"The Illusion of Control" : James Boyd on IFEs

Posted December 8th, 2008 by sky1

James Boyd - VP of Singapore Airlines’ public relations for the Americas - described the importance of In-flight Entertainment (IFE) in IEEE's (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) September issue :

" For many carriers, IFEs are a nice add-on or a nice frill; for us, they’re absolutely essential. On those flights, IFE is as important as food, which is keeping passengers satisfied.

In-flight entertainment is not just about providing you with music and movies; it also fits into the psychology of how we create a satisfied passenger. This is a business where consumers who are used to having a tremendous amount of control in their lives have to give up most of that sense of control.

Airlines tell you when you have to come to the airport, when you can board, when the aircraft is going to leave, how long it’s going to be aloft, and when you can get out of your seat, and that creates an enormous amount of stress for passengers. From a psychological perspective, we use the IFE system as a means of providing almost the illusion of control for the passenger.

If you can start, stop, pause, and rewind from a broad slate of options, it gives you something very specific to do. More important than that, it gives you a way to exercise control over your environment. We find that that is a really critical tool for helping to create a more satisfied passenger."