Row 44 Unveils In-Flight Retail System

Row 44, based in Westlake Village, Calif., announced the creation of an in-flight entertainment and retail "store," which will allow pasengers with WiFi-enabled devices to shop from a variety of retailers during the flight. The walled-garden service, called Skytown Center, will leverage an airline's investment in in-flight entertainment (IFE) connectivity to add an additional revenue generating service, according to Row 44. Rollout partners include SkyMall, which will manage retail partners and their operations; multichannel retailer HSN, which will offer its live online video programming; and JiWire, BeDynamic and Pinger. First fly date is targeted for Nov. 1, the company said. The availability of Skytown Center begins with a pilot period where various service models will be tested. It also includes a technical trial of live television streamed over IP and simultaneous broadcast to multiple aircraft while in flight.