An illustration showing two Boeing 787 Dreamliners bearing the American Airlines livery. Photo courtesy of Boeing
Thales will supply the next-generation version of its Avant in-flight entertainment system for American Airlines’ 22 newest 787-7 Dreamliners, which are set to begin service in 2020.
“American Airlines has relied on Thales since 2011. Over the years, our exceptional collaboration and innovations have resulted in the highly successful deliveries of 213 B737 and A320 family of aircraft with Thales IFE solutions,” said Philippe Carette, CEO of Thales InFlyt Experience. “American Airlines has trusted Thales as the in-flight entertainment partner for their new 787-8 fleet. This award further demonstrates Thales’ commitment in supporting the airline’s ambitions to provide their guests the best onboard experience.”
Thales said American’s economy cabins would be equipped with 10-inch and 12-inch high-definition screens, while business class would receive 1080p full-high-definition 17-inch screens. Business class will also receive the company’s second-screen handset, Avii, a 5-inch touchscreen LCD that acts as a controller for the system.
Thales’ Avant system is built on the Android operating system and touts an open software environment that allows airlines to select and integrate or build their own games and applications.
The company also said it would feature a new, high-capacity server that can store a larger catalog of movies, music and TV shows.
American Airlines has 41 Boeing 787s in its fleet, split about evenly between 787-8s and 787-9s. The airline has 47 more on order with Boeing with options that could push the eventual total to 117 Dreamliners, making American the largest customer for that aircraft. Of the 47 firm orders, 22 for the 787-8s will receive the new Thales Avant system.