Panasonic 'Fusion' IFE seat

[BEagle]

I see from Flight Aviation News and Aviation Jobs from Flightglobal (http://www.flightglobal.com/home/default.aspx) that Panasonic are developing a lightweight economy class seat with integrated touch screen....

Can you imagine sitting back in your seat with some geeky kid banging away on an 'integrated touch screen' behind your headrest?

Not a terribly clever idea, methinks.

[raffele]

There's already touchscreen IFE in the skies. I've used it aboard BA several years ago...

[Triplespool123]

I thought they had touch screens on many IFE systems already

[Dazbo5]

JMC / Airtours / My Travel and now Thomas Cook when they inherited the A332's have had touchscreen since 1999!

Darren

[BEagle]

As I haven't flown in economy for many years, thankfully, could you confirm whether the touch screens to which you refer are installed in the headrests of the passenger sitting in front of you? Or are they mounted elsewhere?

[jethrobee]

Most of the airlines use touchscreens in the headrest of the passenger in front, certainly BA, Qantas, Emirates that I have flown with recently do.

I would love to meet the bright spark who invented this, and then buy him a round the world ticket in a seat allocated in front of a curious child.......

[Dazbo5]

Having flown on aircraft with touch screen seat back IFE many times (A332's), I can't say I've ever had a problem with the person behind touching the screen causing you to and feeling it. Maybe I've just been lucky. I think it's a great system and it's not like you need to press it hard, a gentle touch is all that's needed.

Darren

[liteswap]

Same here.

Although it's hard to escape the conclusion that thinner seats will mean more pax crammed in rather than an extra couple of precious inches for my legs.

[MidmarMile]

Kids under 4 should not be operating their own IFE, so if there is a problem it falls at the parents door. Kids 4 & older are far happier using the remote than the touch screen. My kids have been on may long haul flights since the age of 4 (now 12 & 10) and will always choose to use the remote. It's quicker & more accurate.

If anything it's the 50+ age group that will tend to press a touch screen too hard/often. I have been told at least once that the remote "confuses" them.

[robtheblade]

Too true Midmarmile, the touch screen system is so hard to operate that I have to get my 24yr old girlfriend to do it for me:confused: