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What
is the WAEA? A nonprofit organization founded
in 1979, the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA)
is the official worldwide network representing more than 90
commercial airlines and 250 airline suppliers and related
companies committed to excellence in inflight entertainment
and communications and the continual improvement of the airline
passenger environment.
Who
are the WAEA Members? The WAEA is comprised of
member companies from over 300 international and regional
airlines, aircraft manufacturers, motion picture studios/producers/distributors,
broadcast networks, electronic-content creators, music programmers,
record companies, magazine publishers, post-production houses,
licensing bodies, avionics systems manufacturers, audio/video
equipment manufacturers, and communications companies. Click here for Membership FAQs.
How
Is the WAEA governed? The WAEA, formed under established
bylaws, is governed by a 11-person board of directors drawn
from the airline and airline-supplier sectors of the Inflight
Entertainment/Communications industry. The day-to-day activities
of the WAEA are managed by an executive director, hired by
the WAEA board of directors, and administered by a professional
staff. The WAEA main headquarters is in McLean, Virginia,
USA.
What
are the benefits of WAEA Membership? The WAEA
provides its members with critical education/training, valuable
networking opportunities, exclusive information/research resources,
technical standards and guidelines, global industry recognition,
and showcases for the latest IFE products, content and services.
What
are the Avion Awards? The Avion Awards are awarded
annually to those airlines with the finest inflight programming
in the world, as judged by an independent international panel
of media experts. The Avion Awards are announced during a
special ceremony held in conjunction with the WAEA Annual
Conference & Exhibition. The awards honor the best in
airline inflight video and audio programming, inflight magazines,
and inflight entertainment guides. The awards ceremony culminates
with the naming of the top Avion Award, "Best Overall IFE,"
honoring the airline with highest ratings across the key judging
categories.
What
is IFE? Strictly speaking, IFE stands for Inflight
Entertainment; but, as passenger systems have evolved to include
communications (telephony, fax, e-mail, data links), information
(news, weather, stock quotes, web content), and interactive
services (video games, shopping/e-commerce, surfing the web),
the term "IFE" has likewise grown to encompass all of the
various entertainment, communications and information content,
features, and options available to the airline passenger on
commercial aircraft. IFE is also the general term for all
the hardware and software systems that deliver this variety
of content and connectivity to the passenger. Taken together,
content and systems provide the airline the means to keep
passengers satisfied, informed, entertained, and "connected"
throughout their journey.
Specifically,
IFE encompasses the following areas of participation:
- Airlines:
from long-haul international airlines to short- and medium-haul
national carriers to regional "short-hop" airlines.
- Aircraft
Manufacturers: from twin-aisle intercontinental aircraft
(widebodies) to medium & short-haul single-aisle aircraft
(narrowbodies)
- Avionics
Systems Providers: designers & developers of aircraft-certified
video, audio and communications systems.
- Media
Content Providers: movie studios, broadcast networks, TV
producers, recording studios, magazine publishers, independent
video producers, Internet/WWW sources
- Programming
Services: video & audio programming, licensing management,
advertising representation, audio/video duplication/multi-language
dubbing/digital mastering/post-production.
- Communications
Companies: satellite and terrestrial telecommunications
firms, satellite system operators, Internet and e-mail service
providers.
AIRLINES
What
role does the airline play in IFE? Airlines play
the most important role in the IFE industry. Airlines represent
and interface with the ultimate customer -- the airline passenger
-- with the purpose of creating a satisfying service experience
for each traveler. Airlines identify what their passengers'
needs are and manage the process to deliver the best possible
IFE services to those passengers.
Why
is IFE important to airlines? Passenger satisfaction
is one of the top priorities for any airline, and IFE is a
proven means to enhance the inflight experience. IFE is also
a means to advance the airline's "brand," and to differentiate
one airline's service from another's. To some extent, IFE
is an effective way for an airline to express its own national
or regional character.
What
does an airline IFE manager do? Though there
are exceptions, generally airline IFE managers are responsible
for the selection of the various entertainment programs that
will be played or exhibited on his/her airline. Varying with
the size of the airline, the IFE manager may personally select
each and every video title and audio passage and/or coordinate
the publishing of the inflight magazine. But quite often,
the IFE job is too big for one person to handle; and, the
airline may establish a department to manage all of the IFE
elements or it may hire an outside firm (see Programming Service
Providers).
AIRCRAFT
MANUFACTURERS
What
role does an aircraft manufacturer play in IFE?
Aircraft manufacturers establish quality standards for the
type of IFE equipment that is to be installed on the aircraft
they manufacture. Aircraft manufacturers play a key role in
establishing processes, under guidance of the FAA and other
airworthiness authorities, which ensure the safe operation
of the IFE-equipped aircraft.
Are
there IFE safety standards? Yes, absolutely.
IFE systems are designed, manufactured and serviced in accordance
with very strict guidelines established by the U.S. Federal
Aviation Agency and other National airworthiness authorities,
such as the UK's CAA and Japan's JCAB. No IFE system may be
installed on any commercial jet aircraft without undergoing
and passing an exhaustive series of technical qualification
tests to ensure safety of operation.
AVIONICS
SYSTEMS PROVIDERS
What
kinds of IFE systems are there on aircraft? IFE
systems vary in size and complexity. Some aircraft are equipped
only with boarding music piped in over the overhead speaker
system, while others feature sophisticated cabin-wide digital
video, audio, game controllers and Internet connections.
Why
are there so many kinds of IFE systems? Airlines
generally make an analysis of what their passengers want from
IFE and balance these requirements with the type and length
of routes the airline will be operating. Short-haul flights
are not conducive to showing a feature-length movie, so it
is not likely video systems will be needed for this type of
operation. Passengers on long-haul flights, on the other hand,
tend to demand more IFE services from the airline.
MEDIA
CONTENT PROVIDERS
Who
supplies the movies? Movies for airline exhibition
come from major movie studios, small independent ("indies")
producers, broadcast networks, and international distribution
sources.
Why
are most airline movies exhibited weeks & months after
theatrical release? In the U.S., movie producers
make most of their money from theaters and home video. Airlines
typically are licensed to exhibit a movie about two months
after it has been shown in U.S. theaters and just prior to
or concurrent with release to home video. This time gap is
known as the "Airline Window."
PROGRAMMING
SERVICES
Who
selects the movies for the airline? - See also
the Airlines section above. The Airline IFE manager is responsible
for the movie selection, but he/she may get a lot of help
in the process. Because there are scores of new films to review
each month, there is no possible way for an IFE manager to
watch every available film. The Programming Services firm
provides a screening service for the airline taking in the
tastes, preferences and policies of each client airline into
the selection consideration.
How do I get my audio or video "content" considered for play on airlines?
Individuals or organizations who would like their "content" (music, film, short-subject, etc.) considered for airline inflight exhibition should contact one or more of the several "Service Companies" that handle content acquisition for their group of airline clients. Your "inquiry" to the Service Company (sent by e-mail to the company's main e-mail address) should describe your "content" with as much detail as possible so the company can determine whether it has enough interest to proceed further (e.g., request a "sample"). Click here for a list of WAEA-Member companies (with their website links.) The "Service Companies" who accept such inquiries are denoted with an asterisk "*" .
Why
are airline movies edited and who edits them? Most airline movies are edited for two reasons: for technical
exhibition reasons and for content. First, feature films are
created with an aspect ratio for exhibition on wide-screen
movie theaters, whereas for airline exhibition, these films
must be modified to fit on the smaller overhead video screens
or on the small in-seat LCD monitors. Second, because airlines
carry young children as well as a diverse population of passengers
from diverse cultures, many airlines require movie edits for
language, sex, violence and political or religious content.
The film distributor generally handles this process.
I like the “family-friendly” edited version of the movie I saw inflight. Can I get a hold of this airline version? Because of special licensing arrangements between the film studio/distributor and the film producer/director, the “airline-edited” version of the film typically cannot be made available for rental/purchase to the general public. If, however, you wish to inquire, you should contact the Home Video Division of the particular film studio/distributor for the film in which you're interested. (Please note that the airline that exhibited the film does not own the film and cannot provide copies of the airline-edited version.)
Who
selects the audio programs, and why can't I buy them?
Most airlines hire audio programming firms to compile playlists
for their various audio channels. These programming firms
typically provide the DJs or host accompaniment, license the
music, and duplicate the music on tape or CD. Most airline
music licenses are for play-only and not for re-sale. Occasionally,
the artist or record company will enter into an agreement
to allow a work to be played on aircraft and sold to the passenger.
This is a relatively rare occurrence inasmuch as the record
company typically wants to sell the entire original CD/tape.
How
are movies dubbed for foreign languages? There
are several post-production companies worldwide that specialize
in providing foreign language dubbing for movies. Dubbing
is an exacting and difficult process. Most dubbed movies require
skilled interpretations of dialog matched to actors' verbal
actions. Quite often, movie director approval is required
for release of any foreign-language dubbed feature film. The
film distributor generally handles this process.
Why
can't I use my mobile phone on an airline inflight?
Maybe soon, but not for now. Mobile or cellular phone usage
has not been fully certified for use on commercial airlines
because of the remote possibility of interference with the
aircraft navigation and communication systems. Several international
communications firms are working on systems that will allow
the safe use of mobile phones from an aircraft but much testing
is still required. Complicating factors in reaching this goal
is that there are a number of competing mobile phone technology
standards, and it is difficult to arrive at a single standard
that is compatible for most people and all aircraft. The WAEA
Technology Committee has formed a Working Group to study and
advise on this development.
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