The FINANCIAL — South African Airways (SAA) has entered into a partnership with Samsung Electronics South Africa to upgrade the in-flight entertainment offering to business class customers travelling on regional flights. Executive travellers demand an in-flight multimedia system that replicate, or even transcend, the experience they have on the ground.
“Our partnership with Samsung is key to our value proposition and will set us apart from our competitors, where no such offering currently exists. We are pleased to be able to deliver an enhanced service, flexibility and product offering to our premium class passengers. We believe that as a brand we need to constantly evolve our offering to our customers, and this new and improved on-board experience alongside, premium mobile Samsung devices, will further augments our positions as a full service and innovative airline,” says Sylvain Bosc, SAA Chief Commercial Officer.
Samsung is synonymous with quality and innovation, which also resonates with the SAA brand and this collaboration, will deliver a smarter, more convenient in-flight experience for South Africa’s national airline’s customers. With productivity and an improved infotainment experience in mind, the business class traveller can now enjoy the Samsung mobile experience.
This exclusive agreement will see 500 Samsung tablets available aboard selected flights longer than three hours. SAA begins the project on the Mauritius route at this stage, changing the travel experience for professionals and addressing their unique travel needs by adding more choice. The tablets are pre-loaded with content that can be used to read magazines, watch movies, listen to music and play games, according to South African Airways.
“During trial tests with SAA, passengers responded that they rated convenience and relevant information sources as key, while travelling. This partnership enables us to demonstrate the comfort, convenience, and content advantages that a Samsung tablet offers. After an extensive study we have customised the tablet experience to meet the specific and unique requirements of the SAA business class passenger,” says Michelle Potgieter, Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung Electronics SA.
Today, more corporate companies are partnering with technology firms to increase and enrich customer experiences and therefore, their value proposition. SAA, together with Samsung and Microsoft, developed the customised application for regional flights, and as result of this collaboration, travellers will now be able to access information anywhere, conveniently and benefit from a range of applications including the some of the latest magazines, TV programs and movies. New generation aircraft will also make provision for the tablet to be conveniently placed in a slot in the back of the seat, and equipped with a charging point.
This technology partnership provides SAA with a value-added service that takes the travel experience into new heights. Cabin crew are able to distribute the devices, which will contain both South African, African and international content, once in-flight and collect the tablets prior to landing for safe keeping.
“In association with SAA we are able to show our commitment to deliver the latest product innovation and value added services to consumers. Core to this offering is to provide business travellers with the convenience and the relevant content to enhance the travel experience, make their lives more convenient and add to their on-board experience,” concludes Potgieter.
Discussion about this post