology from Phillips seeing the future potential of it, then effectively rebranded and deployed in a joint with Harris Corporation in 1998. Later, BE Aerospace sold its shares i
