Originally Posted by
ACYYZ/SD
Perhaps it's the ad revenues that allow AC to continue to provide the service on a complementary basis, while most (if not all) of our counterparts are charging for it.
If not mistaken, don't believe it's an issue any longer on US. Didn't they deactivate/remove their IFE on routes other than Hawaii and International?
I agree that the ad revenues probably allow AC to subsidize the cost of implementing and maintaining the service. However the system arguably should be able to differentiate between various pax and provide an experience based on the amount paid for the ticket or your status with the airline.
For example a passenger paying over $5k for a TATL flight in ExecFirst shouldnt have to watch ads before every movie or show as well as the mandatory ads played after safety briefings
Also some fares within Canada are pretty steep. A flight from YYZ to YUL last week cost me almost the same as my flight from LHR to YYZ. I can see myself watching ads for my flight from LHR to YYZ but if I am paying the same amount for a much shorter flight (7 hours vs 1 hour) shouldnt the entertainment cost be built into the ticket price...
also as a frequent flier this might be another way of differentiating the service. Similar to dedicated checkin counters and extra baggage allowance... how about no ads for your flight? I am sure the system could handle this. It probably wouldnt cost the airline much and you could use it as another benefit for your frequent fliers (then again most companies are probably targeting the frequent fliers making this a moot point)