Passengers on nearly all of Aeroflot’s Western-built aircraft, including its narrowbodies, can now treat themselves to in-flight entertainment consisting of a frequently updated large choice of highly-rated Russian and international movies. Along with new genres such as podcasts, the airline also promises a wider content selection with captions and audio descriptions.
One hundred new titles monthly
Last week, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced that it had introduced a new concept for its multimedia inflight entertainment (IFE) program. Beginning January 2022, the airline will add a catalog of at least 60 Russian and international films along with 40 new movie releases with an IMDb rating of 6.0 or higher monthly to the onboard library. The airline says this will ensure that Aeroflot passengers will be among the first to see the most anticipated new films.
It will also expand its catalog of award-winning movies and festival films and increase the offering of Russian and Soviet films. All in all, about 200 movies and just as many episodes of TV shows will be available to keep travelers occupied and entertained on the airline’s flights.
The carrier’s updated IFE concept will also feature new genres. These include ‘newms’ (нюмс in Russian, short educational animated videos that are a combination of news and memes), podcasts, and celebrity videos. The Aeroflot multimedia portal will now contain about 5,000 items of video, audio, educational material, and gaming content.
Improved usability and accessibility
The search function has also been given an upgrade with an enhanced catalog rubricator set to improve usability. Furthermore, Aeroflot says it now offers passengers with disabilities a wider choice of content with captions and audio descriptions.
While most airlines only offer IFE systems on their long-haul aircraft, Aeroflot says it is available on almost all of its Western-built aircraft. This includes its narrowbody Boeing 737s, Airbus A320neo, and A321neos, as well as most of their current engine option counterparts. Furthermore, it is available in all classes of service on the Airbus A350 and A330, as well as the Boeing 777.
Upgrading to premium offerings
Speaking of the Triple Seven and upgrades, it is now nearly six months since Aeroflot unveiled its new and refurbished 777. The retrofitted aircraft feature a new business class with the popular Collins Aerospace Super Diamond Reverse Herringbone seats.
The continued product upgrades from the SkyTeam member are part of its quest to position itself as a five-star airline as it rearranges roles and fleets within the broader Aeroflot group. Aeroflot itself will focus on long-haul and premium flight routes.
The carrier will also significantly shrink its fleet, passing on its Russian-built Sukhoi Superjets to subsidiary Rossiya Russian Airlines and all of its Boeing 737s to low-cost branch Pobeda. Meanwhile, Rossiya is also petitioning Irkut for an IFE system for the Russian-made MC-21.
