cerealmarketer

Not directed at anyone in particular, but how is Continental's entertainment now uncompetitive for the international routes?

On transatlantic/pacific AVOD is coming to every 757 nose to tail, 777s getting there. 767s...well...the 787 will take care of a lot of that.

For Latam / Caribbean who is the competition? American with an A300 or 757 with a CRT TV screen?

Delta's flights aside, no one is going to Latam/Caribbean with more than 2-3 movies on a flight. In Continental and JetBlue's case it will be with a personal screen, rather than overhead monitor, and a somewhat broader selection.

rkkwan

Haven't you heard that CO and B6 will be *A partners soon?

TWA Fan 1

Indeed. I wonder if the combined company will known as UnitedBlue or LufthansAmerica...

iahphx

It sounds like a sweet FINANCIAL deal for CO to get TV on its planes and pay nothing. The terms would suggest, however, that Elites won't be getting the TV for free, though.

I just hope the free movies/audio don't get eliminated out of this. Given a choice of a free movie or six dollar TV, I'd choose the movie almost anytime.

fly co to see the yanks

i'm not. meals at mealtime are inconsistent and weak. i wish continental (CO) would offer better meals that i can pay for on board. similarly, i don't mind paying the $6 for TV since it beats the weak free movies they show. very similar situation.

TWA Fan 1

But from a competitive point of view, New Yorkers like us can either fly Y in CO, sit in 31" seat pitch and pay $6 for the same LiveTV that we can watch at no additional fee on B6 in either 34" or 36" seat pitch...

sbm12

And I trust that B6's advertising group will be sure to point that out to everyone here in NYC. Of course, I can't fly B6 to nearly as many places from NYC as I can CO, so there is some give and take there.

To your earlier point about kool aid, I don't think that you're seeing unwavering love for LiveTV here, certainly not as emphatic as the B6 crowd is. Most folks have responded "OK, but only if it is free to me" so it isn't a huge love-fest going on. Nice try.

pbarnette

I'll take this one.

It isn't just the entertainment, it is the whole product, particularly in Y. It is the 31" seat pitch in the back. It is the preponderance of 757s on TATL routes. I mean, in coach, is there a worse plane than a 757? It is genuinely awful. There is a reason people only fly Icelandair because they are cheap. And, by all accounts KEF is much better to connect in than EWR.

I think BF is more competitive, but sub-par lounges, lack of flat seats (of either the angled or horizontal variety), 55" pitch, and insultingly cheap wine don't do them any favors.

I will believe that the 757s have AVOD nose-to-tail when I see it. What is the current pace? 1 per 6 months, and counting? They better pick it up. The 777s are on a 4-year upgrade pace. Hell, we might have holographic, full-sensory smell-o-vision by the time they are done, and CO will still be behind. I don't rate airlines today on what they claim they will deliver tomorrow.

In the here and now, for virtually any TATL or trans-PAC journey, there is a better option in both Y and J for virtually every major market save (maybe) NYC. And even in NYC, the biggest destinations certainly have better options. I'm happy to come back and fly CO TATL when they actually put something in the air worth flying, but until then, I will continue to fly with better products (BA J, BA Y+, and NW Y, in particular). I fly CO when I can get an upgrade for the overnight leg that comes in cheap enough. Heck, 2007 would have been CO free, except the wife had a voucher to use up and the upgrade was available.

Before anyone asks, I stick with Onepass, because, at least to date, I find the premium to buy into the 100% EQMs on NW low enough that the elite bonus miles, lower reward rates, and VS and EK redemptions outweigh the added costs. Though, I have to say that 2008 is shaping up to be a BA-heavy year, so I may be out of CO's hair sooner rather than later.

Latin America is precisely why I said many. In Y, though, I think JetBlue is undoubtedly a better product, so I would say that CO loses on those routes where they compete. I'm not as opposed to AA as others, but I won't say it has a clear advantage.

TWA Fan 1

I was not claiming love fest, simply a very obvious change in tone, one that is, to my mind, a little too subservient to virtually every whim of CO management.

So we have gone from:

1. Bitter, unrelenting criticism and sarcasm concerning LiveTV, now transformed into mild praise...
2. Again, unrelenting criticism of B6's LiveTV, as a free product, but mild praise of the exact same thing as a pay-per-view on CO. Question: Can you just imagine the stream of invective around these quarters if B6 had decided to turn its PTV into a ppv product?

Of course, every time a CO customer spends six bucks, it's going mostly into JBLU's pocket...

rkkwan

You may have a point, but it doesn't help to exaggerate. That only discredits you.

6 of the 41 752s (Ships 104, 105, 110, 112, 114, 130) now have AVOD nose to tail, and things seem to be moving quite fast right now, though I expect the conversion to slow down come summer.

5 of the 20 772s (Ships 010, 013, 014, 019, 020) have AVOD nose to tail. They only do the conversion in HKG during heavy D checks. They were trying to get one/month, but the last two have been slower.

Just to set the record straight.

J.Edward

I'm no teckie but why not simply have an option for someone to enter their OP number and pin for verification?

Seems like there's ways for this to work out.

That said, I'm not a engineer so this is just a shot in the dark.

SteveHK

The posted that made the comment about Continental not having much control of the pricing is correct. A probable stipulation of getting LiveTV to give the technology to CO is that CO is required to charge for the service. Since LiveTV is a subsidiary of B6, it ensures that B6 remains the only carrier to offer LiveTV at no cost and thus, is a beneficial marketing strategy.

J.Edward

Since when have you been in support of LiveTV?



Methinks you might have one that argument! ^

What's your take on the internet?

CO's offering it for free but I don't suspect they're getting it for that.

TWA Fan 1

I am not privy to the terms of the agreement, but all the LiveTV deals are leases. CO could either choose to absorb the cost and pass it along in the price of the ticket or charge ppv...

It remains to be seen how many people really spend the $6. I would imagine about 30% on transcons and other long flights, but it could easily be 0% on mainline short haul...that means B6 is taking the risk, not CO.

Clearly that's what LK wanted.

pbarnette

Sure it is hyperbole. But, that is still just over 1 per month on the 752s, right? At that pace, we are still looking at maybe 30 months for the rest of the conversion to take place. I'm not willing to wait until 2010 for AVOD in the back of the plane. If you are aware of some other information that means we aren't talking about a 3-year roll-out, then please let me know. And, maybe if it was something better than a 752, I would be a little more kind, but it isn't and AVOD is just the start at making a 752 competitive with an NW A330 in Y, and my guess is that they won't ever catch up.

Same with the 772s. The first one rolled off the line back in March. So, despite their best efforts, the actual roll-out is around 1 every 2 months, right? Heck, I wasn't even that far off on this one, but I'll still concede to exaggeration.

My point, though I should have made it clearer is that I don't buy tickets based upon what I "might" get. I assess the minimum level of comfort and go from there. So, to me, 25% of the fleet isn't a huge selling point. And, like I said, once CO finishes, then I will reassess. And I do try to be fair. I try not to give BA credit for their next-gen J, except for those routes where it is basically guaranteed (like NYC 747s). I don't fly UA because they have one plane with their new J. Heck, I even booked away from EK on a recent reward redemption because I couldn't be sure that they had their new J product on the route.