Boeing Names Thales as First IFE Provider for B-787

Boeing named Thales to be its first recommended IFE (inflight entertainment) provider for the B-787.

Thales new TopSeries i-8000 that will be offered on the Dreamliner, uses a wireless network to deliver video and other entertainment to each passenger, and will interface with Connexion by Boeing's broadband connectivity system for high speed personal communications.

Mike Bair, Boeing's vice president and general manager of the 787 program, said the Thales system will eliminate much of the equipment typically housed under passenger seats that will save weight and cost "while providing a very high quality of service."

Boeing also sees wireless IFE as a way to allow airlines to more quickly reconfigure their airplanes to accommodate changing preferences, thereby reducing the amount of time it takes to change seating arrangements from hours to minutes.

Thales will open a new engineering laboratory in California to support the testing of the new system.  10-01-2005.

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