AERQ’s AERENA takes to the sky on Discover Airlines
AERQ's AERENA in-seat system onboard Discover Airlines
AERQ has announced the installation of its AERENA in-seat system on Discover Airlines, a Lufthansa Group airline, in one of its A320 aircraft. The aircraft with tailsign D-AIUQ will serve medium-haul flights starting with the airline’s summer schedule as of March 29, the press release said. This implementation has been realized through a partnership between AERQ, Discover Airlines and Lufthansa Group Innovation Runway.
“We are very excited that AERENA now takes off and an airline as well as passengers get to experience what our platform has to offer. This is an important milestone for us and our parent companies,” said Arnd Kikker, Co-Managing Director at AERQ.
AERQ’s open IT platform AERENA is supported by cloud-based infrastructure and designed to enhance passenger engagement. It allows passengers to connect through their PED (Personal Electronic Device), acting as a seat-centric system that takes the passenger experience beyond the seatback.
Discover Airlines will provide a unique setup for passengers with an in-seat system on a narrow-body aircraft for medium-haul flights. Various use cases will be tested inflight to fully realize the potential of AERENA. Passengers will receive personalized offers and information digitally, including access to the onboard catering menu and a variety of applications that allow them to perform other actions, such as booking tours for their destinations.
“Agility and speed in content updates, customization of the onboard product for a personalized passenger encounter and opportunities for new ancillary revenues through gaming or destination content are the advantages that will be derived from the implementation of AERENA”, explained Son Yob (Louis) Pak, Co-Managing Director at AERQ.
AERENA allows rapid updates of all content - AVoD (Audio/Video on Demand), the user interface or any application to remain current. Onboard the AERENA-equipped D-AIUQ, Discover Airlines can customize its digital onboard product. Discover Airlines can also learn about the passengers’ entertainment demands and address them specifically through the AERENA system’s smart data capturing, analytics and matching.
"We are proud to be the first airline to trial this special entertainment system and to work together with AERQ on the next generation of inflight entertainment. Our goal is to test the system in everyday life and understand how to further improve and personalize the travel experience through feedback and usage behavior from our guests. The insights we gather during the test phase will make an important contribution to the further development of the inflight entertainment experience for the entire Lufthansa Group,” said Maximilian Meintgens, Director, Product & Marketing at Discover Airlines.
An STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) for the installation of the AERENA Inseat System has been issued by the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency), marking an important milestone for AERQ.
The project is supported by the Lufthansa Group Innovation Runway.
“Accelerating innovation enables us to continuously improve our customer experience, and this collaborative effort is a great example of that. We are excited and proud to see our investments in cutting-edge inflight entertainment, together with our partners AERQ and Discover Airlines, installed in our first aircraft,” said Xavier Lagardère, VP, Innovation for Lufthansa Group and Managing Director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub,
