Passengers departing from Heathrow’s Terminal 5 this summer will be able to access recent Hollywood movie releases on their iPhones or iPads to watch during their journey. Using Heathrow EntertainMe kiosks movies, magazines and newspapers can be quickly downloaded in around a minute to enjoy at the airport and in-flight.
Two Heathrow EntertainMe kiosks offering a mixture of free and paid content will be located at gate level in each of Terminal 5’s satellites as part of the initial trial. Alongside local and international newspapers and magazines, recent movie blockbuster releases and classic titles will also be ready for quick download. Passengers can simply select their content on an interactive screen and pay via ApplePay or with their contactless credit or debit card. Once the passenger has downloaded their content, they will be able to enjoy it during their trip without having to access Wi-Fi or data services.
Heathrow’s EntertainMe kiosks have been developed by SITA and its partners, Orange Business Services and Adaptive Channel, to allow easy access to the latest entertainment. Today 90% of passengers are carrying a mobile phone or tablet and the 2016 Passenger IT Trends Survey reports that 46% of them are using their devices to access entertainment.
Roberto Segala, Heathrow’s Head of Commercial Services, said: “We are constantly looking to enhance the travel experience for passengers at Heathrow and these new EntertainMe kiosks designed by SITA will provide a unique entertainment solution for our customers.
“The initial trial will take place in Heathrow’s iconic Terminal 5, which serves more than 30 million passengers a year. We are very excited about this newest addition to Heathrow and look forward to seeing our customer’s reaction to this innovative product.”
Dan Ebbinghaus, Senior Vice President, Communication and Infrastructure Solutions, SITA, said: “We know passengers want access to the latest entertainment on their mobile devices and Heathrow’s EntertainMe kiosks make that quick and easy. Passengers get the content in seconds and can then access it without needing, or paying for, any data connection. Having these SITA-designed kiosks at Heathrow Terminal 5, which was voted the ‘World’s Best Airport Terminal’ for the fifth year in a row, is a great testing ground for this innovative service.”
The Heathrow ‘EntertainMe’ kiosks include a range of the latest newspapers and magazines, movies, TV series and, of particular interest to many travelers, city guides, destination video tours and similar items. They will be regularly updated to include new movie releases and other key content as they become available.
