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Finnair’s new inflight entertainment system

In brief

Asiakas
Finnair

Summary: With the new inflight entertainment system, Finnair is able to better serve its customers and ease the workload of their cabin crew.

Design: The physical and digital environments are more integrated and the inflight entertainment system is now more personal and dynamic, keeping the customer up-to-date about their journey in a non-obtrusive way.

Overall: the renewed inflight entertainment experience makes it possible for passengers to access information they need, when they need it while enjoying a relaxing, elevated journey.

Finnair.com

Finnair elevates its long haul cabin experience and inflight entertainment system with an extensive renewal. The already praised inflight entertainment system (IFE) is now even more intuitive, personal and adaptive allowing for a more relaxed journey.

Often inflight entertainment (IFE) systems are turnkey solutions. At Finnair, we decided to custom build our IFE to ensure seamless user experience across our digital platforms. This enabled an IFE that is more personal, dynamic, and equipped to service different cabin class needs. The seamless integration to Finnair’s ecosystem means that inflight service, flight information, connecting flights, Finnair’s loyalty program, and shop are all in sync with the IFE.

Video, toistetaan. Finnair IFE presentation

Learn more about creating Finnair's new inflight entertainment system.

Strategy: A relaxing journey from gate to gate

We all have individual needs when we travel. Business travellers have different priorities to families or holiday-goers. What we all appreciate is a relaxing, stress-free journey. Finnair’s new inflight entertainment allows passengers to access the information they need – when they need it – while enjoying a relaxing, elevated journey.

Thanks to the new IFE, crew announcements can be kept to a minimum as connecting passengers stay up-to-date about their journey through non-obtrusive screen messages. The force feed videos and announcements have thus been minimised. With the announcements being kept to a minimum the passengers can relax, still knowing they are always on top of their connecting flight information.The timeline on the homescreen is dynamic and adapts to the flight phase and time. For example, the passenger can easily check details of the upcoming dinner service directly from the timeline. In general, the timeline informs what to prepare for, what is happening right now and later during the flight.

Cabin crew can now communicate with the customers through messages sent from the cabin crew's own devices, which positively impacts their workflow. Previously the crew had to message via the crew terminal in the front galley. Now they can send the messages from anywhere in the cabin.

The IFE also onboards passengers to Finnair’s other digital channels including the Finnair.com ticket service and ancillaries, Nordic sky online portal and the Finnair app, increasing the customer engagement with Finnair.

User experience: Easy to use for all passengers

For us at Finnair, it’s vital to understand customer needs. Feedback is gathered actively and the company celebrates innovation. Overall, the renewed inflight entertainment system is a result of tight collaboration between Finnair’s key stakeholders: passengers, cabin crew, customer experience team and kitchen. For example, the darker look, sedate lighting and more private seating adds to the peaceful ambiance of the cabin, something that was pointed out in interviews with Finnair’s loyalty members.

The design of the new in-flight entertainment started with a design sprint to recognise the pain points for stakeholders. The team followed a human-centred design method. Being a global airline, our customer base is wide and multicultural. In order to understand the needs of our diverse customers, we did extensive user interviews in Finland, Japan and Korea. Not many products these days have the benefit of having the customers' attention for hours on end, so providing a smooth and delightful experience was crucial.

Creative Idea: Where physical and digital truly connect

Finnair’s new inflight entertainment is intuitive, fast and aesthetically pleasing. The visual design of the UI is harmonious with the revamped cabin interior, setting the tone for a peaceful, eloquent and entertaining travel experience. Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins all have their own IFE screens designed to reflect the look and feel and experience of each cabin class. The user interface visual is dark as well, which minimises the flashlight effect of night time travel. The monitors will automatically dim and turn off if the passenger falls asleep.

Passengers can now order some snacks or drinks directly from the IFE and pay the order with their own devices. The crew will then receive the order on their mobile and prepare the delivery accordingly. The feature not only helps streamline the crew's work process but also makes it accessible for all passengers – a welcomed feature for a shy traveller or one with a language barrier.

The inflight entertainment boasts a wide selection of movies, series, music and games. New dynamic categories enable recommending relevant entertainment based on the route. Beyond entertainment, Finnair provides the passengers with up to date information on their journey, destination and connecting flights, thus ensuring peace of mind and a possibility to prepare for the next phase in their trip.

Implementation: Custom-built for best user experience

The new inflight entertainment system is fully custom-built to ensure the best user experience. Often inflight entertainment systems are generic turnkey solutions. At Finnair, we see the inflight entertainment system as a possibility to elevate the passengers' flight experience.

The seamless integration to Finnair’s ecosystem allows nearly real time content updates. This means that releases can be uploaded to aircrafts from the ground server. For example messages regarding connecting flight information can be sent from the ground and passengers get up-to-date information on their connecting flights.

66%
Passengers rating the new inflight entertainment as excellent or very good.
+14%
Increase of the rating compared to the old inflight entertainment.
1
2022 Red Dot Award winner in User Experience Design.

Results

With the new inflight entertainment system Finnair is able to better serve its customers and ease the workload of their cabin crew. The physical and digital environments are more integrated, allowing for an elevated experience. The inflight entertainment system is now more personal and dynamic, keeping the customer up-to-date about their journey in a non-obtrusive way.



66% of passengers score the new inflight entertainment as excellent or very good – a 14% increase compared to the old inflight entertainment. In 2022, Finnair's new inflight entertainment received the acclaimed Red Dot Award in the User Experience Design category. Overall, the renewed inflight entertainment experience makes it possible for passengers to access the information they need, when they need it and while enjoying a relaxing, elevated journey.

People behind the work

Finnair

Harri Valkama, Product Owner
Marja Ojala, Design
Fangyi Lee, Design
Jiyoung Son, Design
Mani Gupta, Project Management
Kristina Pääkkönen, Technical Direction
Eeli Jokinen, Programming
Jaakko Mutikainen, Programming
Oleg Mironov, Programming
Roman Dunets, Programming
Juha Untinen, Programming
Hoang Vo, Programming
Kristiina Ojamets, Content Design
Katri Pehkonen, Content Design
Mikko Uusimaa, Scrum Master
Anna Castello, Customer Experience
Tiina Suvanto, Customer Experience
Ville Sundman, Design

Nitor

Annina Kivikari, Design
Timo Tenhunen, Programming

Reaktor

Jussi Malinen, Programming
Reko Tiira, Programming

...and many others who have helped the Finnair inflight entertainment team along the way. Thank you!