Long haul entertainment and the provision of on board IT services has become a critical marketing tool for International airlines operating out of Australia. From Qantas to Virgin or from BA to Singapore Airlines they all have a technology message to spin.

 New kid on the long haul route between Sydney and Europe is Arab airline Emirates, who are also the official sponsor of this year's World Cup in Germany. They claim that their Ice Entertainment system is not only good but the best in the world so we put their offerings to the test during a recent trip to Europe. After 48 hours in the air with this airline we came to the conclusion that they have a long way to go before they are in the same business class league as their competitors.

Even Emirates Economy class entertainment system is better than what they are delivering for some business class passengers. Economy class screen shown.

Emirates describe their Ice entertainment system as a complete, integrated package with movies, TV channels, radio, music, advanced communication facilities and travel information. Ice they say allows on board passengers to select an entertainment preference at the touch of the onboard screen, and at any time during the flight. Most importantly they say that the ice touch-pad screen is completely individual, enabling users to personalise there viewing choice to suit a  mood.

They also say that Ice enables one to stop, start, pause, rewind or fast-forward, from a personal TV screen, just as if you're playing a DVD or CD at home. The Emirates system has over 500 channels of entertainment as well as advanced communication and information facilities. Emirates customers they say can keep in touch by phone, email or sms from the comfort of their seat while receiving replies direct to an onboard TV screen.

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