Irvine, CA
2023
Designing the Future of In-Flight Entertainment
Thales partnered with Formist to rethink what in-flight entertainment could be. The result: INFLYT 360, a next-generation platform that connects dining, shopping, content, and wellbeing into a single cohesive experience. Powered by AI and designed with travelers in mind, the system turns long-haul flights into seamless, personalized journeys — for every passenger, on any airline.
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![Airline passengers boarding and storing luggage in an overhead bin, illustrating the real-world environment and user context for in-flight entertainment (IFE) research and observation.]()
Research
We began by immersing ourselves in the realities of modern air travel — from the frustrations of disjointed IFE systems to the unmet expectations of digital-native flyers. Interviews with passengers and airline partners revealed a consistent desire for smarter personalization, frictionless interactions, and access to services that extended beyond content — including food, shopping, and wellbeing. The research highlighted a need for in-flight experiences to reflect the digital standards of life on the ground.
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![In-flight screens displaying isolated entertainment content, capturing the fragmented passenger experience that informed the insight for a more unified, contextual platform.]()
Insight
Passengers didn’t just want more — they wanted relevance. The challenge wasn’t a lack of features, but a lack of connection between them. Each touchpoint — entertainment, meals, shopping — operated in isolation. We saw an opportunity to create a unified, modular system that could adapt to different airline needs while centering the traveler. The insight was simple: design for coherence, not just choice.
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![A young passenger illuminated by sunlight, interacting with a mobile device mid-flight—symbolizing user-centric, flexible design that scales across touchpoints and cabin classes.]()
Strategy
We designed a flexible product ecosystem that could scale across airlines, cabin classes, and passenger types. The INFLYT 360 platform was anchored in modularity — allowing Thales and its airline partners to configure the experience while maintaining a consistent foundation. We introduced a layered approach to UX, surfacing the right content at the right time, while using AI to learn preferences and adapt. The strategy connected entertainment, service, and commerce into a seamless journey.
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![A silhouette of a passenger gazing out of a plane window, with IFE screens in view—representing the future-ready, intelligent design of the INFLYT 360 platform built for evolving digital travel needs.]()
Future
INFLYT 360 established a new benchmark for IFE systems — one that’s intelligent, human-centered, and future-ready. Designed for integration, the platform opens new opportunities for Thales and its airline partners to respond to changing expectations and tech ecosystems. Whether enabling voice interaction, syncing with personal devices, or integrating with loyalty programs, the system is built to evolve with the future of flight.
Platform Case Study
Challenge
Thales wanted to reimagine the in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience — but the complexity ran deeper than screens and seats. Legacy systems, fragmented airline operations, and inconsistent passenger expectations had made innovation feel impossible at cruising altitude. To lead in a crowded category, Thales needed more than just better hardware — they needed a human-centered strategy that could adapt to cultural nuance, regulatory constraints, and the evolving expectations of travelers worldwide.
Integrations
Integrated with passenger biometric systems to enable secure, personalized onboarding.
Synced with airline CRM to deliver destination-driven content and tailored recommendations.
Connected seatback screens with personal devices for seamless, multi-touchpoint interactions.
Embedded mobile payment systems to support in-flight commerce and upgrades.
Leveraged real-time flight and location data for contextually aware entertainment and services.
Designed for continual adaptation via machine learning models tuned to passenger behaviors.
Enabled dynamic content updates informed by global travel trends and individual preferences.
Future-proofed for next-gen capabilities, including AI copilots and ambient passenger sensing.
Development
We collaborated closely with Thales' global UX, engineering, and aviation teams to bring the Platinum Sky platform to life. Using a design-led agile process, we moved quickly from speculative concepts to tangible interfaces tested in real-world conditions.
Prototyped interactive systems across multiple device formats — seatback, tablet, and personal devices.
Co-developed a modular design system to support rapid iteration and localization.
Embedded with flight crews, passengers, and ground teams to validate utility and usability.
Ran multi-phase pilots across different aircraft models to ensure cross-fleet compatibility.
Built flexible tech layers to support real-time updates, third-party integrations, and emerging passenger expectations.
This wasn’t just about building an entertainment system — it was about shaping the future of how people experience time in the air. The result? A rigorously tested, cross-platform experience — ready to scale across fleets, airlines, and the future of flight.
Solution
Platinum Sky redefined what in-flight entertainment could be: a dynamic, responsive, and hyper-personalized platform that evolves with the passenger. We designed an ecosystem — not just a screen — that understands context, learns from behavior, and bridges physical and digital touchpoints across the travel journey.
At the heart of the solution:
Contextual Intelligence: Content, services, and recommendations tailored to time of day, flight phase, destination, and user preferences.
Seamless Device Integration: A cross-platform architecture enabling passengers to begin watching, reading, or playing on one device and continue on another.
Biometric & Behavioral Inputs: Interfaces adapt based on attention, mood, and biometric signals — turning passive content into active engagement.
Destination-Driven Ecosystem: From booking to baggage claim, Platinum Sky connects the dots — surfacing local insights, cultural tips, and exclusive offers en route.
Ever-Adaptive Design: A modular framework that continuously learns, optimizes, and scales with new content, partners, and technologies.
The result is an experience that doesn’t just entertain — it anticipates. One that’s immersive, intelligent, and emotionally attuned to the traveler.
A personalized destination dashboard greets travelers with contextual data—from weather and maps to rideshare updates—enhancing the journey from air to ground.
An immersive, cinematic experience transforms in-flight entertainment into a curated and intuitive streaming hub—designed around mood, preference, and region.
Interactive shopping on board merges storytelling and commerce—connecting passengers to luxury brands through shoppable content tied to entertainment.
A refined digital menu brings the onboard dining experience to life—curated by top chefs and presented with editorial-style storytelling and visuals.
Wellbeing takes center stage with real-time sleep insights—offering passengers tools to rest, recover, and arrive more refreshed.
Mindfulness meets motion with guided stretching, breathing, and meditation—designed specifically to reduce in-flight stress and support comfort.
Results
Platinum Sky transformed in-flight entertainment from a passive service into a dynamic brand differentiator — delivering impact across the passenger journey and business performance:
+43% increase in user engagement, with passengers spending more time on personalized content and services.
Enhanced brand perception, positioning Thales as a premium innovator in the travel technology space.
New revenue pathways unlocked through contextual commerce and integrated partner ecosystems.
Operational efficiency gains, with modular tools enabling faster content updates and real-time personalization.
Validated market demand, as airlines recognized the platform’s potential to elevate loyalty, differentiation, and passenger satisfaction.
What began as an IFE upgrade became a platform for future-ready, emotionally intelligent travel.
The future of in-flight entertainment isn’t content. It’s connection—smart, seamless, and shaped entirely around the passenger.
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