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http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/03/29/daily52.html?t=printable

Hawaiian Airlines launches new in-flight entertainment

Pacific Business News (<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Honolulu) - March 31, 2004

A Tacoma, Wash. company has invented a portable entertainment player that can be rented to airline passengers, and Hawaiian Airlines has inaugurated it.

The digEplayer 5500 has been tested in recent days on flights from Seattle to Honolulu, according to Bill Boyer, founder and chairman of privately-held APS, who was there renting players from the beverage cart.

"It was unbelievable watching the response from the passengers," he said. "We had three players running on top of the cart, showing a children's movie, 'Master and Commander,' and music videos. It took us less than 15 minutes to sell out all 68 players."

Boyer's manager of in-flight training, Ken Clark, who was also on the test flights, said, "Families of four had no problem paying for players for each members of their family. We even saw passengers returning home from the previous week, reserving players once again."

Luana Aiona, who is responsible for developing onboard services for Hawaiian Airlines, saw the digEplayer at the World Airline Entertainment Association conference in Seattle last September.

"I immediately realized the potential the digEplayer would have for us," she said. So she secured the device for Hawaiian.

Hawaiian Senior VP Marketing & Sales Gordon Locke said on five flights the digEplayer outsold headset sales nearly 5-to-1.

The player can hold over 30 full length feature movies and 10 hours of dynamic music content available on demand for the airline passenger.

Aiona said another reason she likes the device is that it is lighter and easier to maintain than any hard-wired in-seat system.