United Airlines is to install Panasonic Avionics’ new Astrova inflight entertainment (IFE) solution on select new Boeing 787 and Airbus A321XLR aircraft, beginning in 2025.
The agreement builds upon the airline’s previous commitment to install Panasonic Avionics’ X Series and NEXT IFE systems on both widebody and narrowbody aircraft.
“Our customers tell us that they want to be engaged, entertained and productive in the air,” said Mark Muren, Managing Director – Identity, Product, and Loyalty, United Airlines. “Our new partnership with Panasonic Avionics will make that possible and enable us to set a new standard of inflight excellence as a key part of United Next. Together United and Panasonic will drive new standards of engagement when customers come onboard a United aircraft.”
Astrova offers 4K OLED technology, meaning the image quality is sharper, clearer, with an infinite contrast ratio, which delivers cinema-grade colours and the perfect black. It also creates a fully immersive experience for passengers with high fidelity 3D spatial audio delivered by Panasonic Avionics’ latest Bluetooth technology.
United’s passengers will also enjoy up to 100W of DC power via USB-C at their seat, providing the ability to fast charge the latest phones and tablets, and laptops through all phases of flight.
“Our partnership with United Airlines reflects our shared vision to take the passenger engagement to a whole new level,” said Ken Sain, CEO, Panasonic Avionics Corporation. “We are confident that Astrova will connect passengers to United more effectively than any other IFE solution, and we will continue to optimise passenger engagement with a cabin experience that keeps pace with innovation in the consumer technology space. Panasonic Avionics will perpetually update the passenger experience, introducing new products that bring enormous value and a major competitive advantage to United Airlines.”
